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Ukraine and Russia accuse one another of deadly attacks on Odesa port
Ukraine and Russia both accused the other of deadly attacks on Sunday. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Moscow had targeted global food security when it struck Odesa's port. Three people were 'killed and wounded 37 times in the eastern Ukrainian city?Kharkiv?where an apartment block of multiple floors was struck, and authorities in Russias Belgorod reported that five people were killed and twenty-five wounded by a Ukrainian aerial attack. Zelenskiy claimed that a strike had damaged Odesa's port. Local authorities reported that dozens of drones, missiles and other weapons struck the southern seaside town injuring about a dozen people. Zelenskiy stated that "Russians are at war against the food security of the world in this manner." Odesa’s "seaports" are the main artery of Ukraine's agricultural exports. He also said that Russia hit nine other Ukrainian areas on Sunday. Russia bombarded Odesa to try and cut Ukraine off from Black Sea. "Everyone in Odesa knows that the most frequent target is the area around the port," said 67 year old?Ihor. His apartment narrowly avoided destruction. Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil tankers, cargo ships and other vessels in the Black Sea to disrupt Russia’s war-waging revenues. It claimed three more such attacks on Sunday. Both sides have launched an escalating campaign to undermine the logistics of the other. E-commerce warehouses and Ukrainian petrol stations were targeted heavily during the summer. Naftogaz, the state-owned oil and gas company of Ukraine, said that attacks on its facilities have increased in recent days. This includes overnight attacks on oil extraction equipment. Ukraine's Energy Ministry said that Russia had attacked power plants in the Odesa area, causing "significant" loss of electricity for residents of Odesa overnight. The company said that 90,000 customers had already regained power. The Russian Defence Ministry has said that it struck fuel storage facilities in Odesa, and Chornomorsk nearby. Pope Leo renewed his call for an end to the four-and-a half year war in the Vatican on Sunday. The pontiff told worshippers at Sunday's Angelus service that "Tragic incidents are multiplying and causing an increasing number of civilian victims including children." (Reporting and editing by Alexander Smith, Barbara Lewis and Max Hunder at the Kyiv and Moscow Bureau)
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Swiss Re warns of heatwave dangers as some parts of Germany relax trucking restrictions
The authorities failed to understand the'scale of risk' heatwaves pose to human life, according to the CEO of Swiss?Re, quoted on Sunday. This was as some German states relaxed trucking restrictions in order to reduce weather-related pressures on shipping. Europe, the continent that is warming up fastest, has seen thousands of deaths due to a record heatwave. Most of these deaths were people over 65 years old. France and Spain experienced particularly high temperatures over the past few weeks. Heat has also decreased water levels in major?rivers which have hampered shipping. This has prompted some German states to temporarily suspend curbs on truck traffic this weekend. Swiss Re CEO Andreas Berger said to the Swiss newspaper?NZZ am Sonntag that the risk of heatwaves, and their associated deaths, was understated. Berger added: "We must raise awareness about the dangers?arising? from this." Berger said that it is too early to determine the impact of excess mortality on the figures for Swiss Re, which was reported by the company in the first half 2026. Robert Koch Institute of Public Health estimated that there were approximately?11900 heat-related death in Germany in this year, mainly due to extreme temperatures late in June. North Rhine-Westphalia - Germany's largest?state - as well as Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate - as well as Saarland - lowered trucking curbs to help ease bottlenecks in transport caused by high water levels along rivers, including the Rhine. Low water levels are straining supply chains. That's why we're taking ?action and creating additional transport options by road at short notice," said Rhineland-Palatinate's state secretary for transport, Markus ?Wolf. Authorities said that the looser curbs for truck traffic on Sundays and Holidays will be in effect until August 31 and may remain in place through September in certain states. (Writing and reporting by Dave Graham, with additional reporting from Holger Hansen at Berlin; editing by Alexander Smith).
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Turkish officials claim that the passage of ships into the Black Sea is proceeding smoothly.
Two Turkish officials said on Sunday that ships are moving'smoothly' through the Turkish Straits to?the Black Sea, despite increased safety concerns. Bloomberg News reported on Saturday that Ankara has restricted commercial ship traffic into the Black Sea after attacks against vessels, including Turkish-owned vessels. The Turkish government has repeatedly warned Moscow and Kyiv about the attacks on ships in the Black Sea. It has urged the warring parties to take steps to ensure navigational security in the region. Hakan Fidan, the Turkish Foreign Minister said that Ankara has urged Moscow and Kyiv to declare a moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea. Officials who spoke under anonymity said that Turkey had taken some temporary measures to ensure its security, as it was very uncomfortable with the situation. However, this passage is clear in terms of the?Montreux Convention. The officials did not provide any further details. The Montreux Convention of 1936 on the Regime of the Straits grants Turkey "control" over the Bosphorus, Dardanelles and the right to regulate the transit of naval warships. The agreement also allows civilian ships to pass freely in peacetime, and restricts passage for vessels not from a Black Sea country. Turkey, with NATO's second largest army, has maintained friendly relations with Kyiv and Moscow ever since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine 2022. It has refused to join Western sanction against Russia while also providing military assistance to Ukraine, including using its own stock. (Reporting and editing by Barbara Lewis; Tuvan Gumrukcu)
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Spain checks 200 Italian arrivals at the border after migration row
On the first day that border controls were reintroduced after a dispute with Italy over 'irregular migration,' Spain checked 200 passengers arriving from Italy at six of the largest airports in the country. Spain's Interior Ministry conducted checks on 199 passengers on 12 flights departing from Italy and arriving at airports in Madrid (Barcelona), Seville (Bilbao), Alicante, Valencia, and Alicante, the ministry said late on Saturday. Spain announced on Friday that border controls would continue to be in place for Italian flights and ships until September 7, after Rome implemented its own measures. Rome said the measures were motivated by a mass migration rush of 72,000 people into Spain's North African enclave, Ceuta. Italy suspended Schengen's borderless Schengen agreement with Spain on August 1, and has said that it will maintain border control until at least August 15 Rome stated that the measure will not affect Spanish or other EU nationals travelling to Italy, but instead would involve targeted checks of?non EU nationals arriving by sea or air from Spain. In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera published on Sunday, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said: "We hope to be able?to lift the suspension as soon as?there is no longer any risk." Schengen Area allows passport free?travel between 29 European?countries. However, member states may temporarily reinstate border controls for security or public order reasons.
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Russian authorities claim that three people were killed in a drone attack by Ukraine on Belgorod.
Local authorities reported on Sunday that three people were killed and 25 others injured in a drone attack by the Ukrainians overnight against Belgorod. Alexander Shuvayev said that the incident sparked two fires which were later put out by emergency services. He said that a number of residential buildings and non-residential ones were damaged. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that it had?destroyed?more 150 Ukrainian drones in the European part of Russia, as well as the Black Sea, Crimea and the Sea of Azov. Alexander Kravchenko, the mayor of Novorossiysk - a major Russian port located on 'the Black Sea' - said that drone debris had fallen?onto two?facilities. He did not identify these sites. According to the state-run RIA news agency, local emergency services reported that a 'Ukrainian drone' struck a building in construction and a crane at Ufa. (Reporting and editing by Alexander Smith; Maxim Rodionov)
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Australia investigates the near-miss collision between two planes at Sydney Airport
The Australian 'Transport Safety Bureau' was informed that a Jetstar A320 and a 'Qatar Airways Boeing 777' narrowly avoided colliding on the tarmac of Sydney airport on Sunday. The regulator reported that the Jetstar flight crew was taxiing to take off for Gold Coast in Queensland when they saw an aircraft tug towing a Qatar Airways plane very close by on a cross-taxiway. The Transport Safety Bureau said that "both aircraft were abruptly stopped" in a press release. The regulator reported that a cabin crew member of the Jetstar aircraft was injured and that the connection between the nose gear of the Qatar Airways plane and the aircraft tug had been damaged. Jetstar, Australia's budget airline, also said that it was looking into the incident. In a press release, a Jetstar spokesperson stated that "our?aircraft?was following Air Traffic Control's instructions when the pilots had to?brake strongly after another aircraft approached in close proximity." Qatar Airways didn't immediately respond to an?ask for comment. Airservices Australia, the government agency responsible for Sydney Airport, had implemented "departure spacing" because of a roster problem with air traffic controllers. Airservices Australia didn't immediately respond to our request for a comment.
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German Minister wants to tie bonuses for Deutsche Bahn to targets
The new German transport minister has said he wants to tie bonuses to the struggling national 'rail operator' meeting government targets. In an interview with 'newspaper Bild am Sonntag published on Sunday, Steffen Bielger said: "It would have a tangible impact on bonuses paid to managers at Deutsche Bahn if the government targets are not met." Transport experts believe that the problems of Deutsche Bahn are due to decades of 'underinvestment' in infrastructure despite an increase in rail usage, as well as 'its status as a JSC aiming to make a profit while providing a public service. Bilger, who was appointed last month and is now in charge of the network, has said that he wants to improve punctuality. He said, "The figures so far are totally inadequate." It will take some time. According to the current agreement, the long-distance train punctuality is supposed to reach 70% by 2029. This is up from around 60% during the first half this year. He said, "There won't be 100% in the near future." "I don’t believe it exists in any other country in Europe." (Written by Dave Graham, edited by Andrea Ricci).
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Turkish Minister: NATO Article 5 is the same as NATO Article 4 in Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia defense pact
Hakan Fidan, Turkish Foreign Ministry, said that the Article 5 Mutual Defence Agreement of NATO is the same as a defence pact between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The accord does not target Iran, he added. Fidan said that Turkish President Tayyip Erdoan wanted the alliance to expand and that Egypt, among other countries, was a possible candidate for membership. The regional powers have signed the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement", bringing together Sunni Muslim U.S. Allies who are alarmed by a regional conflagration which has seen Iranian missiles fire on Gulf oil exporters. In a statement released jointly, the parties said that the agreement was intended to increase 'collective deterrence' against any acts of aggression. It also stipulates that any armed attack on any of the three countries would be considered an attack on them all. Fidan told the Anadolu News Agency that the new alliance wasn't aimed at Iran or other countries, but was rather "a general pledge" to support the security of the three allies. Fidan said that in consultations, the allies will decide what level, format, and form of support they want to receive in the event that an attack occurs. However, he added that no country is considered a threat if a member state has not been attacked. The Turkish army is the second largest in NATO. It has stated that it was open to expanding to other countries of the region and not to replace existing alliances. "NATO is an alliance of 32 nations. "We have?started as three countries, and we must take very modest but concrete steps," said he. He added that efforts to finalise this pact have been underway for the past two years and eight months. He said that an alliance would include a similar committee of ministers to NATO, as well as a Saudi Arabia-based general secretariat. However, operational details will be decided at the first meeting of the committee. "Our President's Vision is that we do not remain limited to just three countries. We grow and bring all (regional countries)?under one roof," he added, adding Egypt may join the pact after certain technical issues are resolved. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as well as?Egypt, have formed a group in recent months to discuss regional issues, including the war against Iran. Turkey said that the group, dubbed R4, aims to strengthen its partnership by using concrete mechanisms. Fidan said that Turkey should also be part of an international coalition in order to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks, because Ankara's interest is shipping safety. Tuvan Gumrukcu, Susan Fenton, and Topra Chopra edited the article.
Airline cancels flights due to Middle East conflict
Middle Eastern carriers increased capacity after the U.S. - Israel war against Iran caused severe disruption. Airlines outside the Gulf are continuing to reroute routes between Europe and Asia, away from major hubs within the region.
The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically:
AEGEAN AIRLINES
The largest airline in Greece will resume flights from Athens to Tel Aviv on April 28. Flights from Heraklion and Rhodes, as well as Larnaca and Rhodes, will be resumed on May 21. Thessaloniki-Tel Aviv flights are cancelled until June 26.
Riyadh will resume its flights on May 21. The flights to Beirut will be cancelled until June 26. Flights to Dubai will be cancelled until June 29. Erbil, Baghdad and Baghdad are also affected until July 2.
AIRBALTIC Latvian airline airBaltic has announced that flights to Tel Aviv are cancelled until 28 June. Dubai flights are cancelled until 24 October.
AIR CANADA
The Canadian carrier has canceled flights to Tel Aviv, Dubai and Abu Dhabi until September 7.
AIR EUROPA
Spanish Airlines has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv till May 31.
Air France-KLM Air France suspends its flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut and Dubai until May 10.
KLM suspends flights to Riyadh and Dubai until the 14th of June.
CATHAY PACIFIC
Hong Kong Airlines has suspended its flights to Dubai, Riyadh and cargo freighter service to Dubai and Riyadh up until May 31, and until June 30, respectively. In April, the airline will increase passenger flights from London to Paris and Zurich to meet the increased demand for travel to Europe. It intends to continue operating all scheduled flights after June.
The U.S. carrier cancelled flights between New York and Tel Aviv, and delayed the start of Atlanta-Tel Aviv until September 5. The launch of the Boston-Tel Aviv flight, scheduled for late October, was delayed.
EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES
Israel's carrier announced that it will continue to expand its operations and, from April 27, operate flights to approximately 40?active Gateways. All flights to Dubai have been cancelled until May 31, 2019.
EMIRATES
The UAE airline announced that it will be operating a reduced schedule and flying to over 100 destinations.
ETIHAD AERWAYS
The United Arab Emirates carrier announced that it operates a commercial flight schedule from Abu Dhabi to around 80 destinations.
FINNAIR
The Finnish airline has cancelled all Doha flights up to July 2 and continues to avoid the airspaces of Iraq, Iran Syria, and Israel. The airline will only resume its Dubai flights by October.
British Airways, owned by IAG, will reduce?flights in the Middle East once services resume. Jeddah?will be permanently dropped as a destination.
Plans to reduce service to Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv from two daily flights to one daily flight by July? Riyadh service will be reduced from two to one daily flight from mid-May. The changes will apply until the end of the summer season on October 24. One Dubai service will restart on October 16.
Iberia Express, the Spanish low-cost carrier of IAG, has canceled flights to Tel Aviv until May 31.
JAPAN AIRLINES
Japan Airlines has suspended its scheduled Tokyo-Doha and Doha-Tokyo flight until June 1 and until May 31.
The Polish airline has suspended flights to Tel Aviv till May 31. The airline also cancelled flights from March 31 until May 30 to Beirut and Riyadh. The airline will operate its winter route from Dubai to October.
LUFTHANSA GROUP
Lufthansa has suspended flights from Switzerland, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Edelweiss to Dubai and Tel Aviv till May 31. The suspension of flights to Abu Dhabi is in effect until October 24, as are flights to Amman, Beirut Dammam, Riyadh Erbil Muscat and Tehran.
Eurowings, a low-cost carrier, has suspended flights from Tel Aviv to Beirut until May 11, Erbil and Beirut until May 14, and Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman to?October 24.
ITA Airways has extended the suspension of flights from Tel Aviv, Riyadh, and Dubai to May 31.
MALAYSIA AIRLINES
Malaysian Airlines has suspended all flights to Doha through June 14.
NORWEGIAN AIR
Low-cost airline 'has delayed the launch of its Tel Aviv and Beirut service to June 15th.
PEGASUS
Pegasus Airlines, Turkey's national airline, has cancelled all flights to Iran, Iraq, Amman Beirut, Kuwait Bahrain Doha Dammam Riyadh Dubai Abu Dhabi Sharjah and Abu Dhabi until June 1.
QANTAS
Australia's flag airline is adding more flights to Rome and Paris in response to a surge in demand for European destinations. The number of flights to Paris is increasing from three to five per week, and the Perth to Singapore service will go from daily to ten flights a week. A new schedule will be implemented gradually for flights starting in mid-April, and running until late July.
QATAR AIRWAYS From May 1, the carrier will resume daily flights to Damascus and Bahrain, as well as Kozhikode. Qatar Airways has announced that it will expand its international flight network from June 16 to more than 150 destinations.
ROYAL MAROC
The Moroccan carrier has announced that flights to Doha and Dubai have been cancelled until 30 June.
SINGAPORE Airlines
In response to increased demand, the carrier has extended its Singapore-Dubai suspension until May 31.
TURKISH AIRLINES SunExpress - Turkish Airlines' joint venture Lufthansa has cancelled flights from Dubai to May 21.
WIZZ AIR
Low-cost carrier suspends flights from Europe to Amman, Dubai and Abu Dhabi until mid-September. All flights to Medina are suspended indefinitely. (Compiled by Josephine Mason and Jamie Freed. Elviira Louma, Tiago Branao, Agnieszka Olesnska, Bernadette HOG, Boleslaw LaSocki, Romolo Tosiani. Rod Nickel and Lisa Shumaker edited the book.
(source: Reuters)