Latest News
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Germany accuses Russia of drone attack on Leipzig Airport
The German government announced 'on Tuesday that it had assessed that Russia is responsible for an 'attempt drone attack on the?Leipzig/Halle airport last month. It ordered a number of measures, including the closing of a Russian Cultural Centre in Berlin. Alexander Dobrindt, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, said that intelligence reports indicated that individuals involved in this attack were acting for?Russian state agencies. He said that the police investigations, patterns and intelligence findings, taken together, established Russian responsibility for an attempted attack on Leipzig Airport. Standing next to Dobrindt Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated that Germany did not see Leipzig as an isolated event. He said that "it fits into a larger pattern of Russian hybrid operation in Europe". Wadephul, the German minister of foreign affairs, said that Germany would respond to the attack by taking a series of measures. These included closing the Russian consulate in Bonn, and terminating the agreement with the Russian House Cultural Centre in Berlin. He said that Germany would also "push" for more sanctions and travel restrictions to be placed on Russians within the European Union, as well as increasing pressure against Russia's shadow fleet. Interfax reported that Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said Moscow would respond to what she called Berlin's "anti Russian action" in response to the announcement. She did not elaborate.
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US LNG exports increase in August as Europe grabs cargoes before winter
According to preliminary data from financial firm LSEG, U.S. liquefied 'natural gas' exports increased slightly in August after major plants in Texas completed maintenance. Moreover, European buyers increased their purchases in order to replenish gas inventory ahead of the winter. LSEG ship tracking data shows that the United States exported 10.7 metric tons (MT) of LNG in August, compared to 10.48 MT for July. Freeport LNG, America's fourth largest LNG export facility, completed maintenance on its Texas facility. Cheniere Energy, the third-largest facility in the United States, also completed planned work. The top destination for U.S. exports was Europe, which imported 5.84 MT or 55%, of the total. This was an increase of more than one metric ton over July as buyers sought to replenish storage before winter heating season. The premium for Asian LNG was reduced by the stronger European demand compared to European benchmarks. The Japan-Korea Marker (the benchmark for Asian LNG) averaged $22.00 a million British thermal units in August. This is up from $19.10 a month earlier. Asia was the second-largest export market for U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), taking 2.59 MT, down from 3.32MT in July. This is because European buyers were more aggressive in competing for available cargoes. During the second quarter earnings call, executives at Cheniere, Venture Global and the other U.S. LNG companies said that they expected strong LNG prices and demand through the end the year as Europe continues its inventory rebuilding and the colder weather increases consumption. The ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran has made it difficult to rebuild Europe's stocks. The ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran has caused a restriction on the shipments of super-chilled gas across the Strait of Hormuz. Exports to Latin America increased to 0.9 MT as the winter season boosted demand. Two cargoes were shipped to El Salvador - a country that the U.S. only rarely supplies LNG to - and one cargo from Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG Plant in Louisiana was sent to Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago, Latin America's biggest LNG exporter, does not usually import LNG. In August, the country exported 0.83MT of LNG. Six of the 12 cargoes were bound for Europe. Producers in Europe also wanted to take advantage of strong European demand. Egypt remained a major buyer of U.S. 'LNG in August. It imported 0.61 MT or 6% of the total U.S. LNG Exports. This is similar to what it imported in July. Around 0.76 MT or 7% U.S. exports of LNG remained in the water, without a publically identified final destination. This suggests traders are still searching for the most lucrative markets for these cargoes.
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Whistleblower claims USPS restrictions on mail-in ballots could result in thousands of invalid ballots
Whistleblowers told Congress that the U.S. The?Postal Service has plans to restrict mail in voting, which could lead to thousands of valid ballots being thrown out. Senator Richard Blumenthal has asked U.S. postmaster general David Steiner for documents and answers to questions regarding the "apparently illegal plot" by USPS to interfere with November's midterm elections. Their system is designed to fail and put the rights of'millions' of Americans at risk who vote by mail. Blumenthal stated that USPS also implemented an "impracticable 0 percent failure rate?that could lead to a large number of ballots being rejected without the opportunity for appeal." USPS has not yet commented. Blumenthal cited a hypothetical example citing the whistleblower. He said that if the USPS was unable to match a ballot due to "someone?who has recently changed their names after marriage or who's moved, then USPS wouldn't mail the other?9999 ballots." In March, President Donald Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to send a list of U.S. Citizens eligible to vote to the states and that the Justice Department investigate and prosecute state and local officials who give ballots to those deemed to be "ineligible." The order also requires USPS to only deliver ballots to voters who are on the approved mail-in voter list of each state. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted an injunction that had prevented the administration from implementing Trump’s executive order restricting mail-in voting. The fate of the executive order is uncertain as a separate court injunction still blocks a key component of the plan. Trump has pledged to stop the use of mail in ballots before the midterm elections. He also doubts the security of these ballots. However, evidence of voter fraud are rare. Trump has voted via mail on several occasions. CNN reported that the DHS will also intensify its efforts to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the coming week. CNN, citing the department's?guidance, reported that an investigative unit will start a "coordinated criminal vote fraud surge initiative" on Tuesday. This unit will pursue investigative leads and conduct field interviews in order to support timely prosecution review. DHS refused to comment on any ongoing investigations but said that it "actively rooted out and investigated election fraud wherever it could be found." The campaign begins as Republicans fight to maintain control of Congress during the midterm elections scheduled for November.
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Tesla promotes European-supervised self-driving vehicle safety data before EU vote
Tesla's supervised autonomous driving technology has recorded 4.1 times less collisions in five European countries that allow it, according to the automaker. The company is stepping up its lobbying ahead of an EU vote about a wider deployment. In April, the Netherlands became the first European nation to give provisional approval to Tesla's Full Self-Driving System (FSD). Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, and Lithuania followed suit, ahead of an EU vote on approval. Tesla's findings are based on driving data from more than 100 million km (62 millions miles) collected between April-August in these five countries, where FSD equipped cars were involved in 3 collisions on highways, and 9 collisions on non-highway road, compared to 137 collisions and 490 collisions involving manually-driven vehicles. It was reported previously that Tesla provided European regulators with "safety statistics" that were based on invalid comparisons, and that could have given a "misleading impression of the safety performance of the system." Tesla did not answer detailed questions for this report. Tesla posted a safety dashboard open-source on its website Tuesday. It said it shared the dashboard with EU member states regulators in April. The company stated that "as we prepare for a possible EU-wide vote on approval, we decided to open-source" one of the main pieces of evidence used in support of the Netherlands approval. Tesla has asked EU regulators to 'approve the broader use its FSD technology. A vote could happen as soon as October 6th. At least 15 EU member states, representing at least 65% (or more) of the EU population would have to approve the use of its FSD technology. A vote could happen as soon as October 6. According to the U.S. electric vehicle maker, FSD approval will boost sales in Europe. Registration data for Tesla in Europe showed mixed results on Tuesday. The approval process has been criticized for a lack transparency. European regulators including the Dutch Road Authority RDW refused to publish safety data that supported the approval of FSD claiming it was commercially sensitive.
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A suspected attack on a Brandenburg substation has damaged power lines
Officials said that German police were investigating a suspected 'attack' involving an incendiary device which was not exploded at a substation in Brandenburg, a state in eastern Germany. The incident caused a "brief power outage" and damaged power lines. Turnow-Preilack is one of the most important high-voltage nodes in the region, connecting Brandenburg’s largest power station, Jaenschwalde to the 50Hertz grid. A spokesperson confirmed that the police received the information at 8 am (0600 GMT), and officers were sent to the substation. They also said there was no danger to the public. Police said that the incident involved "a unconventional explosive and an incendiary devise which is capable of detonating, but did not do so", without providing further details. Grid operator 50Hertz stated that "unidentified perpetrators" are believed to have damaged several power lines within 50Hertz's grid transmission. The?operator said in an email that there was a short power outage, but now all power lines are back in service and the electricity supply to the entire area was not affected. Later, 50Hertz confirmed that the incident involved homemade fireworks-like projectiles. It said that there were also projectiles at the scene that hadn't been launched yet. According to a LEAG spokeswoman, the power plant's operator, a switchgear room that had been out of commission since the attack would be returned in the course of the day on Tuesday. Germany has been on alert for the past few weeks because of what officials call a growing cyber threat and hybrid attacks. Dietmar Woidke, the premier of Brandenburg, condemned the alleged assault on the substation. "We take 'attacks on critical infrastructure' very seriously. "The alarmingly frequent nature of these incidents shows the need to protect our infrastructure", he said. Two sources told AFP that Germany will blame Russia for a drone attack on a Ukrainian plane last month at the Leipzig/Halle Airport. It could also prepare new sanctions in coordination with its allies against Moscow. Russia has dismissed allegations about its involvement in the airport incident in Germany as "fabricated provocation".
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Farmers' union warns exporters to Ukraine that they should prepare for the possibility of closed ports
The analytical department of Ukraine's largest farmer's union UAC warned on Tuesday that Ukrainian exporters and producers should not rely on deep-water port operations resuming any time soon, but instead focus on other options. In recent months, Russia increased the intensity and number of drone strikes it conducts on Black Sea port infrastructure, particularly in the Odesa area. This effectively blocks a route which used to handle 90 percent of Ukraine's exported goods. This forced Ukraine to divert cargoes via the Danube River ports and rail to its western border. Transport via alternate routes can cost up to $50 more per ton than deep-water port, but their capacity is significantly lower. According to estimates by the Agriculture Ministry, Kyiv is only able to export about half the volume required through Danube port and?by train. "Avoid deep-water port operations until at least December or January." UAC stated in a report that you should build your trading strategy based on the assumption deep-water port will remain closed. If you prepare for these challenges, you can overcome them. "Companies should prepare for worst-case scenarios." Ukraine is one of the world's major exporters and producers of grains, oilseeds, and vegetable oil. Its agricultural exports brought in $22 billion dollars last year and are a vital source of revenue for a state budget that has been stretched by war. Ukrainian food exports have already decreased and could drop to about 1.7 millions tons in August, compared to at least 4,000,000 tons of food one month prior to the'seaports ban. According to data from the Agriculture Ministry, grain exports fell by a third in August to?774,000 tons. According to the ministry, the expected decline in exports as well as the lower farmer incomes that will result from it, will "probably" lead to a decrease in the number of?plantings for the harvest in 2027, especially winter wheat. Winter wheat is planted in autumn and harvested the summer following. As of September 1, Ukraine harvested 24,7 million tons of grain from 98% of the sowing areas.
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Traders say that Novorossiysk's disruptions will cause a drop in Russia's west oil exports in September.
Two industry sources have told? that disruptions in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk are continuing to reduce shipments. Sources said that loadings at Novorossiysk will remain under pressure, after they collapsed in August due to repeated Ukrainian drone strikes, which increased the shortage of tankers available and increased loading delays. The Black Sea region has become a strategic chokepoint in international trade, with a sharp increase in attacks against vessels, ports, and export terminals. This has impacted the global oil supply chain and limited Moscow's options for export. Sources said that oil exports to western Russian ports will fall by 5% on a daily basis in September compared with?August. According to trader data, the exports and transit volumes of Novorossiysk have more than halved from July to August due to drone strikes. They went from 800,000 bpd down to less than 355,000 bpd. Chartering a Suezmax, which is capable of carrying 140,000 tons of crude oil, to India from Novorossiysk cost around $20 million by the end of August. This was the highest price in many years. It had been $13 million just a month before. Shipowners are reluctant to send their vessels to the port due to increased?security risk. According to one source, the cargoes in the August tanker programme are largely carried over into the September schedule. This makes it difficult to assess the port's overall export outlook. Sources said that the planned crude loadings in 'September will remain largely unchanged from August levels. The volume of Kazakh transit crude shipments that Russia is rerouting to Novorossiysk from the Baltic port Ust-Luga is a key uncertainty. Russia has been redirecting some Kazakh crude oil exports to Novorossiysk in order to free capacity at Ust-Luga to allow for additional Russian crude imports. Sources claim that the terminal capacity constraint will limit the ability to increase crude shipments in September from Russia's Baltic port, and any additional drone attacks may alter the export volume. A drone attacked Ust-Luga on Tuesday. However, no damage was reported to the oil infrastructure.
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German police investigate an unexploded incendiary at Brandenburg's power substation
A spokesperson for the German police confirmed that they are investigating an incident on Tuesday at a power substation in Brandenburg's eastern region involving an unexploded explosive device. Grid operator 50Hertz stated that "unidentified perpetrators" are believed to be responsible for damage to several power lines on 50Hertz's transmission grid. The device was not detonated, so it is not clear how the damage was caused. The operator said in an email that there was a brief 'power cut' but that 'all power lines have now been restored and the electricity supply has not been affected. The spokesperson stated that the police received information on the incident around 8 am (0600 GMT) and sent officers to the?substation? in Turnow Preilack. The police said there was never any danger to the public. Brandenburg's state criminal police office has taken on the investigation of the alleged incident.
FAA suggests flight restrictions near Trump Palm Beach Airport
Federal Aviation Administration announced on Tuesday that it is proposing special flight regulations near Trump International Airport in Palm Beach, Florida. The agency cited'security concerns regarding u.s. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.
The FAA proposes restrictions on flights within a radius of one nautical mile and up to 2,080 feet around Palm Beach, a residence located near the airport.
FAA: The U.S. Secret Service requested the restrictions, citing negative threat intelligence. They said that the measures would "greatly enhance the ability to mitigate the persistent risk posed by unmanned aircraft and unauthorized aircraft systems."
FAA places expanded restrictions on travel by the president and vice president outside Washington. They will also continue to place broader restrictions on Trump's stay at Mar-a-Lago.
FAA will allow commercial aircraft into the airspace if they adhere to the rules. It would be impossible to use the Palm Beach Airport's primary runway without the exception.
FAA will allow law enforcement, emergency and life-saving aircraft access. Pilots must be in radio contact with air traffic controllers and receive authorization before they can perform these operations.
Palm Beach International Airport was officially renamed "President Donald J. Trump International Airport" in July. This is the latest of a number of government programs and buildings named after President Trump.
FAA prohibited the operation of aircraft near seven presidential and vice-presidential residences. Most recently, in 2001, it did so in Crawford, Texas, near a ranch owned by former President George W. Bush. These restrictions are still in place, although their boundaries were reduced in 2010.
(source: Reuters)