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Ministry says that half of Kiev's capital is in darkness after Russian strikes
The energy ministry reported that the power was out in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv for about half of the residents on Tuesday after the latest Russian attacks on the country's electricity system. The situation in Kyiv is one of the worst - at the moment, 50%?of the consumers in the capital do not have electricity,"?the ministry stated on Telegram. In recent months, Russia has increased the number of attacks and intensity on Ukrainian energy and gas infrastructure. This includes both power generation facilities and transmission systems. Ukraine has three nuclear power stations that produce more than half of its electricity. However, due to damage on power lines, the plants have been forced to reduce their production. Ukrenergo, the operator of Ukraine's power grid, is forced to reduce its energy supply to consumers. This results in entire regions being plunged into darkness. The power cuts affect heat and water supply. Residents in Kyiv and the Kyiv Region have only had electricity for 10 hours of the 24 that they needed over the last week. (Reporting and Editing by Hugh Lawson, Frances Kerry and Yuliia Diasa)
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Boeing deliveries fall 17% in November, trail Airbus
The company announced on Tuesday that it delivered only 44 new planes in November compared to 53 in the previous month. This is behind European rival Airbus, which delivered 72 aircraft. Boeing delivered 32 737 MAX single-aisle jets to Southwest Airlines in November. TAAG Angola Airlines received six 787s including two 787-10s. This was a major part of their expansion plans. U.S. aircraft manufacturer also delivered two 777 freighters, one to Turkish Airlines (and one to Moldova's Aerotranscargo) and four 767s. In November, the company received 164 "new orders" with 38 cancellations. This amounted to 126 net orders. Boeing has received 74 orders to build its?777X widebody aircraft, which will enter service seven years late, in 2027. Emirates, the launch customer for the 777X jetliners, ordered 65 more of them during the Dubai Airshow. Emirates now has 270 777X jets in its order book. Taiwan's China Airlines has also ordered nine 777X aircraft, adding to its earlier order of 14 777X jets. Boeing received 30 orders for 787 aircraft, 15 of which came from Bahrain's Gulf Air, 8 from Uzbekistan Airways and 6 from Etihad Airways. One order was from an unknown buyer. Unidentified buyers placed 43 orders with the U.S. aircraft manufacturer for 737 MAX jets. The U.S. Air Force also placed orders for 15 KC-46 Tankers and two 777 Freighters. Etihad canceled 15 777X orders. Gulf carrier still has 10 777X order. Air Canada cancelled four 787 orders, and Comair in South Africa canceled five orders for the 737 MAX. Airbus, which delivered more planes than Boeing in November, has cut its full-year target to 790 planes due to an issue with industrial quality. Boeing delivered 537 planes through November 30. This included 396 737 Maxs, 74 777s, 33 767s and 28 767s. It also?booked a total of 1,000 new orders or a net 908. After cancellations and conversions. At the end of November, its order backlog stood at 6,019. Boeing's Chief Financial Officer Jay Malave stated last week that Boeing expects to have positive cash flow by 2026 as a result of increased jet deliveries. (Reporting and editing by Jamie Freed in Seattle, with Dan Catchpole reporting from Seattle)
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Officials say that Nepal has charged 55 officials and a Chinese firm with graft in an airport case.
Officials said that an anti-graft committee in Nepal charged 55 'officials', including five ex-ministers and a Chinese contractor, with?corruption? in the construction of a Chinese funded airport in western Nepal. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed the case on Sunday at the Anti-Corruption Special Court, accusing the officials and the Chinese company of illegally?inflating the costs of building the Pokhara International Airport to more than $74 millions. Yagya?Regmi is the assistant spokesperson for the Special Court. She said that CIAA demanded that the inflated cost of?the project be repaid by the accused. This included China CAMC Engineering Co Ltd, which?constructed it. No one from the accused was available for comment. The 'Special Court' will now send notices to all those involved in the case, and only begin hearings after they have given their statements. Regmi said that it was impossible to say when the court would finish hearing the case and render a judgement. Construction costs increased by over 40%, according to a report. In a statement, the CIAA?claimed that the accused had inflated costs to $244 millions from an estimated $170 million. It said that a final payment of $216 million was made using a loan from China Exim Bank. Pokhara Airport was inaugurated on?2023, but no international airlines has expressed interest in flying to or from the airport. Nepal is a country that is rife with corruption, located between China and India. In September, at least 76 people died in anti-graft demonstrations led by youth, forcing Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned. Sushila Karki is his successor. She will be responsible for holding parliamentary elections in 2026. Pokhara is Nepal's second largest city and the gateway to Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain in the world. (Reporting and editing by Bernadettebaum)
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Alcon increases bid for Staar Medical Technology to $1.6 billion
Alcon, a Swiss eyecare company, has 'increased its offer to purchase 'Staar Surgical to $30.75 in cash per share, the company announced on Tuesday. The medical technology firm is now valued at $1.6 billion. Alcon's initial offer, which was agreed on in early August, valued Staar at $1.5 billion. The bid was met with strong opposition from Staar shareholders. Alcon said that it has also reduced the level of payments made to Staar executives if the deal goes through. Staar's shareholders were urged to vote in favor of the deal at a meeting held on December 19, according to a statement. Voting had been completed. Three times the meeting was postponed. Broadwood Partners, Staar’s largest investor, who opposed the initial proposal, announced plans in October to call a shareholders?meeting for removal of several directors. Alcon stated that "this best and final offer is a clear choice for the stockholders of 'Staar: a substantial, certain?premium or an uncertain future linked to a dissident?activist with a dubious track record." Alcon stated that Staar board approved the higher bid and that it is expected for the transaction to close by early 2026. Staar Surgical shares rose 10.4% in premarket trading to $25.6. (Reporting and editing by Matt Scuffham; Maria Rugamer)
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Data shows that Freeport LNG Export Plant in Texas will take in more natgas following the closure of its unit on Monday.
Freeport LNG, a U.S. liquefied gas company, has a Texas export plant that is on 'track' to receive more natural gas Tuesday. This is because one of the three 'liquefaction /trains" was re-started after being shut down on Monday. In the past, changes in its operations have led to price fluctuations on global gas markets. Gas prices in the U.S. typically fall when?flows from Freeport decrease due to a?reduced need for fuel from the export facility. Prices in Europe are usually higher due to a decrease in LNG supply available on global markets. Prices of futures in the United States have fallen by around 7% on Monday. The liquefaction train in Freeport was shut down, which caused the prices to fall around 7%. The prices in Europe meanwhile, have remained near their lowest level for 19 months, but not necessarily due to Freeport. Freeport informed Texas environmental regulators that Train 1 was shut down Monday because of a problem with the compressor system. Freeport officials were not immediately available to comment. LSEG reported that gas flows into Freeport are on track to reach a new monthly high of around 1.9 bcfd (billion cubic feet per day) on Tuesday. This is up from 1.6 bcfd Monday. This compares to an average of 1.9 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) over the previous seven days. Three liquefaction plants at Freeport can convert about 2.4 billion cubic feet per day of gas to LNG. A billion cubic feet of natural gas can supply five million U.S. households for one day. (Reporting and editing by Joe Bavier; Scott DiSavino)
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What are the balloons used to smuggle that have caused air traffic disruption in Lithuania?
Belarus, an ally of the Kremlin, has been accused by authorities of launching a hybrid attack on Lithuania, forcing the airport to shut down multiple times. Since October, the airport, which is only 30 km from Belarus, has been closed over a dozen different times. This has disrupted hundreds of flights, and affected thousands of passengers. Lithuania declared an emergency on Tuesday to highlight the escalating tensions with Belarus. What is known about these balloons? What are they? High-altitude balloons filled with hydrogen or helium can fly wherever the wind takes, but their altitude is controlled remotely by the ground. Meteorologists use them to measure stratospheric temperatures starting at 15 km (9.3 mi) above the ground. They have now been repurposed for smuggling cheap Belarusian cigarettes to Lithuania. After tighter border controls during the 2021 migrant crises, this practice has increased. In 2024, several hundred balloons were recorded. The balloons pass over the border at a height of 3-4 km. Smugglers can communicate with the balloon in Lithuania to track its position and direct it towards a?land. A balloon can carry 500 to 1,500 cigarettes. Each pack costs less than one euro, while in Lithuania, the same brand of cigarettes would cost 4.5 euros. HOW DO THEY LOOK LIKE? Photos of border?guards show teardrop-shaped, thin balloons made from semi-transparent, or white latex. They are tethered with a rectangular crate that is likely to contain contraband and a GPS tracking device. Lithuanian media reports they measure about three metres once inflated. Why are the balloons a problem? Authorities claim that the balloons are flying at the same height as airliners as they approach an airport. This increases the risk of collisions. Recently, local rules have been updated to include balloons as a mid-air threat. The Lithuanian authorities have improved their detection systems, and are now better able to identify if the flight paths of any identified ballons pose a danger to civil aviation. According to the interior ministry, since October, Vilnius Airport was?closed' for more than 60 hrs due to the threat of smuggling helium balloons. This has affected more than 350 flights, and around 51,000 passengers. What happens to the cigarettes? Lithuania claims that smuggled cigarettes manufactured in Belarus are mainly consumed in Lithuania. In 2024, the Lithuanian Border Guard confiscated over 1.4 million illicit cigarette packs. Of these, 1.2 million were marked to be sold in Belarus. WHAT IS THE BELARUS POSITION? Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko claims that Lithuania exaggerates incidents involving smugglers balloons, but Minsk doesn't want to start a war. He called Lithuania's previous closure of the border which lasted for several weeks a "crazy fraud" and accused the West of waging a war hybrid against Belarus and Russia. Belarus, who allowed its territory be used to support Russia's invasion in Ukraine 2022, accused Lithuania of using a drone?to spy on them and drop "extremist materials". Vilnius rejects this accusation. WHY ARE THE BALLOONS NOT SHOT DOWN? Initially, the Lithuanian government claimed that they had not been shot down due to their heavy payloads posing a danger to property or lives. Lithuania's chief defence officer said that although the government has authorized the use of "kinetic" measures, the army still had not found a cost-effective way to detect and deflate balloons. (Reporting from Andrius Sytas, Vilnius; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Ros Russel)
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Bangladesh has issued a new tender for the purchase of 50,000 tons rice, traders claim
European traders reported on Tuesday that Bangladesh's state grain buyer had issued a?another? international tender for the purchase of?50,000 metric tonnes of?rice. The deadline for price quotes is December 22. Bangladesh has announced a series of?rice tenders? to increase local supplies?in response?to rising domestic rice prices. Bangladesh has also issued a separate tender for 50,000 tonnes of rice. Price offers are due on December 15. Offers in another Bangladeshi rice tender, also for 50,000 tonnes, were also made on Tuesday. The new tender seeks to solicit price offers for nonbasmati parboiled?rice in CIF?liner?out terms which include ship unloading?costs for the seller. Prices must be valid until January 5. The contract stipulates that the rice should be shipped to Chittagong or Mongla within 40 days of award. Rice can be imported from anywhere in the world except Israel. Reporting by Michael Hogan, Hamburg Editing by David Goodman
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Ryanair cuts winter Brussels schedule due to Belgium ticket tax increase
Ryanair announced on Tuesday that it would reduce?1million?seats from its winter schedule in Brussels for 2026/27 due to Belgium's decision of increasing tax on air passenger tickets by 10 euros ($11.64). The tax hike in Belgium comes at a time when Germany has reversed its own levy on aviation after airlines, including Ryanair and EasyJet reduced their capacity. "Ryanair again calls on Prime Minister (Bart De Wever) and his govt to abolish the aviation tax, or Belgian traffic and fares would soar," said the airline in a press release. The Irish low cost airline announced that it would also'remove five planes from its Brussels Charleroi Airport, representing a $500 million investment loss, and axe twenty routes across its Belgian operations. Jason McGuinness, Chief Commercial Officer at Ryanair, stated that Charleroi's proposal of adding another 3 euros to the departure fee for passengers from next year could trigger further cuts in April 2026, putting thousands of jobs on the line.
Airbus receives China's approval for jet deliveries but is still waiting for a new order
The company announced that Airbus had secured Chinese approval to proceed with the delivery 120 jets previously ordered. However, the agreement signed in Beijing leaves 'the European planemaker waiting for progress regarding a new order of hundreds of jets.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, visited China for geopolitics and business talks last week. He did not mention 500 plane orders Airbus had been discussing over a period of a year – a package that is often associated with state visits.
French media reported that Airbus won a contract that could lead up to 120 "new orders" in the future. Airbus said, however, that the deal, known as a general terms of agreement, was just a step to completing orders already in its books.
Airbus spokeswoman: "This GTA agreement authorizes the delivery of aircraft that are already in our order books, which is standard procedure with Chinese customers."
The Chinese state-owned buying agency has not responded to a comment request.
Airbus and Boeing are both waiting to see if China will proceed with its large-scale aircraft orders. China has been delaying placing these politically sensitive orders for many years.
Industry sources stated in April that Airbus has been engaged in intermittent negotiations to secure a 500-jet order since at least 2024. However, China is usually cautious when it comes to large purchases during times of geopolitical unrest.
Airbus is relying on a breakthrough in order to catch up with the U.S. competitor and reach an internal target of around?1,200 planes, according to industry sources.
Sources in the industry say that, barring an unexpected shift, there is little sign that either of the two world's largest planemakers could win major orders from Beijing for set-pieces this year.
Airbus reported 700 net orders in the first 11 months, while Boeing had 782 by the end of October, the last period for which data was available.
Airbus will likely outpace Boeing in deliveries for the seventh consecutive year, despite a lower forecast last week because of an industrial problem affecting certain fuselage panels.
In Geneva, earlier on Tuesday, IATA's head said that he was less confident in Airbus to meet its delivery targets. Boeing, however, had shown improvement, despite ongoing supply-chain problems. Tim Hepher reported the story. Mark Potter edited the article.
(source: Reuters)