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Tanzanian government promises order after violent protests
Tanzania's Government on Friday downplayed the protests that rocked many cities following a general elections earlier in the week, calling them "isolated events" and saying it was working hard to quickly restore normality. On Wednesday, protests broke out over the exclusion of the two main challengers to President Samia Hassan from the race. The government's critics claim that there has been widespread repression. The police have imposed a curfew overnight in Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of Tanzania, for the last two nights. Government offices and other buildings had been set alight and internet access was disrupted on Wednesday. No casualty count has been confirmed, but a diplomat said that there are credible reports of at least dozens of fatalities. On Friday, the government made its first direct comments on the unrest. It was a message sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to all foreign diplomatic missions. The message was broadcasted on the national television channel. It said that the ministry had informed them "due to isolated incidents where law and order was violated, the government has increased security and taken other precautionary steps". "...the measures taken to ensure security are temporary, but necessary. Normalcy will soon return." HASSAN HAS MAJORITY COMMANDING IN ELECTION RESULT On Friday, the military and police restricted traffic and patrolled streets. The government issued a directive to all civil servants to work from home. Hassan faces a challenge in the unrest. She was praised for her efforts to ease repression during the tenure of her predecessor John Magufuli, but critics have criticized recent arrests and allegations of abductions. Hassan denies allegations of widespread human rights abuses. She claimed that she ordered an investigation last year into reports of abductions. However, no official findings were released. The electoral commission announced the provisional results of the election on Thursday. Hassan won a commanding majority in different constituencies. The commission announced that Hussein Mwinyi was reelected as president of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago, who belongs to the ruling CCM. He received over 78% votes. MILITARY SAYS IT HAS 'CONTROLLED THE SITUATION' Jacob Mkunda, the army chief who spoke on the state radio late Thursday night, said that the military and security agencies "controlled the situation". Tanzania's CHADEMA, the main opposition party, had called for protests during the elections. The party was disqualified after refusing to sign a code and its leader Tundu LIssu was accused of treason. Hassan's opponents, ACT-Wazalendo and minor parties, are now the only ones who can challenge him. In a Thursday statement, prominent members of the European Parliament referred to the elections as a "fraud", stating that they were "conducted in an atmosphere of intimidation, repression and fear".
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NHTSA: Ford recalls 79,800 cars in the US due to door panel and lightbar defects
Ford Motor Company is recalling 79.781 cars in the U.S. because they may have interior panels that can detach near the doors and rear lights that might stop working. This was announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday. Ford Flex and F-150 Lightning BEV vehicles are included in the recall. Ford also recalls nearly 34,481 units re-manufactured automatic transmissions 10R80 that were used to repair some Ford and Lincoln cars, according to the NHTSA. Automaker recalled 227.006 vehicles in Bengaluru on Thursday due to issues such as air bubbles on windshield glass, loose seat frames and moonroof deflectors which could come off of Expedition, Navigator and F-series trucks. This brings the total recalls for this week near half a million. (Reporting from Bipasha dey in Bengaluru).
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Cebu Pacific expands holiday flights with Bulgaria Air
Cebu Pacific, the Philippine budget airline, announced a partnership on Friday with Bulgaria Air. The agreement will last until December 2025 or January 2026. Cebu Pacific announced that two Airbus A320ceos will be used on four routes within the Philippines, from Manila to Cebu and Davao. Cebu Pacific is providing the cabin crews. Bulgaria Air will supply the aircraft, pilots and maintenance, while Cebu Pacific provides insurance. Cebu Pacific's CEO Mike Szucs stated at a press briefing that by increasing flight frequency, deploying widebody planes and enhancing our fleet with a damp lease from Bulgaria Air, Cebu Pacific was strategically positioned to capture the peak travel season and sustain its growth momentum through the holiday seasons. From January to September, the airline reported carrying nearly 20 million passengers. This is a 13.9% rise from a year ago. The airline said that its domestic passenger number grew by 12.7%, to 14.9 millions. Meanwhile, the number of international travelers rose 17.7%, to 5.1million. Cebu Pacific announced in May that it would lease to Saudi budget airline flyadeal two Airbus A320 aircraft to generate revenue during low season. (Reporting and editing by Thomas Derpinghaus; Xinghui KOK)
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The death toll from the Vietnam floods has risen to 13 with 11 other missing
As the flood waters began to recede, residents of Hoi An in central Vietnam started cleaning up. In the last few days, floods triggered by unprecedented rainfall levels have inundated a wide swath in central Vietnam. The former imperial capital Hue as well as Hoi An were the hardest hit. Images circulated on state media showing that the floodwaters were still covering much of both locations, with many houses being submerged to their roofs. Vietnam is susceptible to violent storms, which can be deadly. Flooding and storms are also common in Vietnam. This causes widespread damage to property. Floodwaters began to recede in Hoi An on Friday. The ancient town, which is well preserved, was once a busy Southeast Asian trading hub from the 15th century to the 19th century. Tran Van Tien told Hoi An residents that he had seen floods before, but this was the worst he'd ever seen. The majority of tourists have cancelled hotel reservations for Hoi An. Last year, the city received over 4.4 million tourists, including almost 3.6 million tourists from abroad. Nguyen Thuy, hotel manager whose hotel is closed since Monday, said that floodwater rose too rapidly, causing property damage. In a recent report, the government disaster agency stated that 11 people were also missing. The floods inundated over 116,000 homes and 5,000 acres of crops. They also damaged roads and rails, cutting traffic and power to several areas. According to the report, heavy rains are expected to continue throughout central Vietnam. Daily rainfall in some areas will exceed 500 millimetres from early Friday to late Saturday. Thuy stated, "I hope floods don't occur again because we all depend on tourism in this area." Reporting by Thinh Vu and Khanh Vu, Hanoi. Editing by David Stanway.
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The death toll from the Vietnam floods has risen to 13 with 11 other missing
The government announced on Friday that the death toll in the central Vietnam floods has reached 13, and 11 other people are still missing. In the last few days, floods triggered from record rainfall levels have inundated a wide swath of Central Vietnam. The former imperial capital Hue as well as the ancient town Hoi An were the worst affected. Images circulated on state media showing that the floodwaters were still covering much of both locations, with many houses being submerged to their roofs. Vietnam is susceptible to violent storms, which can be deadly. Flooding and storms are also common in Vietnam. This causes widespread damage to property. In a recent report, the government disaster agency stated that floods had also inundated over 116,000 homes and 5,000 acres of crops. They have also damaged roads and rails, causing traffic to be disrupted and electricity to be cut off in many areas. According to a report, heavy rains are expected to continue throughout central Vietnam. Daily rainfall in some areas will exceed 500 millimetres from early Friday to late Saturday.
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Xi will meet with Canadian and Japanese leaders following Trump's trade truce
Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, will be at the forefront of an annual gathering in South Korea of Pacific Rim Leaders on Friday. He will hold talks with his Canadian and Japanese counterparts following a fragile truce reached with U.S. Donald Trump. This agreement, reached just before Trump left South Korea and skipped the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, will suspend any further restrictions on China's rare earth exports, which threatened to clog global supply chains. The APEC meetings in Gyeongju, a historic city, this year focused on strengthening supply chains. The 21-member club's goal is to reduce barriers to trade and investment and encourage cooperation. However, decisions taken at meetings are not binding and consensus has become increasingly difficult. XI MEETS JAPAN'S NEW HAWKISH LEADER Xi is now expected to have his first meeting with Japan's newly-elected leader Sanae Takayichi. Although relations between the two historic rivals are on a better footing, Takaichi’s elevation as Japan’s first female president may strain ties because of her nationalistic views. Her first act since taking office last Monday was to speed up a military buildup aimed at defending Japan's island from a China that is becoming more assertive. Japan is also home to the largest concentration of U.S. forces abroad. The agenda is likely to include sensitive topics such as the detention of Japanese citizens in China, and Beijing's restrictions on Japanese beef and seafood imports. CANADA WANTS TO RESTART CHINA ENGAGEMENT His office announced that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney would meet Xi Jinping on Thursday, April 4, at 4:00 p.m. local (0700 GMT). The meeting is intended to restart a broad engagement with China following years of bad relations. Canada, embroiled in an intense trade war with the United States, its largest trading partner is looking to find new markets and wean itself from this overwhelming dependence. China is Canada's largest trading partner. Canada's security agencies concluded that China had interfered with at least two federal election under the leadership of Justin Trudeau's predecessor, Carney. Xi publicly scolded Trudeau for leaking their conversations to the media. China announced preliminary antidumping duties on Canadian Canola imports, one year after Canada announced it would levy 100% tariffs on the imports of Chinese Electric Vehicles. Both sides' senior officials met earlier this month to discuss these issues, but there was no sign of a breakthrough. BESSENT STANDS UP FOR TRUMP Scott Bessent, U.S. Treasury secretary, will be acting in place of Trump at the opening session, when South Korean Premier Lee Jae Myung is hosting a discussion about "restoring the desire to cooperate in Asia-Pacific". Cho Hyun, South Korean Foreign Ministry, said that even though negotiations are still ongoing on a statement for the ministerial summit itself he is hopeful that it will be adopted along with a declaration from the leaders when the summit concludes Saturday. He told a press briefing that "we are very close." Two diplomats from APEC members nations privately expressed skepticism about the substance of any statement, given the fractures in world politics. APEC did not adopt a joint statement in 2018 or 2019 during Trump's presidency. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is scheduled to speak this afternoon at a parallel gathering of executives to the APEC Summit. The week has been a whirlwind for Huang, as Nvidia became the first company in the world to reach a valuation of $5 trillion. However, the sale of AI chips by the U.S. chipmaker to China seemed to be left out of the Xi-Trump Summit on Thursday. (Reporting from Jihoon Lee in Gyeongju, Ju-min Park in Seoul and Eduardo Baptista at the Xi-Trump summit; Writing by John Geddie with editing by Michael Perry.)
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Bloomberg News: Air India wants $1.14 billion from SIA and Tata to survive, reports Bloomberg
Bloomberg News reported that Air India was seeking financial support of at least 100 billion rupees (about $1.14 billion) from its owners, Singapore Airlines and Tata sons. The report cited people who were familiar with the situation. This follows the deadly Air India crash that claimed more than 240 lives in June, plunging it into its worst crisis. It also complicates its efforts to restore its reputation as well as modernize its fleet. Reports said that the Tata Group's carrier, Air India, is seeking funds to revamp its systems and services and develop in-house engineering departments and maintenance departments. Bloomberg stated that any financial support will be proportional to the ownership. The owners can decide whether the funding is an interest-free equity loan or a loan. Tata Group owns 74.9% of Air India, the airline it bought in 2022. Singapore Airlines holds the remaining 25%. The report could not be verified immediately. Air India, Singapore Airlines, and Tata Sons have not responded to requests for comment. Air India's CEO pledged to improve internal practices earlier this week. ($1 = 87.8950 Indian Rupees) (Reporting and editing by Rashmi aich and Alan Barona in Bengaluru)
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JetBlue flight diverted to Tampa after flight problem, reported injuries
JetBlue Airways Flight 93, which was en route to New Jersey from Cancun in Mexico on Thursday, diverted after a flight-control issue. Some passengers were injured, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. JetBlue Flight 1230, an Airbus 320, departed Cancun International Airport and was heading to New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport at the time of its landing around 2:19 p.m. ET at Tampa, Florida. The FAA is conducting an investigation. JetBlue reported that the aircraft dropped in altitude. "Medical personnel evaluated passengers and crew members, and those who needed additional care were taken to a nearby hospital." The airline has not yet revealed how many people have been injured. The airline has announced that it will investigate the incident thoroughly to find out what happened. JetBlue stated that "the safety of our passengers and crew members is our top priority and we will support those involved." (Reporting and editing by Diane Craft, Leslie Adler, and David Shepardson)
Saudi flyadeal set to purchase Plane A330neo jets, sources say
Saudi spending plan airline flyadeal is settling an offer to buy 10 Jet A330neo jets in its first fullblown growth into widebody aircrafts as the kingdom pursues a surge of costs on aviation, industry sources said on Tuesday.
The low-priced subsidiary of state provider Saudia is likely to reveal the order for the updated A330-900 variant in the coming weeks after comparing it with Boeing's smaller sized 787-9, and the very first jets are anticipated to get here in 2027, the sources stated.
Flyadeal and Airbus decreased remark.
An order for 10 A330-900s would deserve some $1.1 billion after normal discounts, according to estimated delivery prices from Cirium Ascend. Airbus no longer publishes brochure rates.
Flyadeal has likewise negotiated purchase rights for an additional 10 A330neos, the sources said. A purchase right locks in prices without defining delivery dates and can be held for longer than an option, that includes prices and shipment slots.
The deal comes after Reuters first reported last June that Jeddah-based flyadeal was studying an order for in between 10 and 20 wide-body jets to add new destinations and carry more travelers into airport slot-constrained markets, such as Dubai.
Saudi Arabia's aviation sector is expanding as the kingdom invests billions of dollars in its Vision 2030 strategy to diversify its economy away from nonrenewable fuel sources and enhance its economic sector.
(source: Reuters)