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Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of attacks on civilians on New Year's Day
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other over the New Years of targeting civilians. Moscow reported a deadly strike on a hotel it occupies in Southern Ukraine, while Kyiv claimed there was another wide attack on its power supplies. The reports coincident with intense talks to bring an end the four-year old war overseen by U.S. president?Donald??Trump. Both countries claim that they are doing everything possible to influence the views of the other and help shape the outcome. "On the New Year, Russia deliberately brings about war." "Over 200 drones attacked Ukraine during the night," Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote in a Telegram message. He said energy infrastructure in seven different regions of Ukraine was targeted. Russia has accused Ukraine of killing 24 people in a drone attack on a cafe and hotel where civilians were celebrating the New Year. The strike took place in an area of southern Ukraine controlled by Russia. The Ukrainian military did not respond immediately to a comment request. It has accused Russia that it killed many civilians during its own attacks against Ukrainian cities. Zelenskiy stated that Russia's attacks during the holiday season showed Ukraine couldn't afford to delay air defence supplies. "(Our) Allies know the names of equipment that we lack. "We expect everything that was agreed upon with the United States for our defense at the end?of?December to arrive on time", he said without elaborating. RUSSIANS ALLEGE "WAR CRIME" Vladimir Saldo said that three Ukrainian drones attacked the Khorly celebrations, a village on the coast, in what he called a "deliberate attack" against civilians. He claimed that a large number of people were burned alive. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that 50 people were injured, including six children who are being treated in hospital. The ministry issued a statement in which it called the attack a war crime. "There's no doubt the attack was planned ahead of time, with drones targeting areas where civilians were gathered for New Year Eve celebrations," it said. Moscow accused Kyiv on Monday of attempting to attack the residence of Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian and European officials said that the incident never happened, and U.S. officials also found out that Ukraine had not targeted the residence. Russia announced on Thursday that it would provide Washington with proof. Saldo’s press service claimed to have taken photos of the aftermath, but we were unable to confirm the attack in the Kherson region. Images showed that at least one body was visible under a white sheet. There were signs of a fire and what appeared to be bloodstains on the floor. The Russian TASS agency released a video?showing fragments of drones with Ukrainian writing. Ukrainian officials report that civilians are killed by Russian air strikes, including in Kherson, a city held by Ukraine, near the front line. Oleksandr Pukudin, the Ukrainian governor of Kherson Region, posted a video that showed the apartment of the woman, aged 87, which was badly damaged. Oleksiy?Kuleba, Ukraine's vice prime minister, said that rail facilities were attacked in three different regions. This included a locomotive depot as well as a station located in the frontline area of Sumy. The Russian Defence Ministry said that its strikes on Thursday had struck military targets as well as energy infrastructure, which it claimed were being used by Ukraine's military to support their military. Saldo, a Russian-appointed official, said in a later report that a child of five years old was killed and three other people were injured by a Ukrainian drone attack on a vehicle near Tarasivka. This is another coastal village close to Khorly. He didn't provide any evidence. Dmitry Medvedev told TASS, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council that the attackers and their commanders who committed this hotel attack should be targeted. Kherson is among four regions of Ukraine that Russia claims as its own by 2022. Kyiv, and the majority of Western countries, have denounced this move as a land grab. (Reporting and writing by Max Hunder, bureaux; editing by Ros Russel)
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Yemen's Aden Airport Closes As Saudi-UAE Rift Deepens
On 'Thursday, air traffic was stopped at the international airport in Aden as tensions between Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates continued. The two Gulf countries are reshaping Yemen through their rivalry. Saudi Arabia, which is internationally recognized as the government of Yemen, has ordered new restrictions for flights into and out of the UAE to try to reduce tensions. The move was met with a defiant reaction: Yemen's Transport Minister, who is 'aligned' with Yemen's separatists in the south, instead of 'complying', ordered an immediate shutdown of all air traffic. The Southern Transitional Council (STC), the Yemeni separatist force backed by the UAE that captured most of southern Yemen last week, has blamed the closures on the "sudden" new regulations that Saudi Arabia tried to impose. The UAE Foreign Ministry didn't immediately respond to a comment request on the airport closing. The fight is just the latest in a growing crisis in Yemen, which has revealed a deep rift in the relationship between the two Gulf oil powers. Saudi Arabia accused the UAE this week of?pressuring Yemen STC to push toward the kingdom's border and declared national security as a "red line." The UAE responded by stating that it was withdrawing its remaining forces from Yemen. This was in response to an airstrike carried out by the?Saudi led coalition forces against the southern Yemeni Port of Mukalla, which the coalition claimed was a dock that provided foreign military support to separatists. (Reporting and editing by Howard Goller, Maha El Dahan)
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Serbia's NIS receives US approval for the resume of production at its refinery
Energy Minister said on Wednesday that the U.S. granted Serbia's majority-Russian refiner NIS a licence to operate until January 23. This will allow it to resume its production after a 36-day hiatus. After a series of waivers since January, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions against NIS as part of broader actions against Russia's Energy Sector in October. Dubravka Handanovic, Serbia's Energy Minister, posted on Wednesday evening: "Great news for the end the year. The US OFAC has granted the NIS company a licence to operate up until 23 January. The refinery in Pancevo is now ready to resume its work after a 36-day hiatus. The?sanctions halted crude supply via Croatia's JANAF pipeline (JANF.ZA), shutting down the production at Pancevo refinery. JANAF announced in a Wednesday evening statement that it had "obtained a license approving participation until 23 January 2026?in activities which are customary and essential for the transportation of oil". Last week, the?OFAC gave NIS a deadline of March 24 for them to negotiate the sale of its Russian stake. Gazprom, a sanctioned oil company of Russia, owns 44.9% of NIS. The Serbian Government owns 29.9% of NIS, while the rest is held by employees and small shareholders. Aleksandar Vucic, the Serbian president, said that Gazprom was in talks with Hungary’s MOL (MOLB.BU), over a potential sale of its NIS majority stake. (Reporting and editing by Andrew Heavens; Ivana Sekularac)
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Trump's next target in Washington? Public golf courses
The Trump administration canceled this week the lease of three public golf course in Washington held by the nonprofit National Links Trust. This was a new opportunity for President Donald Trump to stamp his mark on an important part of the city's life. In a letter sent to NLT on Tuesday, Trump's Interior Department announced that it would terminate the 50-year lease the group had received in 2020 for the management of the golf courses. The agency claimed that the nonprofit had failed to invest in the properties as required and not paid rent. NLT denied the claims that it had not paid its rent or defaulted. The Interior Department, it said, had given little information on the matter. In an email, it stated that "our lease allows rent to offset by course improvements. Rent?offsets have been approved by the National Park Service." "NLT worked with the National Park Service for?five years, and we first heard about a rent issue in the last couple of weeks after we got the default notice." The National Park Service belongs to the Interior Department. Trump, the Republican who returned to power in Washington earlier this year, is sweeping the city on many fronts. He has deployed the National Guard for street patrols, renamed the Kennedy Center performing-arts center as the Trump-Kennedy Center through a board that he installed and threatened to take control of the city government. Locally, the?president is mirroring his national actions. Trump, a golf enthusiast himself, owns golf courses around the world including one in Virginia. The NLT oversees three public golf courses in Washington, including East Potomac Park Rock Creek Park and Langston Golf Course. In its letter, the Interior Department stated that NLT did not make capital improvements or renovations to each course as required by?the lease. It also claimed that NLT failed to show that it had any plan for doing so. The letter read: "NLT failed in its duty to assure NPS that NLT had the funding, capability or plan to meet its capital investment obligations." A copy of the letter was obtained by. The organization stated that it would continue to manage the golf courses to keep them open for now. It said that long-term renovations would stop. The White House has not responded to a question about whether Trump plans to build golf courses. The Interior Department issued a statement saying that the Trump administration is proud of its ability to get the job done and partner with other organizations who have the same goals. NLT stated that it would remain in touch with the administration, and was "stubbornly optimistic" about finding a way to preserve "affordable public golf in Washington". NLT stated that since taking over the stewardship for Rock Creek, East Potomac and Langston golf courses five years ago, NLT had consistently adhered to all lease obligations in order to work towards ensuring a bright future for public-access golf in DC. "We fundamentally disagree with the administration's description of NLT being in default on the lease." (Reporting and editing by Colleen J. Jenkins, David Gregorio, Ryan Patrick Jones. Additional reporting by Jeff Mason.
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US sanctions renewed against Venezuela's oil sector
The United States imposed sanctions Wednesday on four companies that it claimed were operating in Venezuela’s oil sector, along with associated oil tankers. This comes as the administration of President Donald Trump increases pressure on Venezuelan?President Nicolas Maduro. The sanctions are the latest in Trump's campaign to pressure Maduro. This has also included an increased U.S. presence in the area and more than 20 strikes on vessels suspected of trafficking drugs along the Pacific Ocean or Caribbean Sea. Trump had announced earlier this month that he would block all vessels sanctioned by the United Nations from entering or leaving Venezuelan waters. This was part of his strategy to put pressure on Maduro. The move has contributed to a drop in Venezuela's oil production this month of about half compared to November. In a statement, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it had imposed sanctions against oil traders who were involved in sanction evasion on behalf of Maduro's regime. Four tankers were targeted, and the Treasury accused some of being part of the "shadow fleet". The term "shadow fleet" is used to describe ships that transport oil under sanctions. The ships are usually old, the ownership is opaque and they do not have top-tier insurance to meet international standards. The Treasury stated that "Today's actions further signal that those who are involved in Venezuelan oil trade continue to face substantial sanctions risks." The Venezuelan Communications Ministry, which is responsible for all government press inquiries, did not respond immediately to a comment request. According to documents and tracking data from Venezuela's PDVSA, ships with the flags of Panama, Guinea, and Hong Kong, as well as Nord Star and Lunar Tide, all tagged Panama, have shipped Venezuelan crude oil or fuel to destinations in Asia and Caribbean this year. According to PDVSA records, the Hong Kong-flagged Valiant, owned by Aries Global Investment LTD (one of the sanctioned companies), has never carried Venezuelan crude. After the U.S. The Coast Guard attempted to intercept two other Venezuela-related ships in the Caribbean Sea and are now on their way to Asia. Washington had earlier in the month named four vessels as terrorists. Six Venezuelan-related tankers Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that President Trump was clear in his statement: "We will not allow Maduro's illegitimate regime to profit from oil exports while it floods us with deadly drugs." Maduro, his government and the U.S. have all denied any involvement in criminal activities. The U.S. wants to change the regime of Venezuela and take over its vast oil reserves. Reports earlier Wednesday stated that the U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan tankers have kept exports from the country almost paralyzed. The accumulation of fuel in Venezuela's onshore storage tanks has forced the state-owned PDVSA into extreme measures to avoid shutting down its refining units.
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Sources say that the residuum fuel in Venezuelan tanks is almost non-existent as exports are nearly paralyzed.
Four sources claim that the accumulation of fuel in Venezuela's onshore tank stores is forcing the state-owned PDVSA company to take 'extreme measures' to avoid shutting down?refining facilities. Meanwhile, a U.S. ban on sanctioned tanks entering and leaving the country has almost paralyzed exports. Venezuela produces a lot of residual fuels, mainly high-sulfur oil. These are exported to Asia. According to shipping and company documents, the U.S. Blockade has cut down on?those shipments?to a minimum over the past two weeks. PDVSA, as part of its floating storage strategy, has stored crude oil and fuel oil on tankers after topping up the tanks on land almost entirely. One source said that the company has a limited capacity because it already has 25 million barrels of residuals in storage. PDVSA is now trying to ?reopen idled tanks and has ?begun sending residual fuel to oil waste pools in the country's western ?region, an extreme solution to avoid shutdowns of operational units at the country's 955,000-barrel-per-day Paraguana Refining Center, another source said.
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Finland suspects ship damaging cable in Baltic Sea in latest incident
The Finnish police announced on Wednesday that they had seized a ship believed to be responsible for damaging an undersea cable connecting the Estonian capital Tallinn to Helsinki, across the Gulf of Finland. This area has been plagued by alleged sabotage in recent years. The police declined to identify the ship, its nationality or provide any other details about it and its crew. Eight NATO countries border the Baltic Sea which borders Russia. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, they have been on high-alert after a series of outages along power cables, teles links and pipelines running along the relatively shallow seabed. NATO has increased its presence in the Baltic Sea with aircraft, frigates and naval drones. Police and the Finnish Border Guard Authority said that the vessel suspected of being responsible for the damage was dragging an anchor in the water and had been directed into Finnish territorial waters. Police said that the cable belonged to Finnish telecoms group Elisa. Alexander Stubb, the President of Finland, said that he is monitoring the situation. Finland is ready to face any security challenge, and we will respond as needed," he said on X. In December 2024, Finland boarded the Russian oil tanker Eagle S. Investigators claimed that the Eagle S had damaged an electrical cable and several telecoms links by dragging its anchor in the Baltic Sea. The Eagle S captain and other crew members were dismissed from a criminal case by a Finnish court on October 28th. They ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove any intent, and that the flag state of the ship or the home country of the crew should be prosecuted for any negligence. Essi, Terje, and Alexandra Hudson contributed to the reporting. Louise Heavens edited.
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After power failure, passengers of the Channel Tunnel Rail face a second day of disruption
Train companies announced that services between Britain, continental Europe and Canada would resume on Tuesday but warned about further disruptions after technical problems suspended travel on Monday and left some passengers stranded on trains for the night. Chaos in rail services between London, Paris and Brussels, as well as Amsterdam, one of Europe's most busy international rail corridors, hit at the height of New Year travel. Eurostar, the company that runs passenger rail service, announced on Wednesday morning that services were resumed after "a power problem in the Channel Tunnel yesterday" and other issues with 'rail infrastructure overnight". It said: "We intend to run all our services today. However, due to knock-on effects there may be some delays and possibly last-minute cancellations." On Tuesday, a power failure forced the suspension of travel in?the 50 km (31 mile) tunnel. The UK network was hit by a technical issue in the evening, which made the situation worse for passengers. Some were trapped overnight in trains as some trains began to run. Eurostar 9152 arrived at Lille, in northern France, from London, at 0630 GMT, eleven hours later than expected. The trip usually takes 80 minutes. Herve, a passenger on the train, told BFM TV: "We are annoyed because we're tired and don't have hot drinks. It's a very unpleasant situation. A passenger named?Ghislain planque said, "People had accepted the situation." We could not do anything. Water was given to us. "We weren't abandoned completely." Eurostar was used by nearly 20 million passengers last year. Le Shuttle, a second rail service that transports passenger vehicles and trucks under the Channel Tunnel, also worked to minimize the impact of the shutdown after it had also suspended its operations on Tuesday. Getlink, the company that operates tunnel infrastructure and Le Shuttle service, said "the tunnel has recovered its maximum capacity."
Source: Canada asks Air India for an investigation into the incident where a pilot reported to duty while under the influence of alcohol.
A person familiar with the situation said that Canada's Transport regulator asked Air India to look into an "incident" where a pilot reported for duty while under the influence of alcohol and failed two breathalyzer testing.
A person who spoke to the person claimed that the tests were conducted at Vancouver International Airport by the Canadian police after the pilot had been asked to leave the plane.
Transport Canada referred to the incident as "a serious matter" in a letter sent to Air India. The person said that authorities are likely to take enforcement action.
The person asked for anonymity because he wasn't?authorized to speak with the media. Transport Canada didn't respond to an email request for comment sent outside of'regular business hours.
Air India released a statement in which it confirmed that the flight from Vancouver, Canada to Delhi, India on December 23, experienced a late-minute delay as a result of the incident. It also added that a substitute pilot was brought into the cockpit to fly the flight.
The pilot was?taken out of flying duty during the investigation process. Air India has a policy of zero tolerance for any violation to applicable rules and regulations," Air India stated.
"Pending the result of the investigation any confirmed violation will be subject to strict disciplinary actions in accordance with company policy."
Ajit Oommen, a Transport Canada official, has written to Air India asking them to submit their findings and the steps they have taken to prevent similar incidents in the future by the 26th of January.
India has come under heavy scrutiny since the crash of a Boeing Dreamliner on June 12, which killed 260 people. India's aviation regulator flagged "multiple safety lapses" at the airline that was owned by the Indian government until 2022.
Air India pilots, who are owned by the?Tata Group, and Singapore Airlines have also been under scrutiny. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) sent warnings this week to four Air India Pilots regarding "serious safety issues" related to regulatory compliance, and flight crew decision-making.
According to warning notices dated 29 December, the DGCA stated that pilots had accepted an aircraft last year despite knowing of "repeated snags," and "existing system degradations." Flightradar24 reports that the aircraft in question is a Boeing 787-8 used for long-haul flight. (Reporting and editing by Michael Perry; Abhijith Ganapavaram)
(source: Reuters)