Latest News
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Bloomberg News reports that Brookfield and GIC are close to a binding offer for National Storage.
Bloomberg News, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported Sunday that Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) and Singapore's GIC were close to making a binding bid for National Storage REIT. The deal could value the Sydney listed company at around 4 billion Australian Dollars ($2.65 billion). The report stated that the parties were finalizing the details of the deal, which could be announced as early as Monday. Brookfield and GIC had also made good progress in their due diligence process on National Storage. The report states that the price for the binding offer will likely be the same in November as the conditional offer. Could not verify immediately the report. National Storage REIT announced last month that it received an A$4.02 Billion buyout offer by a consortium consisting of Brookfield, Singapore's GIC and other companies. This would have been the largest real estate privatisation in Australia. ($1 = 1,5067 Australian Dollars) (Reporting and editing by Andrea Ricci in Bengaluru)
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Canada's Air Transat suspends flights after pilots union strikes notice
Transat AT, a Canada-listed tour operator, announced on Sunday that Air Transat, Canada, will suspend its flights from December 8 to 9 after receiving a 72-hour notice of strike by ALPA, the union which represents the 700 pilots at the company. Air Transat's pilots may begin their strike as early at 3:00 am. Air Line Pilots Association said that the strike would begin at 3:00 AM ET on December 10. The Canadian leisure carrier deemed the strike announcement "premature", given the progress made at the bargaining tables. It said that it had offered compromises including a salary increase of 59% over five years, and improved working conditions. Bradley Small, Chair of the Air Transat Master Executive Council, said: "There's still time to avoid striking, but unless there are significant improvements at the bargaining tables, we may strike to get a modern contract." Transat AT reported that Air Transat was working with the union in order to avoid a strike, but it will stop all operations on December 9th to ensure passengers and crews are not left stranded. Transat AT Inc. offers Air Transat as a brand. Reporting by Abu Sultan in Bengaluru and Shivani Tana; editing by Andrea Ricci
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American Airlines asks for notices regarding the bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines
According to a court document, American Airlines has filed an appearance notice in the bankruptcy proceedings of Spirit Aviation and requested that all notices and documents be served going forward. Spirit filed for bankruptcy a second-time in August as it struggled to deal with its dwindling reserves of cash and increasing losses. The airline stated that it was looking at all possible options in its restructuring, including a merger and sale of the business. American Airlines filed a request in the Southern District Court of New York on December 5, requesting to receive all notices, including operating reports and plans of reorganization, as well as liquidation statements. Spirit and American didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Spirit Airlines has previously stated that they are considering all options to ensure the future of their airline. Spirit actively explores all possible opportunities. The merger or sale of Spirit could maximize value. Spirit stated in a SEC filing in October that the company was actively involved in discussions with several interested counterparties. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year rejected a request from American Airlines to overturn a judicial ruling that found the company's scrapped U.S. Northeast Partnership with JetBlue Airways in violation of federal antitrust laws. JetBlue and United Airlines have partnered in a partnership since then. You can also Both airlines' websites allow travelers to book flights. Spirit Airlines urged the U.S. Transportation Department in June to reject the collaboration of United and JetBlue. Spirit Airlines said it was anti-competitive and that other large airlines would pursue similar deals. Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York, editing by Andrea Ricci
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American Airlines asks for notices regarding the bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines
According to a court document, American Airlines has filed an appearance notice in the bankruptcy proceedings of Spirit Aviation and requested that all notices and documents be served going forward. Spirit filed for bankruptcy a second-time in August as it struggled to deal with its dwindling reserves of cash and increasing losses. The airline stated that it was looking at all possible options, including a merger and sale of the business. American Airlines filed a request in the Southern District Court of New York on December 5, requesting to receive all notices, including operating reports and plans of reorganization, as well as liquidation statements. Spirit and American didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Spirit Airlines has previously stated that they are considering all options to ensure the future of their airline. Spirit actively explores all possible opportunities. The merger or sale of Spirit could maximize value. Spirit stated in a SEC filing in October that it was actively in talks with several interested counterparties. (Reporting from Doyinsola Oladipo in New York, editing by Andrea Ricci.)
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Southwest Airlines fined $11 million by the US for holiday meltdown in 2022
The Trump Administration announced Saturday that it would waive a $11 million fine on Southwest Airlines, as part of the $140 million settlement for the airline's meltdown during a busy travel season in December 2022. Southwest Airlines in December 2023 will pay $35 million in cash and $90 million worth of travel vouchers for passengers who are delayed by at least 3 hours in reaching their final destination due to an airline issue or cancellation. This is because the airline handled the meltdown which stranded over 2 million passengers. In a written order, the U.S. Transportation Department cited Southwest Airlines' decision to invest more than $1 billion into its operations since the 2022 crash to improve performance and reliability as the reason for its decision to waive the remaining $11 millions of the fine due by January 31. Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Chizu nomiyama
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Merz and Macron to discuss fate FCAS fighter jet in the week of December 15, says industry source
A source in the industry said that the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the French President Emmanuel Macron plan to discuss the fate the troubled Franco German fighter jet project FCAS – or SCAF – during the week of December 15. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a 100 billion-euro ($116-billion) project that was floated over eight years ago, is mired in disputes among the companies concerned about workshare and prized technologies. A source with knowledge of the project said earlier this week that the defence ministers from the participating countries, Germany, France, and Spain, will meet on the 11th to discuss it. The German government spokesperson refused to comment on the exact date but only said that the appointments made by the chancellor will be made public at the appropriate time. The French government did not respond to a request for comment. The French government was not immediately available for comment.
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Bloomberg News reports that Indian and US investigators will meet next week to discuss the Air India crash.
Bloomberg News reported that India would send investigators next week to the United States to review data collected on the fatal Air India crash in June, with the National Transportation Safety Board. The report cited people with knowledge of the situation as saying that Indian investigators planned to share their findings, which included any information they gleaned from cockpit voice and flight recorders. Could not verify immediately the report. The report stated that the meeting would take place at the NTSB headquarters in Washington D.C. Other parties, including Boeing representatives, will also be present. Boeing referred all comments to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. NTSB, India’s civil aviation ministry, and the AAIB didn't immediately respond to requests for comments. Shortly after takeoff, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner departing from Ahmedabad in India and heading to London began to lose thrust. The 242 passengers and 19 people on the ground were all killed, except for one. (Reporting and editing by Aidan Lewis, Aurora Ellis and Yazhini MV from Bengaluru)
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IAEA: Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant temporarily lost electricity overnight
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Saturday that Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant temporarily lost all of its off-site electricity overnight. It cited Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Since March 2022 when Russian forces seized much of the southeast Ukraine, this nuclear plant - Europe's biggest - has been under Russian authority. The plant is currently not producing electricity, but it relies on external power in order to keep the material cool and prevent a meltdown. IAEA reported that the plant had been reconnected after a 30-minute outage to a power line of 330 kilovolts (kV). The Russian-installed plant management said that the 750 kV power line, which was also previously disconnected, was now back in operation. Stable power supply was restored, they added. The management stated that radiation levels were normal. IAEA said that widespread military activities over night affected Ukraine's power grid, and caused operating nuclear power plants to reduce their output. Reporting by Gnaneshwarrajan and Yazhini MV in Bengaluru, Editing by Aidan Lewis & Bernadettebaum
Promising teenager skaters, ex-world champions amongst victims of Washington air crash
All 64 individuals aboard a flight from Wichita, Kansas, and three soldiers on a U.S. Army helicopter were believed dead on Thursday after the two airplane collided in a fiery surge near Washington, D.C.
. The victims consist of figure skaters, family members and coaches who had been going to a national training camp for top young professional athletes in Kansas. Among the flight's 60 travelers and four team members were Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, former world champions in sets figure skating who coached young skaters in the Boston area.
At least 5 members of a Washington plumbing professionals and pipefitters union were amongst the dead, the union said in a. declaration, without determining the victims.
Here is what we know about a few of the victims:
ASRA HUSSAIN RAZA
Raza, 26, sent out a text to her partner, Hamaad, from the. doomed flight as they approached Washington, saying she would. land in about 20 minutes.
Hamaad Raza, 25, who was waiting at the airport for her. arrival, never ever got another message, his dad, Hashim. Raza, informed Reuters.
Asra was whatever to us, Hashim Raza, holding back. tears with a quavering voice, said in a telephone interview as. he traveled from Missouri to Washington to fulfill his child. And. now my child is a widower at 25. What do I say to him? They. prepared to have kids, they were a lot anticipating. that.
The couple met at Indiana University Bloomington, where she. studied corporate financing and was a straight-A college student.
Hashim Raza stated when his kid first satisfied Asra, he stated,. I'm going to wed her.
Asra Hussain Raza later on earned her master's degree in public. health from Columbia University and got a job with a consulting. group in Washington, with the ultimate objective of working for the. federal government to improve public health, her father-in-law stated.
All she wanted to do was help individuals, and DC, she. thought, was the location to accomplish her goals, Raza said. And. she was such a terrific cook - Indian, Italian, Chinese food. I. informed her to open a dining establishment.
She traveled to Wichita about once or twice a month to assist. turn around a hospital, he stated.
She was an incredibly caring individual, he stated. She 'd call. just to state, 'I love you.'
SPENCER LANE AND JINNA HAN
Spencer and Jinna, both around 16 years of ages, trained practically. every day at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood,. Massachusetts, according to the club's executive director, Doug. Zeghibe. The Lane household resided in Rhode Island, and the Han. household resided in the Boston area.
The two young skaters had been going to U.S. Figure. Skating's National Development Camp in Wichita, an elite. training camp that followed recently's U.S. nationwide. championships for skaters viewed as the future of the sport,. Zeghibe stated.
Spencer, in the best way possible, was an insane kid-- extremely. talented, extremely skilled, Zeghibe informed reporters at the. club on Thursday early morning. Has actually not been skating that long and. just soaring to the top of the sport - very fun, really. cerebral, a very good thinker.
Spencer posted a picture of the wing of the plane before it. took off from Wichita on Instagram, according to media reports,. with a caption listing Washington as the location.
In another post, he said getting approved for the camp had been a. long time objective. He thanked Shishkova and Naumov, among others,. for an fantastic experience.
Jinna was a wonderful kid, Zeghibe said.
Wonderful parents, excellent professional athlete, fantastic competitor, enjoyed. by all, he told reporters.
Spencer's mom, Christine, and Jinna's mother, Jin, were. also on the aircraft. Both were role model parents who made a lot. of sacrifices to assist their children master the sport, Zeghibe. said.
YEVGENIA SHISHKOVA AND VADIM NAUMOV
Russian-born Shishkova and Naumov, who were wed, won the. world championship in sets figure skating in 1994 and had. coached at the Skating Club of Boston given that 2017.
They were gifted and beautiful people, said Ludmila. Velikova in St. Petersburg, where she trained both skaters when. they were children. Zhenya (Shishkova) trained with me from the. age of 11 and Vladik (Naumov) from age 14. They resembled my own. kids.
The couple's kid, Maxim, likewise a skater, completed in 4th. location in the guys's complimentary skate at the U.S. championship games. recently. He left Wichita after the competition and was not on. Wednesday's plane.
Zeghibe explained Vadim Naumov as an old-school coach who. used the stringent Russian approach to his trainees.
You could not see Genia without breaking into a smile, he. stated, utilizing a label for Shishkova.
INNA VOLYANSKAYA
Russian-born Volyanskaya, a skating coach in the Washington. location, was on board the plane, according to a X post from U.S. Agent Suhas Subramanyam and a report from the Russian. news firm TASS.
Volyanskaya contended as a sets skater for the Soviet Union. in the 1980s. She coached young skaters at the Washington Figure. Skating Club, according to the club's site.
In a statement on Thursday, the club did not verify whether. any member or coach was on the flight but said it was. ravaged by news of the crash.
More details will be published when appropriate, the club. stated.
(source: Reuters)