Latest News
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Putin calls on Germany to decide whether or not it will buy Russian gas via Nord Stream again
On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia is ready to resume supplies of gas to 'Germany through the 'Nord Stream Pipeline which was heavily damaged by underwater explosions. Putin told reporters in St. Petersburg one of two lines of Nord Stream 2 was intact and could begin pumping gas "tomorrow." "I am not joking, just press the?button to start the gas flowing." "But for that, the German government must make a decision," he said. Putin did say that Nord Stream is under U.S. Sanctions and Germany would need to come up with an agreement in order to remove them. He said that Russia could provide?upto 28 billion cubic metres a year. "But we need a clear response from our German partners at Gazprom - whether they will take it or no." We'll sell it to others if we don't. Gazprom, the Russian gas company, produces and sells this gas. Putin spoke to foreign media at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum where a senior AfD member from Germany met with Russian officials and demanded a reopening for Nord Stream. Germany is still struggling to recover from the energy crisis caused by the explosions that crippled the pipelines in September 2022. This left Berlin scrambling for alternative sources. Russia has accused Ukraine of being behind the attack despite Kyiv's repeated denials.
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Israeli strikes kill 10 Gazans, say medics
Health officials reported that Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip killed at least 10 Palestinians including five members of the same family. Nine people were killed and at least 15 injured when Israeli aircraft hit four apartments in Gaza before dawn. A separate airstrike near Wehda Street, Gaza City, killed and injured one person later on Thursday. The death toll for the day now stands at?at least 10?. The Israeli military has not yet commented. After the first strike, footage showed a building that was blown out with furniture and debris scattered across the road. In a video that circulated on Palestinian social media but which we couldn't verify immediately, people were seen entering an apartment to retrieve bodies with blankets. "We were awakened by the strike around 2:30 in the morning. We found pieces of flesh, and people were asleep. Khalil Battaran, a neighbour to the family that was killed, said: "They say the war has ended, but the 'war isn't over." The only person to survive the attack on the home of the family was a girl, according to medics. "There is no security in Gaza... They fire on us every day from there, and hit us with missiles. "It's futile," Batran continued. Negotiations are stalled The ceasefire brokered and signed by U.S. president Donald Trump failed to stop Israeli attacks. Israel now controls more than half of the enclave. The indirect talks about a second phase deal, including Hamas de-armament and Israeli troop withdrawls, have stagnated. Israel says its strikes are to stop imminent attacks, and it is allowing aid and goods in Gaza. Gaza's health officials have reported that 930 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes since the truce began. Hamas does not provide much information on the deaths of its fighters. Israel's military said that four Israeli soldiers were killed by militants in the same time period. Gaza's health authorities report that more than 72,000 people have died in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict, with most being civilians. Israel said that Hamas' attacks on October 7, 2023 killed 1,200 people, and they took 251 Israelis and foreigners hostage. Reporting by Nidal Al-Mughrabi from Cairo and Dawoud Ab Alkas from Gaza. Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Kate Mayberry. Mark Potter is the editor.
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Official: US Postal Service is not expected to run short of cash in the next year
?The U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission informed?lawmakers on Thursday that it did not believe that the financially troubled Postal Service would run out of money next year. However, it has significant issues to address. Robert Taub is the vice chair of the Postal Service oversight commission. He told a U.S. House Subcommittee recent actions taken to provide financial relief had extended the period before USPS "reported its insolvency". This would be by several more years if the Postal Service made key decisions regarding its expenditures. We as a nation must act, given the Postal Service’s dire financial condition. "I don't believe we can just leave it to the Postal Service," said?Taub in his testimony. USPS Postmaster David Steiner warned that the USPS may run out of money as soon as February. Taub said that the USPS reform plan adopted six years earlier has not stopped ongoing losses, and has "consistently slow mail delivery throughout the United States, especially in rural areas." The question that needs to be answered is whether USPS will continue to deliver mail to 170 millions addresses six days per week at a cost of $3.4 billion yearly. USPS reported net losses in the amount of $120 billion since 2007. First-class mail, the agency's most profitable product, fell sharply as the shift from traditional to digital communication occurred, even though the agency still had to maintain "costly" nationwide delivery operations. USPS announced last week that it would suspend non-essential expenditures on?travel?,?office supplies? and consultants. Steiner explained to officers that the move was made "to protect our core operations and continue meeting all essential obligations." The Postal Service announced last month that it would suspend temporarily?employer contributions to a federal pension plan and raise the cost of first-class stamps by 82 cents per stamp, starting July 12. By suspending employee pension contributions, you can save $2.5 billion by September 30, and up to $15 billion in 2030. Steiner stated in March that the Postal Service would be hiring restructuring advisors to address its financial problems and had asked Congress for further reforms.
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What is the Gripen fighter aircraft that Ukraine will purchase from Sweden?
In May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Ukraine would buy 20 Saab Gripen E jet fighters. Sweden would gift a further 16 older models to Ukraine as a way of helping it in its war against Russia. Both countries signed a letter?last year that allowed Sweden to sell up to 150 jets. Ukraine allocated EUR2.5 billion from a EUR90 billion European Union Loan for the first 20 aircraft. What is the GRIPEN? Gripen, a supersonic single-engine fighter jet of the fourth generation, is a light aircraft. The aircraft is designed to perform missions like air-to-air warfare, aerial bombing, and reconnaissance. The F-35 is considered a low-cost, solid alternative to more expensive fifth-generation planes. Gripen is the Swedish name for Griffin, a mythical creature. It has been in service since 1996, but has undergone several upgrades. In October, the Swedish Air Force received the first Gripen E. More than 280 Gripens were?produced. Why did Ukraine choose GRIPEN as its aircraft? The Gripen is designed to be able to fight Russia in less than ideal circumstances. Gripens, unlike aircraft such as the F-35 that operate?from relative safety of an airbase, or carrier, can take off and landing on any straight road. Dispersing aircraft makes it harder for them to be attacked?on land. Ukraine claims that the ease of maintenance Gripens lead to a higher sortie rate. One trained technician, five conscripts and a crew of six can fuel, rearm and clear the aircraft for the next mission within 10 minutes. The Gripen can be equipped with munitions made by multiple NATO countries, such as the American JDAM, British Storm Shadow and French SCALP. This eliminates the need for a single nation. Where has the GRIPEN been used? Swedish media reported that Gripens had been used in direct conflict 'for the first-time this year, during Thailand's confrontations with Cambodia. Prior to this, the Gripen was primarily used for air policing. It was deployed to Poland in 2020 as part of a NATO airspace patrol mission. In 2014, it was used to enforce a 'NATO no-fly area in Libya. What other countries have bought the GRIPEN? Since World War Two, Sweden has relied on Saab for its air force. It was neutral until 1995, when it joined NATO, and unaligned militarily until then. In the 1980s, Sweden decided to develop the Gripen. The Gripen is a competitor with Lockheed Martin F-35s and F-16s, Dassault Aviation Rafales and Eurofighters. It has been sold to South 'Africa, Thailand and Brazil as well as the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Czech Republic. WHAT ARE THE JETS' Specifications? The Gripen is 15m long and weighs 16 tonnes. It can refuel and rearm in just 10 minutes. The Gripen E has a lower cost-per-flight-hour than rivals such as Lockheed's F-35. (Reporting and editing by Niklas pollard, Alison Williams, Toby Chopra and Toby Ahlander)
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There are some flights to the Middle East that have resumed but there is still disruption.
The Middle East is gradually getting back some of its flights as regional carriers rebuild their schedules following war-related disruptions, but the conflict continues to disrupt wider traffic flows. Middle Eastern airlines are adding capacity following the severe disruption caused by the Iran War, while many carriers outside of the Gulf continue to divert Europe-Asia flight to avoid the Middle East. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically: AEGEAN AIRLINES Thessaloniki-Tel?Aviv flights were cancelled by Greece's biggest carrier until June 26. Dubai flights are cancelled up until August 31. Erbil, Baghdad and Erbil flights will be cancelled until July 2. AIRBALTIC AirBaltic, a Latvian airline, has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv and Dubai until the 28th of June. 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 up until the 28th of June. AIR FRANCE-KLM Air France has suspended flights from Tel Aviv until June 14 and those to Beirut and Dubai till June 17. Air France suspended flights to Riyadh until June 2. Tickets for the first flight, scheduled for June 6, are available on their website. KLM has suspended flights from Dubai to Riyadh until July 12, and until August 2 to Dammam and Riyadh. CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong Airlines has suspended its flights to Dubai and Riyadh through August 31. The U.S. carrier suspended service for the Atlanta-Tel Aviv routes through December 18, 2018. The airline plans to resume New York JFK-Tel Aviv flights starting September 6. It has delayed the launch of the Boston-Tel Aviv flight, which was planned for late October. FINNAIR It has cancelled all flights to Doha until October 2 and continues to avoid the airspaces of Iraq, Iran Syria, and Israel. The airline will resume its Dubai flights in October, which are only operated during the winter. IAG-owned, British Airways has 'delayed the return of flights to Doha and Riyadh to August 8th. Flights from Amman, Bahrain, Amman, Dubai, Tel Aviv and Dubai are suspended until the end of summer. They are expected to resume on October 25, 2010. When the flights resume, it plans to reduce service to Dubai, Doha and Riyadh to just one flight per day, while dropping Jeddah from its list of destinations. JAPAN AIRLINES Japan Airlines has suspended its scheduled Tokyo-Doha and Doha-Tokyo flight until August 1, as well as Doha-Tokyo until July 31. Polish Airlines has cancelled all flights to Riyadh and Beirut until 30 June. LOT will begin operating its winter route from Dubai in October. LUFTHANSA GROUP Lufthansa has announced that it will resume Tel Aviv flights as soon as July 1, whereas ITA Airways has confirmed they will resume them as of July 1. SWISS delayed the return of flights to August, and Brussels Airlines suspended operations until October 24. The suspension of Dubai flights by Lufthansa SWISS and ITA Airways continues until September 13th. Until October 24, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa and SWISS have suspended their flights to Abu Dhabi and other destinations, including Amman, Beirut and Dammam as well as Riyadh. Erbil, Muscat, Tehran and Riyadh are also affected. Eurowings, a low-cost carrier, has suspended flights from Tel Aviv to Beirut and Erbil until June 22, and to Dubai and Abu Dhabi until October 24. ITA Airways?also has extended the suspension of their?flights from Riyadh to June 30. MALAYSIA AIRLINES From July 2, the Malaysian airline will resume limited service to Doha. NORWEGIAN AIR The low-cost carrier has delayed the launch of Tel Aviv and Beirut flights until June 15. QANTAS Australia's national carrier has added flights to Rome, Paris and London to meet the increased demand for European routes. The number of flights to Paris is increasing to five return flights per week, up from three. Perth-Singapore will also increase from daily service to 10 flights each week. A new schedule will be implemented gradually for flights starting in mid-April. It will run through late July. ROYAL MAROC Moroccan airline said that flights to Doha have been cancelled until 30 June. SINGAPORE Airlines In response to increased demand, the carrier has extended?its Singapore - Dubai flight suspension until August 2 and added services on the Singapore - London Gatwick?and Singapore - Melbourne routes from late march until October 24. TURKISH AIRLINES SunExpress, Turkish Airlines joint venture with Lufthansa has cancelled flights until June 30, including to Dubai, Bahrain and Erbil. WIZZ AIR Low-cost airlines have suspended flights from Europe to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman until mid-September. (Compiled by Josephine Mason and Jamie Freed. Elviira Louma, Tiago Branao, Agnieszka Olesnska, Bernadette HOG, Boleslaw LaSocki, Romolo Tosiani, and Bernadette Hogg. Matt Scuffham and Alexander Smith edited by Milla Nissi, Susan Fenton, Jonathan Ananda, Milla Nissi-Prussak, and Jonathan Ananda.
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A Boeing 787 nose gear collapse caused injuries in Frankfurt
The nose gear of a Boeing 787?jetliner collapsed unexpectedly at a gate in Frankfurt airport, according to its operator Lufthansa. A spokesperson for the company said that passengers had not yet boardinged the plane in an email?statement. They added that ground staff and crew were on board at the time the incident occurred, first reported by Bloomberg News. The?company said that "multiple staff members were injured and are receiving medical treatment." Photographer spotted multiple emergency vehicles around the two engine widebody aircraft that was partially lying on its belly. Lufthansa reported that the incident happened at 12:45 pm (1045 GMT) and the plane was due to leave for Los Angeles on flight LH450. The company said that it was investigating "the exact circumstances" with the authorities. The 787 is relatively new for the group. It plans to phase out older, less efficient jets and simplify its fleet. (Reporting from Kai Pfaffenbach and Thomas Seythal, with editing by Linda Pasquini.)
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Airbus delivered 81 planes in May, after the China bottleneck eased
Airbus delivered 81 aircraft in may, up from a year earlier. This was partly due to planes released after a regulatory stand-off with China. Airbus declined to comment on delivery ahead of the monthly update scheduled for Friday. It delivered 51 jets in May 2025. Airbus announced in April that deliveries were delayed in the first quarter of this year due to "administrative issues" in China that have since been resolved. Two people familiar with the situation said that China appeared to be holding up the delivery of new Airbus aircraft in order to exert pressure on European regulators regarding the certification of the C919 passenger jet, which is not yet granted. According to the?La Tribune, who first reported on the standoff May 11, about?20 aircraft were affected by this hold-up. In response to a Bloomberg article on the regulatory dispute, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency stated that work on validating C919 "progresses with the full co-operation" of Chinese officials and the manufacturer COMAC. Bloomberg reported that this problem had been ongoing for several months. Analysts say it is too early to know if 'May's' acceleration will be enough to eliminate concerns about Airbus's ability to 'achieve its target of 870 deliveries this year', which depends also on wider supply-chain problems. A350 deliveries have been delayed by missing cabin equipment or engines, as well as the slow delivery of parts from the former Spirit AeroSystems factory in the United States. Rob Morris, a UK-based analyst, said Airbus would need to maintain a strong momentum over the next few months in order to remain on track. He added that Airbus is "making progress" towards clearing their stored inventory. (Reporting and editing by Kirby Donovan; Tim Hepher)
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Bulgaria reports that the expansion of its gas infrastructure is progressing according to schedule
Rumen Radev, Bulgaria's Prime Minister, said that the country's energy infrastructure expansion is?progressing and?running on schedule. In an effort to counter Russian influence in southern Europe, last year the United States signed a long term deal to export liquefied gas to Greece, then through Bulgaria and Romania, to Ukraine via the so-called Vertical gas Corridor. This route would also allow for gas flows to flow the other way. Radev stated that Bulgaria is meeting its commitments, in a statement made in Sofia with the Greek Prime Minister KyriakosMitsotakis. Radev stated that the Vertical Corridor was being implemented "on time". We have finished the works in Southern Bulgaria, and are now working on the northern Bulgaria. As part of this scheme, Bulgaria is also working to increase capacity of its existing?gas pipe with Greece from 2 billion cubic meters to 5 billion. Radev said that Bulgaria was interested in taking a part in the management of Kavala in northern Greece, as a part of a Greek and Bulgarian rail freight corridor scheme. The scheme aims to connect northern Greece's port cities?to Bulgarian ports on the Black Sea and Danube without having to cross the Bosporus Strait. Mitsotakis stated that the matter was mainly a concern for 'the private investors that now manage a part of the port. But he said if a scheme could be developed that involved Greek investments into Bulgarian infrastructure, it would make sense. (Reporting and editing by Kirsten Doovan; Additional reporting by Alex Lefkowitz)
Sources say Qantas is considering ordering 20 wide-body aircraft from Boeing or Airbus.
Industry sources claim that Qantas has been in talks with aircraft manufacturers about a potential order for 20 wide-body Airbus or Boeing jets.
Sources who declined to be identified as the discussions are confidential said that the 'Australian carrier is 'considering additional Boeing 787s, or the'main -variant?of Airbus A350.
Airbus and Boeing declined comment.
Qantas' spokesperson stated: "We are in regular contact with the aircraft manufacturers to plan our fleet and we always update the market when there is something new to announce." We have no orders or updates to announce at this time.
Airlines have expanded their wide-body fleets despite geopolitical uncertainties to alleviate industry shortages.
Singapore Airlines, which reported earlier on the matter, has begun discussions with Qantas about buying at least 50 of its largest jets in order to prepare for growth over the next decade.
Qantas has a fleet of 128 jets, and it is currently undergoing a 200-aircraft fleet renewal program.
The airline has orders outstanding for 12 Boeing 787s as well as 24 larger Airbus A350-1000s. This includes 12 of the new "Ultra-Long Range", which is designed to fly non-stop from Australia's East Coast to London or New York, under "Project Sunrise".
Airbus and Boeing have been equally split in the options that are available to purchase more jets. Sources said that some of them could be exercised in the context of this latest study.
Qantas is a "regular battleground" for Airbus and Boeing. Airbus' decision to abandon its less ambitious A350 design in favor of Boeing's composite 787 20 years ago was partly due to the airline's choice to choose Boeing.
Qantas is yet to order its main A350-900 variant, but these lightweight jets are now at the core of the wide body market.
Due to supply chain problems, the first A350-1000ULR specially adapted for 22-hour record "Project Sunrise", made its maiden flight Tuesday. However, due to the delay of about four months until April 2027, it will not be delivered until then. Reporting by Tim Hepher. (Editing by Hugh Lawson, Mark Potter and Hugh Lawson)
(source: Reuters)