Latest News
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Minister: Morocco will open two deepwater ports in 2026 and 2020
Nizar Baraka, the Equipment and Water Minister, said that Morocco would open a deepwater Mediterranean port in 2019 and an Atlantic port in 2028. The North African nation is aiming to duplicate the success of Africa’s largest port, Tanger Med. Baraka said in an interview that the Nador West Med project, currently under construction in the Mediterranean, will be operational by the second half 2026. He said that the industrial zone will cover 800 hectares and be expanded to 5000, which is more than Tanger Med. The port will host Morocco's first liquefied gas terminal - a floating gas storage and regasification (FSRU) unit - connected by a pipe to industrial hubs to the northwest. Morocco is pushing investments in renewable energy and natural gas to reduce its dependence on coal. Morocco is also building a port worth $1 billion in Dakhla on the Atlantic Coast, which is in the disputed Western Sahara. Baraka stated that the facility would be surrounded with 1,600 hectares of industrial land and 5,200 acres of farmland that will be irrigated using desalinated drinking water. Baraka stated that the port would be completed in 2028, and it will be the deepest port in Morocco at 23 meters. He said that such depth would be ideal for heavy industries that process raw materials from Sahel-based countries. Officials have promoted Dakhla to landlocked Sahel countries as a gateway to global trade. Baraka stated that both Nador and Dakhla will have quays for exporting green hydrogen as soon as production begins. Nador and Dakhla will be Morocco's third- and fourth-deepwater ports, after Tanger Med, a port for energy, bulk cargo, and phosphate exports on the Atlantic. Official figures indicate that by 2024, the industrial zones around Tanger Med will host 1,400 companies employing 130,000 workers in sectors such as automotive, aeronautics and textiles. Baraka stated that Morocco also considers building a port at Tan-Tan, on the Atlantic, in partnership with green hydrogen investors. Baraka stated that "we are conducting studies in order to determine the size of the port." (Reporting and editing by Aiden Lewis; Ahmed Eljechtimi)
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Orban: Turkey will guarantee the flow of Russian gas into Hungary
Orban announced on Monday that Recep Tayyip Erdoan, the Turkish president, and Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister had agreed that Turkey would guarantee that Russian natural gas could continue to flow into Hungary. Hungary's reliance on Russian gas since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict has been criticized by several European Union allies and NATO members. Hungary has signed a 15 year deal with Russia in 2021 to purchase 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas per annum. Last year, Hungary increased its purchases from Gazprom, importing approximately 7.5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas through the Turkstream pipeline. Orban, in a state-run channel M1 broadcast press conference, said: "Today, I agreed with President Erdogan that you will guarantee the route, so that we can ship (gas) from Russia into Hungary." Orban said that Hungary had received 7.5 billion cubic metres of gas via the Turkstream pipeline this year. Orban had pushed for an exemption to U.S. sanctions after a friendly meeting in Washington with President Donald Trump. Orban met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the end November in Moscow. On Facebook, he said he was in Moscow to "ensure Hungary's energy supplies are secure for the winter and the next year". (Reporting and editing by Barbara Lewis; Anita Komuves)
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Greek farmers protest EU funding delays by blocking borders, airports and roads
A nationwide protest on Monday, triggered by delays in funding, saw Greek farmers shut down an airport on Crete's island. They also blocked roads and crossed the border and threw rocks at police. Local media reported that protesters had deployed thousands of trucks, tractors and other vehicles in at least twenty blockades throughout the country. Police used tear gas to disperse a group protesting farmers at Heraklion Airport in Crete who were throwing stones and forcing their way onto runway. This halted air traffic. A second group, near the Chania Airport in Crete, smashed windows of police cars with shepherd's crooks. The police officials confirmed that the perpetrators had been identified, and they would be prosecuted. After a scandal involving the corruption of state employees and some farmers who lied about land ownership in order to receive payments, Greek farmers are facing a 600-million euro ($700-million) shortfall. The audits are still ongoing and have caused delays in subsequent payments. Farmers and stock breeders are struggling with an outbreak that has caused hundreds of thousands to be culled of sheep and goats. Prokopis BANDZIS, a farmer protesting on Lesbos island, said: "We have no help. Climate change has affected production in a big way. And the corruption scandal is causing people to get huge amounts of money who are not even involved with farming." "I want justice. "Those who were involved in the illegal subsidies must be held accountable for their actions." Kyriakos Miastotakis, Prime Minister Kyriakos, who was criticised for the scandal, asked farmers to stop the blockades, and said that the government is ready to talk. The government acknowledged that payments were delayed and has promised to pay out 3.7 billion euro ($4.3 billion) in this year to farmers. But protests persist. Farmers in the north disrupted traffic on Monday at the Promachonas border crossing with Bulgaria and Kipi, respectively. Customs officials at the Kipi border crossing said only trucks and passenger cars with sensitive cargo were allowed to pass. In southwestern and Central Greece, farmers also set up roadblocks to try and block the Volos Port this week. The entrance to Mytilene port on Lesbos was blocked by hundreds of farmers. $1 = 0.8584 Euros (Reporting and editing by Barbara Lewis; Edward McAllister and William Maclean).
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A powerful 7.6-magnitude quake strikes Japan's Northeast region
The powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.6 that struck Japan's northeast late Monday prompted tsunami warnings and evacuation orders. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that a tsunami of up to three metres (10 feet), could strike Japan's northeastern coastline after an earthquake estimated at 7.6 magnitude occurred offshore, at 11:15 pm (1415 GMT), according to the JMA. JMA reported that tsunami warnings had been issued for Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures, as well as Iwate. A 40cm tsunami was observed in Aomori’s Mutsu Ogawara port and Hokkaido’s Urakawa port before midnight. The agency said that the epicentre was located 80 km (50 mi) off the coast in Aomori Prefecture at a depth 50 km (30 mi). Japan is among the most earthquake-prone nations in the world, with an average of one tremor every five minutes. East Japan Railway has suspended certain train services in this area which was also affected by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake in March 2011. The country is located in the "Ring of Fire", an arc of volcanoes, oceanic trenches and volcanic craters that partially surrounds the Pacific Basin. It accounts for approximately 20% of all earthquakes of greater than magnitude 6.0. (Reporting and editing by Kevin Liffey, Chang-Ran KIM and Mariko Katsumura)
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Greek farmers block the borders, airports and roads to protest delayed EU farm subsidy
On Monday, Greek farmers blocked roads and disrupted traffic in the country as they intensified their protests after the European Union delayed subsidies due to investigations into corruption. Local media reported that thousands of trucks took part in at least twenty blockades. KyriakosMitsotakis - whose government has suffered from a decline in popularity due to the dispute - urged the farmers to stop the blockades. He said that the government was open to dialogue. In February, European prosecutors alleged that thousands farmers, with the help of state employees, had faked land ownership and livestock ownership over years to qualify for EU funding. The Greek centre-right government has committed to reforming the state agency OPEKEPE that handles EU subsidies. The Greek authorities also conducted their own investigations into the applications of farmers and their tax records. According to the government, more than 40,000 farmer applications are currently being reviewed. The government has also pledged to pay out 3.7 billion Euros ($4.3 billion) in this year to farmers, but has acknowledged payment delays. Some farmers' protests that began last month have become violent. State TV ERT reported that on the island of Crete, police used tear gas to disperse a protesting farmer group who threw stones at them while they attempted to reach the Heraklion airport. An airport official confirmed that the operation of the airport had been suspended since 1200 GMT due to this action. An airport official reported that protesters were blocking flight corridors. A second group attempted to blockade the airport at Chania, and damaged police cars. Farmers in the north disrupted traffic on the Promachonas border crossing with Bulgaria, and Kipi at the border crossings to Turkey. Customs officials at the Kipi border crossing said only trucks carrying sensitive goods would be allowed to pass. The roadblocks were also placed in the southwestern and center of Greece where farmers said they wanted to blockade Volos Port this week.
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Sources say that Kazakhstan will supply some Kashagan Oil to China directly because of CPC damage.
Two sources have confirmed that Kazakhstan will supply 50,000 tons of crude oil to China in December, the first time the country has done so. This is after an Ukrainian drone destroyed the Black Sea terminal for the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. CPC, which is a 1% share of the global crude oil supply, and has shareholders from Russia, Kazakhstan and the United States, had to cut exports after a critical part of their loading infrastructure, a single-point-mooring (SPM), was damaged. CPC uses only one of the three SPMs at this time, SPM-1. SPM-2 is severely damaged, and SPM-3 undergoes planned maintenance. The crude oil will be exported to China via the Atasu - Alashankou pipeline, which is the world's largest importer. The NCOC consortium includes China's CNPC, Japan's Inpex and the oil produced in Kashagan is supplied by China's CNPC. Sources said that CNPC will ship 30,000 tons via this route of oil, and Inpex about 20,000. CNPC and Inpex did not immediately respond to comments. Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry did not comment immediately on Kashagan oil exports to China, but did confirm efforts to find other routes for Caspian Oil. The Atasu - Alashankou pipeline, which runs from Kazakhstan into the Xinjiang area of China, usually carries oil produced in other Kazakhstan fields. Kashagan exports the majority of its oil via CPC, to the terminal in the Black Sea Port of Novorossiysk. "The incident that occurred at CPC's maritime terminal did not result in a complete stoppage of exports." In a written reply, the ministry said that it is working with producers to redistribute volume and increase use of alternative routes. The vast offshore Kashagan gas and oil field is located in the northern Caspian sea. It was named after the 19th century Kazakh poet Kashagan kurzhimanuly. This is one of largest fields found in the last 40 years. Oil exports could boost the current 85,000-86,000 ton per month average of oil delivered through Atasu - Alashankou. Kazakhstan had planned to ship 1.0 millions tons via this route in 2025. This is down from 1.2million tons in 2024. According to export data from the sources, in the first 10 month of this year 0.858 millions tons were shipped. Guy Faulconbridge, Susan Fenton and myself reported; edited by Guy Faulconbridge)
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India wants assurances from Beijing that it will not target Indians transiting through China
India demanded on Monday that China provide assurances to Indians transiting through Chinese airfields they will not be "selectively detained or harassed" after an Indian was detained in Shanghai last month. New Delhi lodged a strong complaint with Beijing about what it called an arbitrary detention at an airport of a citizen from India, saying that such incidents undermined efforts to restore ties. Indian media reported Prema Thongdok was told that her passport was invalid on November 21, because she was from the eastern state Arunachal Pradesh. She was held 18 hours and prevented from boarding the flight she had booked to Japan. Beijing claims that Arunachal Pradesh (which it calls Zangnan) is part of southern Tibet. India denies this claim. At a weekly press briefing, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "We expect Chinese authorities to give assurances that Indians transiting through Chinese airfields will not arbitrarily be detained or harassed and that regulations governing the international air travel will be respected." He also urged Indians to exercise "due discretion" when travelling to or through China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not respond immediately to a comment request on Monday. Beijing claimed last month that airport checks are conducted according to laws and regulations. CAUTIOUS RAPPROCHEMENT After years of tensions, India and China are slowly improving their ties. This is evident in high-level visits such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to China in seven years in which he and President Xi Jinping vowed partnership over rivalry. After a hand-to-hand conflict in the Himalayas that resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese during 2020, relations soured. The border between the two countries is 3,800 km long (2,400 miles).
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Media report: Australia signs contract with Boeing to purchase six Ghost Bat drones as an initial order.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Australia will announce Tuesday that it has signed a contract worth A$1 billion (663,30 million dollars) with Boeing Australia for the production of six Ghost Bat air drones. The Australian Defence Force has said that the Ghost Bat, or MQ-28A, is a development aircraft designed by Boeing Australia and the first military aircraft to be designed in Australia for more than 50 year. The announcement coincides between talks between Australian Defence and Foreign Ministers and United States in Washington as the U.S. pushes its Indo Pacific allies to increase defence expenditure. Ghost Bat will have a maximum range of 3,700 km and is designed to be a partner to crewed Air Force platforms. Australia announced in October that it would invest A$1.7 billion (USD1.1 billion) to purchase a fleet "Ghost Shark", autonomous underwater vehicles developed by the Australian Defence Force and U.S. startup Anduril Industries. Australia's Defence Force has said that it would like to use autonomous technology in order to protect a large coastline, including up to 3,000,000 square kilometres of northern ocean.
Congress is considering requiring the US military to report near-misses and use helicopter safety alerts in close proximity to DC airport.
According to the annual defense policy legislation, which was unveiled on Sunday night, U.S. Military helicopters that are conducting training missions will need to send out alerts to commercial aircraft near Reagan Washington National Airport in order to avoid collisions. A Black Hawk Army helicopter that was on a training flight and not using the ADS-B safety system collided in January with an American Airlines regional plane near an airport outside Washington. 67 people were killed. The 3,000 page legislation would also require that the Pentagon disclose to Congress how many near misses military aircraft had with commercial planes in the past 10 years, and to issue future reports on incidents.
The bill doesn't specify what type of alerts military helicopters would be required to use. The Defense Department can only waive this requirement after a thorough risk assessment has been conducted and the risks to commercial aircraft have been addressed.
The Senate Commerce Committee passed a bill in October requiring the use of ADS-B following the collision that occurred in January. The annual defense bill, on the other hand, requires a feasibility report on installing ADS-B in all military helicopters.
Ted Cruz, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee in October, said that the bill "closes an unsafe loophole which allowed military aircraft to fly in domestic skies and not communicate their position to other pilots quickly and accurately like commercial aircraft." Both partisan lawmakers and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy questioned the Federal Aviation Administration's failure to take action for years in response to close calls with military helicopters near Washington Reagan National Airport. The bill would mandate safety reviews at Reagan National Airport and other major airports, and direct the Army Inspector General's Office (AIG) to conduct a safety audit. In April, the FAA announced that government helicopters would be required to use ADS-B near Reagan National. After a close call, the FAA banned the Army from flying helicopters around the Pentagon in May. FAA also took steps to increase separation between jets and helicopters. Senator Maria Cantwell of the Commerce Committee, who sponsored the bill as well in October, cited a NTSB report from March which stated that there have been 15,200 incidents since 2021 involving commercial aircraft and helicopters near Reagan National, including 85 close calls. Cantwell's and Cruz’s offices declined comment on the provisions of the defense bill.
(source: Reuters)