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FAA delays flights as shutdown enters Day 31
Federal Aviation Administration delayed flights on Friday at airports in Austin and Newark, as staffing issues continue to cause delays and the government shutdown enters its 31st week. The FAA reported that there were staffing problems at nine FAA facilities on Friday, and said this was likely to cause delays in flights later for Houston and Dallas airports. Flight delays averaged 61 minutes in Nashville, 50 minutes in Austin and 101 minutes in Newark. FlightAware, a tracking website for aviation, reported that 2,200 U.S. flight delays and 300 cancellations had occurred as of 12:25 p.m. ET. On Thursday, there were 1,250 canceled flights and 7,300 flight delays in the United States. Sean Duffy, the U.S. Transportation secretary, said that he expected more flight delays to occur in the next few days. Duffy told Fox News' America's Newsroom that there would be more disruptions to the airspace this weekend, and the following week. Staffing shortages in air traffic control caused delays on Thursday at Orlando, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Washington, D.C. The shutdown forced 13,000 air-traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers to work for free. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines have all called for Congress to pass a temporary funding bill so that the government can reopen, and to continue discussions on healthcare policy disagreements. Transportation Department officials said that the shutdown caused flight delays because of air traffic controllers' absences. The airlines have repeatedly called for an end to this shutdown, citing safety concerns. The shutdown has worsened existing staffing shortages and threatens to cause widespread disruptions. Even before the shutdown, many air traffic controllers were working six-day weekends and mandatory overtime. (Reporting and editing by Andrea Ricci; David Shepardson)
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Staff of the Border Force patrolling UK waters are planning a strike over pay
The union that represents British Border Force employees announced on Friday, more than 120 staff members who patrol Britain's waterways in "sometimes harrowing" roles plan to go on strike on November 14, to protest pay and working conditions. Most of the UK Border Force's 10,000 staff members work in ports and airports across the UK and abroad. The website of the agency does not provide a breakdown showing how many people are employed to patrol the waters in the UK. The union representing Britain's Public and Commercial Services said that the government started a review of the issue six years ago, addressing the need for standardisation in pay and roles. However, despite long discussions the concerns of the members have not been addressed. The UK interior ministry didn't immediately respond to an inquiry about the planned stoppage of one day or the status on the review. The union stated that workers are involved in dangerous tasks such as patrolling for illegal entry or smuggling into the UK and boarding vessels to inspect them, responding to incidents including small boats with asylum seekers, and boarding vessels for inspection. The Labour Party of British Prime Minister Keir starmer, which is trailing in the polls, has promised to crush the gangs that traffic migrants into Britain via small boats. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, a populist party with a strong political agenda has also made illegal immigration a key issue. In a statement, PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote stated that "this strike sends a message clear to the Home Office": We will not accept further delays or inadequate proposals. Heathcote said, "We are prepared to escalate the situation if needed." (Reporting and editing by Muvija m; Alexander Smith).
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Buffett will send a letter to his children and shareholders as well as Abel's annual letter, according to WSJ
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Buffett's assistant said Warren Buffett would release a letter on November 10 to his children and Berkshire Hathaway's shareholders. Greg Abel, who will become Berkshire Hathaway's chief executive in February, will write Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder's letter. Buffett will step down from his role as chief executive officer at the end this year. He will, however, remain chairman. Abel is a vice chairman of Berkshire but has taken on additional responsibilities since Buffett announced a management change during Berkshire’s annual meeting held May 3. Buffett plans to join other directors in the audience, and not on stage, for next year's meeting. Berkshire has not responded to any requests for comment since Friday. The Omaha-based conglomerate, which will announce its third-quarter results this Saturday. Buffett's letter of November 10, to his children Susie and Howard, and to shareholders is not clear. Buffett sent letters to his family in November 2023, and again in November 2024. In these letters he discussed estate planning. He also expressed gratitude for the opportunities that the U.S. offers. He announced four donations to family charities. Howard Buffett will eventually become the non-executive Chairman of Berkshire. New York Newsroom reported the story.
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Portugal announces that the sale of TAP Airlines has cross-party support
The government of Portugal expects that the partial privatisation process for flag carrier TAP will proceed smoothly. This is due to a rare political consensus across parties and interest shown by Europe's biggest airlines, Infrastructure Minister Miguel Pinto Luz stated on Friday. He stated that the centre-right minority government initially wanted to offer 100% of TAP but settled for 49.9% when the two major opposition parties threatened to stop any larger sale. This led to a “broad consensus” in parliament with the extreme right Chega and Socialist parties. He told a committee of parliament that "dialogue and mutual respect is always the best way for politics." To ensure transparency, the sale of the property will be reviewed and monitored by an independent commission as well as a working group within the parliament. Portugal has relaunched its long-delayed TAP privatisation in July. The aim is to sell a stake of 44.9% to a carrier that can bring global scale and competition, plus an additional 5% for TAP staff. Airlines interested in TAP are required to submit a formal "manifestation" of interest by November 21, and non-binding bids by the end the year. Lufthansa and Air France-KLM have expressed interest in purchasing TAP. British Airways and IAG, the owner of British Airways, also met with the government last year.
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KLM signs two-year contract with unions of ground staff
Dutch airline KLM announced on Friday it had reached a deal with five unions that represent ground staff in The Netherlands for a two-year agreement that included pay increases, bonuses and improved retirement options. The Collective Labor Agreement (CLA), which is retroactive to March 1, this year and ends on February 28, 2027, will be in effect. This includes a salary increase of 3.25 percent in total as well as a one-time payment of 500 euros ($583) net in December 2025, and 250 euros in January 2026. KLM has also agreed to permanentize the 80-90-100% scheme, which allows older workers to work 90% of their working hours and still accrue full pension. "We are happy that we reached an agreement with all five unions. We have reached solid agreements with KLM on remunerations, career development and productivity. The agreement came amid ongoing labor unrest in KLM. Two major unions, FNV and CNV, had rejected the September deal with other unions and continued to organize strikes.
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Tanzania opposition claims hundreds of deaths in protests against voting
Tanzania's main Opposition Party said that hundreds of people were killed this week in protests against elections throughout the country, while the government claimed it was restoring the order following "isolated" incidents. The United Nations has confirmed credible reports that at least ten people have been killed in protests across three cities. This is the first estimate of fatalities made public by any international body since the vote on Wednesday. The government hasn't responded to any requests for comment or released any estimates of casualties. Could not independently verify these figures. Since Wednesday, protesters have been taking to the streets in anger over the exclusion of the two main challengers to President Samia Hassan from the race. They also criticized what they called widespread repression. Police have been accused of using tear gas and firearms to disperse some protests, according to witnesses. The police have imposed a curfew overnight in Dar es Salaam's commercial capital over the last two nights, after burning down government offices and other structures. Since Wednesday, internet access has been interrupted. HIGH SECURITY PRESENCE On Friday, the military and police patrolled Dar es Salaam's streets to prevent people from moving without a valid excuse. The government has extended the order for civil servants to work from home. John Kitoka, a spokesperson of the CHADEMA Party which was banned from the elections for refusing to adhere to a code and whose leader was arrested in April for treason, said that the party has documented 700 deaths based on the accounts of health workers. He said that protests were still ongoing in several cities on Friday, but they had diminished in others due to heavy security deployment. He said: "We want the protests continue until we get our electoral reforms." Hassan faces a challenge in the unrest. He was praised for his easing of repression after taking office 2021, but has faced criticism more recently from opposition parties and activists following a series 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. Thursday, the electoral commission announced provisional results of the election. Hassan won a majority in several constituencies. GOVERNMENT : "NORMALICY WILL RETURN" The first direct comments from her government on the unrest were made on Friday by the Foreign Affairs Ministry in a broadcasted message to diplomatic missions on state television. In the message, it was stated that "due to isolated incidents where law and order were violated, the government has increased security and taken other precautionary steps." The statement added that the security measures are temporary, but necessary. Normalcy is expected to return soon. Seif Magango, spokesperson for the U.N. Human rights office, told reporters in Geneva that there are credible reports of 10 deaths in Dar es Salaam and Shinyanga. He urged the protesters to remain peaceful and called for security forces to "refrain from excessive or unnecessary force". A Dar es Salaam local, who requested anonymity for safety, said that a family had lost a member when a protester was mistakenly shot outside a hospital. No one from the police department responded to our requests for comment. In a joint statement released on Thursday, two members of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee called the election a fraud, saying that it "took place in an atmosphere of intimidation and fear". The article was written by Vincent Mumo Nzilani, George Obulutsa and edited by Aaron Ross. Ros Russell and Andrew Heavens.
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ITA Airways will resume flights from and to Tel Aviv on January 1, 2019.
Italy's ITA Airways has announced that it will resume direct flights to Tel Aviv on January 1. This will restore connections with Rome's Fiumicino airport, the main airport. According to the statement, the company, which is part of the Lufthansa Group, will operate at first two daily routes between Tel Aviv and the rest of Europe. The route is "of strategic importance to ITA Airways, and it represents a significant move for Italy. It further strengthens the commercial, cultural, and social ties between Italy and the United States." Hamas has reached a fragile truce with Israel this month, brokered by U.S. president Donald Trump. The deal is being tested periodically by violent outbreaks, as part of the conflict that was sparked by the October 7, 2020 attack by the militants group. As a result, several airlines have suspended flights in the past two years.
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Asia spot prices stable on ample stocks and tepid Demand
The Asian spot price of liquefied gas held steady in this week's market, despite a tepid global demand and healthy stocks. Average LNG price for delivery to North-east Asia in December Industry sources estimate that the price per million British Thermal Units (mmBtu) was $11.10, a slight drop from $11.20/mmBtu in the previous week. Arturo Regalado is Kpler's senior LNG analyst. He said that while Asian LNG prices were supported by higher European prices last week, this week's gains were limited by weaker Asian fundamentals. He said that he expects Asian LNG prices to remain stable next week due to the fact that weaker industrial gas demand and lower gas-fired usage in China combined with higher than average Japanese LNG inventories for December will cap any upside. The data from the Ministry of Industry shows that the LNG stocks of the major Japanese electric utilities increased to 1.97 million tonnes for the week ending October 26 compared with 1.84 million tons in October last year. Martin Senior, Argus' head of LNG prices, added that supply expectations were also confirmed this week by the cooling-down cargo declaration at the Golden Pass U.S. export terminal and Shell's announcement of the impending start of the second LNG Canada train. In Europe, S&P Global Commodity Insights estimated its daily Northwest Europe LNG Marker for cargoes to be delivered in December ex-ship at $10.126/mmBtu. This is a $0.53/mmBtu reduction from the December price at Dutch TTF hub. Spark Commodities estimated the November price to be $9.907/mmBtu. Regalado said that the abundance of LNG and pipeline supply helped to keep prices down, while the warmer weather and increased wind output also kept gas-fired generators in check. Last week, hedge funds and institutional investors began selling TTF futures, reinforcing that the bullish sentiment in the EU Gas market has collapsed, according to independent gas analyst Seb Knastle. The U.S. arbitrage for the front month to Northeast Asia via Cape of Good Hope has now been closed, and is marginally pointing towards Europe rather than Asia. However, the arbitrage through Panama remains open, according to Spark Commodities analyst Qasim Afghanistan. He added that LNG freight rates have risen to $61,250/day in the Atlantic, and to $41,250/day in Pacific. Harikrishnan Nair, Harikrishnan Chow and Emily Chow contributed to this report.
Air Canada's labor agreement faces strong opposition on wages and could fail
Sources and cabin crew familiar with the situation have said that many Air Canada flight attendants were not happy with the wage increases included in the tentative agreement reached to end a crippling walkout earlier this week. Union members might also reject the deal.
Five flight attendants contacted by said that they intend to vote against the deal because it does not provide a living wages to entry-level employees and doesn't fully address concerns over lack of payment for waiting hours for a plane. The union leader acknowledged that many of his members were disappointed with the agreement, which had been initially hailed as a victory for the union after an overnight blitz.
This sentiment was also expressed on social media by people who claimed to be flight attendants but could not confirm this.
The flight attendants refused to give in to government pressure to end the strike. This forced Air Canada to return to the bargaining tables, where they reached a settlement to end the four day action that left half a million passengers stranded. The deal raised hopes that Canada’s largest airline would pay crews on the ground, for tasks such as boarding and assisting passengers.
As details became available, it became apparent that the proposed contract had limitations in terms of ground pay. One attendee said that this frustrated many attendees at town hall-style events.
Sources familiar with the issue said that it was unclear whether the vote will pass.
Wesley Lesosky is the president of Air Canada, a component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees that represents flight attendants. He said he understands the frustration of members. He explained that when the government announced it would force flight attendants to arbitration, the union was faced with the dilemma of protecting gains made at the bargaining tables while also wanting to give its members the opportunity to vote on the agreement.
He said that if the agreement is rejected, the wage section of it will be decided at arbitration. The remaining items, however, will continue to move forward.
The union was successful in getting the company to move forward with the wage item separately from other items. We feel that our members were successful as they remained strong on the picket line.
The union has said that flight attendants who reject the offer during the voting period of August 27-September 6 cannot strike again legally. Voting against the contract will prolong the dispute which led Air Canada to withdraw its financial guidance for this year.
One flight attendant, who did not want to be identified, said that the offer from Air Canada is still not "livable".
There has been some reporting on social media posts. However, we are the first to interview flight attendants who have explained their opposition to the plan.
CRY OUT TO TEARS
One attendant stated that the frustration of unionists was evident during a virtual meeting held with members. She and other attendants asked to remain anonymous due to rules of the company and stated that some attendees cried when hearing about the contract.
The gains over the next four years would amount to an average wage increase of 20% for flight attendants at the entry level and 16% for cabin crew with more experience.
The hourly wage increase will be accompanied by 60 minutes pre-flight payment on narrowbody aircraft and 70 minutes for widebody jets with two aisles. In year one, the crew's pay would start at 50%, increasing to 70% in year four.
Flight attendant with seven-year experience says she'll vote no citing unpaid and underpaid work. She would not receive payment for the four-hour delay that she experienced on a long-haul flight.
Air Canada has not yet commented.
Credit rating agency Moody's lowered the outlook of the company on Tuesday. Moody's believes that the strike will have a limited impact on Air Canada's earnings in the near term, but the new contract for flight attendants is expected to increase wage costs and put pressure on margins. Reporting by Kyaw Oo, Allison Lampert, and Rajesh Kumar Singh. Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Peter Henderson.
(source: Reuters)