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Typhoon Saudel floods China's coast with torrential rain
Fujian and Guangdong, two provinces in southern China, braced themselves for more torrential rain on Friday after heavy downpours caused flooding both in rural and urban areas. Vehicles were flooded and a brick building collapsed. Social media footage confirmed by the showed that firefighters in Fujian's city of Fuding, famous for its tea plantations, carried elderly people out of floodwaters up to their waists. Social media footage confirmed by the showed that raging floodwaters flooded residential buildings in Jinxi Village, a tea growing community surrounded with mountains. They also brought down a three-storey home. Local authorities in multiple coastal areas have closed schools, suspended public transport and implemented emergency flood protocols. Saudel landed on the coast of Fujian, Thursday morning, after intensifying over the South China Sea. This is the third typhoon to hit the city of Yuhuan, in eastern Zhejiang, in less than two weeks. China's Meteorological Administration says that this meteorological sequence is rare and closely related to El Nino. During El Nino years, the Western Pacific Subtropical High is extremely strong and located further north. Typhoons are then guided along a northwest trajectory, directly towards China's east coast. El Nino is expected to continue intensifying?into the year 2027, and may be the strongest El Nino ever. This could lead to a prolonged period of extreme weather. Since late August, hundreds of thousands of people in Zhejiang province and surrounding provinces have been evacuated. More than 83,000 residents were evacuated from Fujian as Saudel tracked into the inland area?and saturated surrounding areas. Saudel is the next typhoon after Narra which brought heavy rains to Guangxi province, Hainan province and Guangdong last month. The Ministry of Natural Resources has warned that torrential downpours can cause secondary disasters such as landslides. Recent rains have already caused rivers to exceed warning thresholds, and inundated communities with low-lying areas.
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US airlines prioritize safety systems to prevent mid-air collisions over legal mandate, says provider
According to Acron Technologies' CEO, some airlines do not wait for a U.S. law to outfit planes with a system that will prevent?midair crashes, according to retrofitting Airbus jets with this equipment. Acron, which ?has equipped American Airlines' single-aisle Airbus ?planes ?with the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast In platform, is talking with most U.S. carriers and could see another order by year's end, Acron CEO Alan Crawford said on Thursday. U.S. legislators are weighing up two legislative options that could lead to a requirement for ADS-B in order to prevent midair accidents after the January 2025 crash between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional plane, which killed 67 people. Crawford stated, "I do not think that the industry will wait to see what happens from a legislative perspective." We're having active conversations with customers who are indicating that they want to order by the end of the year. But you never know." ADS B In, an optional technology, allows aircraft to receive real-time traffic broadcasts in the cockpit from other aircraft. Air Line Pilots Association supports Congress' mandate of ADS-B in order to improve pilots’ situational awareness, and prevent midair collisions. The U.S. safety agencies have investigated "multiple near miss incidents". Honeywell Aerospace’s SURF A, cockpit safety software that prevents runway collisions is expected to be certified by the end 2026. According to one industry source, some U.S. airlines prefer to wait for legislation before investing in new technology so that they don't have to pay additional costs later on to comply with legal requirements. Crawford stated that the cost to equip planes with ADSB In is in the tens or thousands of dollars. United Airlines announced that all new widebody aircraft will be equipped with ADS-B in. The airline said that it is 'working with the U.S.?Federal Aviation Administration and others to obtain this service for other aircraft types. Delta Air Lines sent a comment request to the U.S. airline trade group Airlines for America. However, they were not available immediately.
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Trump administration brings mail-in vote fight to US Supreme Court
The administration of President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to allow it to enforce a new U.S. Postal Service rules tightening the use of mail-in votes, after a judge temporarily blocked it ahead of November's Midterm Elections. In an urgent request, the Justice Department requested that the Supreme Court lift the order of Boston-based U.S. district judge Indira Talwani temporarily prohibiting the USPS to enforce the new rule. The USPS adopted the new rule following an executive directive by the Republican President to restrict mail in ballots. USPS regulations would require new standards for voter data and ballot envelopes, and could refuse delivery of ballots if they did not meet the requirements. Critics say this could lead to thousands of votes being thrown out as the election date of November 3 draws near. Republicans are in a tight battle to keep control of Congress after the elections. Critics claim that restricting mail in ballots will disproportionately favor Republicans, given the fact that Democratic voters are more likely to send mail-in votes. The administration is defending Trump's order against legal challenges from states and voting rights groups for the second time. The court lifted the injunction Talwani had imposed in June to block Trump's order on August 24, 2018. This?decision was backed by the 6-3 conservative majority of the court. It faulted the coalition of mostly Democratic-governed States for filing a lawsuit too early, but left open the possibility for another challenge. Three liberal justices of the court dissented. A NEW RULE WILL TIGHTEN STANDARDS for MAIL BALLOT DELIVERY The new USPS rule requires that states provide lists of mail-ballot recipients to the postal services and use envelopes with barcodes and agency approval for outbound and returned ballot mail. Postal service can refuse to send ballots that don't comply with the new standards or are linked to voters who don't appear on the list. Trump has cast doubts on the security of mail-in votes for years, even though evidence of voter fraud is rare. Trump has falsely claimed that widespread fraud is occurring in U.S. election, including his loss to former Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020. In a written submission on Thursday, the administration urged the Supreme Court that it be allowed to implement "an important federal policy to prevent the mail from being used for voter fraud." A coalition of states governed by Democrats and Washington, D.C., along with a number of voting rights groups, contested the new USPS rule. Talwani issued an order blocking the rule on August 27, stating that it would likely violate the U.S. Constitution under which the states administer elections and that the states could not comply given the upcoming midterms. The Justice Department requested that the 1st U.S. The Justice Department asked the Boston-based 1st U.S. Talwani held an additional hearing on Thursday, to determine whether he should issue a longer term injunction.
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Florida bans highway plate readers after backlash against surveillance
Florida has banned its local police from installing cameras that read license plates on state highways. This is in response to the growing divisions between law enforcement agencies in various parts of the U.S. over their use of technology provided by Flock Safety. Florida's Department of?Transportation? said that it would cancel previous permits and not issue any new permits in its jurisdiction. In a memo released earlier this week, it stated: "The recent exponential growth in deployments along Florida's roadways, combined with concerns about misuse, privacy issues, and surveillance schemes, merits immediate action to protect Floridians’ sovereignty and quality-of-life." The memo was released in response to remarks made by Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis who said last week that the use of automatic license plate readers had "gotten out-of-control." Greg Abbott, a Republican governor from Texas, ordered last week that state agencies halt funding for Flock Cameras. In a press release, a spokesperson for Flock Safety said that the technology of Flock helps solve crimes throughout Florida and the United States. The statement stated that "rather than banning an important?public-safety tool, we support thoughtful legislation and strong privacy and transparency guardrails to ensure technology is used responsibly, while maintaining law enforcement's capability to use effective tools for keeping people safe." Florida's move comes amid a growing backlash against the cameras supplied by the Atlanta-based firm. Flock's 120,000 AI-powered cameras are installed on streets and highways in 49 states. They automatically record and read license plates. The devices have been marketed as security tools that allow law enforcement to quickly identify and catch criminals. However, they have come under fire due to misuse by police departments and have been criticized for violating citizens' privacy. Flock cameras, along with AI data centres, have become a focal point in the midterm elections this year, as candidates are increasingly attacking their opponents and tying them up to technology. A /Ipsos survey that ended on Monday found Americans divided over the question of whether Flock cameras were a good idea. A poll conducted by /Ipsos on Monday found that 38% of Americans'support the use of Flock camera?in their communities, while 47% are against it. Flock cameras are most popular among Republicans. 54% of them support the technology, while the same percentage of Democrats oppose it.
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Canada invests C$4.7 Billion to build VIA Rail Cars domestically
The Prime Minister, Mark Carney, announced on Thursday that his government will invest C$4.7 billion ($3.41billion) in Canada to build and maintain VIA Rail's passenger cars. This is the first time the company has built its cars domestically in 40 years. For the first time since four decades, VIA passenger cars will be assembled and produced in Canada. Cars that were previously built in the United States are now being built here in Thunder Bay by Alstom Canada," Carney said at a news conference in Thunder Bay. Carney stated that the investment will support 313 new-generation cars in Ontario and Quebec and nearly 700 jobs. The announcement coincides with a worsening of the trade war between Canada and the United States. The announcement comes amid a worsening trade war with the?U.S. Carney said that his government is "ready" to strike a deal with Washington when it's ready. But, any agreement must have stability and credibility.
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Airbus reduces A330 deliveries following a stray item found in the plane
A person with knowledge of the situation said that Airbus was forced to slow down deliveries of the A330neo after a stray instrument was found in the tail section on an aircraft currently in production. The company confirmed that it had recently discovered a 'quality issue' on a horizontal tail plane A330 in an email. This led us to inspect A330s during the production process and slow down monthly deliveries throughout the summer. The root cause has been identified, and A330 deliveries are now resumed. Bloomberg News was the first to report on the quality lapses and delays. Airbus did not deliver any A330s in either June or July. Airbus data will be released 'next week and is expected to show that only one A330 out of 57 jets was delivered in the month of August. A person with knowledge of the issue said that the problem was caused by a tool found inside the aircraft's structure. It was discovered during an inspection before delivery. Airbus' Spanish factories manufacture the horizontal tail plane that controls the nose angle of an aircraft. Airbus has not revealed where the aircraft was at the time the object was 'left behind or found. The person stated that the discovery was not connected to a recent?of strikes in Spanish?plants. The industry has repeatedly launched campaigns to ensure that loose objects are not damaged by Foreign Objects, including tools and rags. RFID and internet-connected technologies are being used by manufacturers to track tools, equipment, and other items. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau stated in a report published last month about a maintenance failure on an aircraft that was already in service that FOD could pose a serious risk to the safe operation of an aircraft.
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France begins testing Tesla's self driving tech
The French Ministry of Transport, Philippe Tabarot, announced that France had begun testing two cars in order to assess Tesla's FSD (advanced driver assistance system). This could be a major step towards Europe's approval of Elon Musk’s autonomous driving technology. The Netherlands Road Authority RDW approved Tesla’s Full Self Driving System for use on Dutch highways on a proviso basis in April. This prompted Belgium, Denmark and Estonia to follow suit in anticipation of a bloc wide vote on the plan that could happen as soon as next month. FSD is an assistance system for drivers that allows them to accelerate, brake and steer their car while the driver remains available. However, it does not result in a self-driving vehicle. Tabarot said in July that the safety 'trade-offs' were not sufficient to justify an authorisation. This was specifically true for areas such as speed limiters and driver attention alerts. In a late-night post on X, the minister?said he'd had "a productive exchange" with Musk about the technology. He had worked closely with Tesla over several?months to adapt the technical aspects needed by France?to approve it. "With the supply of two Tesla vehicles with FSD, we now enter a new phase - that of road testing," he stated. Test Results Expected Mid to Late September In a photo that was shared with the post, Musk is smiling on a computer monitor in a videoconference with Tabarot. A source in the transport ministry said that Tesla had initiated the meeting. Tesla had no immediate comment. The company had previously said that FSD approval was key to increasing sales in Europe. The electric vehicle manufacturer said earlier this week that its FSD system had recorded 4.1 times less collisions than Tesla cars driven manually in the five European countries where the technology is allowed. This was based on a total of more than 100,000,000 km (62,000,000 miles) worth of driving data collected between?April?and?August. A source from the transport ministry said that France wanted to conduct its own tests in order to verify the data provided to it by the Netherlands and Tesla and test the system using French roads and urban areas, which are different to those of other countries. The aim is to have the test results by mid-late September so that it can vote on a bloc decision in the coming months. The EU's Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles is due to meet on 6 October. The source from the Transport Ministry said that a vote could take place on that day, or at the next group meeting, which is scheduled for early December. He also added that he expects Tesla to be willing to address their concerns and allow the technology to become approved in Europe.
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Utilities NextEra and Santee Cooper switch legacy systems to Google AI
Google's artificial intelligence will replace legacy systems at major U.S. electricity companies NextEra Energy and Santee Cooper. This includes weather forecasting, certain operational planning and other legacy systems. The development of AI is upending the U.S. Electric Utility industry. Data centers are driving up the power demand, while utilities try to implement AI in their businesses at the same time. Santee Cooper has announced that it will be switching from its current weather prediction to Google AI tools. The company claims these are targeted enough to "predict" changes in the'microclimates' caused by two large South Carolina lakes. * The development of long-term hedge strategies and near-term planning are heavily influenced by weather forecasts. Santee Cooper's CFO Tami wilson said that if the company is caught off guard by unpredicted weather changes, buying power on the spot market can cost $100,000 per hour. NextEra has also announced that it launched a system developed with Google's Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. The system will bring together information on power generation, fuel, and energy storage to help the company and its customers plan and work on-the-ground.
Records show that Sydney airport near miss involved controllers flagged for high-fatigue risks.
According to internal records, and a recording of a phone call, several air traffic controllers were flagged for a high fatigue risk when two Qantas planes nearly collided in July at the?Sydney Airport. One shift manager called this situation "a little insane".
The incident on July 27, in which a Qantas turboprop narrowly missed a Qantas Boeing 737, that was cleared to cross runway, was one of six near misses at Sydney Airport within a month. This brought further attention to the air traffic control staffing shortages around the world.
According to an internal review of the log, five of the 10 controllers at the time were rated as "H" under Australia's fatigue management system for high risk. One controller was rated as "M" or medium risk, and another was "L" (low risk). Three other workers were not considered at risk for fatigue.
We've got five high-fatigues this morning. In an internal call, a controller's shift manager said to the air traffic director that it was "a little insane".
He said, "Thankfully, they did not hit, but it's pretty close, and everyone here is pretty shaken by it," in a recorded interview.
The shift manager stated that two of the three controllers directly involved in the incident had "high fatigue" and the other was "medium-fatigued".
Both the fatigue-risk rating and the internal request, which were not previously reported, took place as aviation authorities around the world grappled with concerns over the risks of accidents and an overstretched workforce in air traffic control.
Airservices Australia (the government agency which employs the air traffic controllers in the country) declined to comment on the incident, citing an ongoing investigation. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has begun an investigation into all six near misses in order to determine if they have 'common safety issues' or other contributing factors.
FATIGUE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The system does not determine whether a controller has actually become fatigued. It uses automated assessments of factors like workload and scheduling to estimate fatigue risk.
According to the rating, controllers could be subjected to mitigation measures that are approved by local shift supervisors or an air traffic director who is based in a different city. These measures may include longer breaks, limiting the traffic volume handled by a control, or terminating a shift earlier.
Civil Air President Scott Nugent told reporters that in recent years, an increasing number shifts had been assessed to be at high risk of fatigue, due to controllers working longer hours and getting less sleep.
Nugent stated that if a controller felt they were fatigued they should not follow safety regulations.
He said that short staffing led to more overtime work, fewer holidays, more pressure, and increased fatigue.
According to the presentation slides of a Canberra meeting last week, Airservices reported that in the six-week period ending August 28, there were unusually large short-term absences from Sydney. This had a major impact on their ability to fill operational shifts.
Two Australian controllers said that "staff are regularly permitted to continue work despite high fatigue risk ratings" and that staff shortages and heavy traffic can make it hard to implement mitigation measures. One of them, who is based in Melbourne said that he has 'never seen any controllers removed from duty due to being too tired to work.
Controllers are also under pressure to work extra hours, with calls and messages encouraging them to do so, knowing that their absence would put already stressed colleagues even more pressure.
There are no global uniform rules that govern how long air traffic control operators can be on duty. Instead, each country is required to create their own fatigue management?programs. Scheduling limits are therefore widely varied.
Airservices Australia has an enterprise agreement that allows controllers to work up 10 consecutive shifts. This includes additional and emergency duties, but is limited to 80 hours in a single run. According to union officials, controllers can work up eight consecutive days in Canada and six in the United States.
Civil Air and three Australian controllers said it was not uncommon for controllers working 10 days straight to receive a day off.
In countries such as Australia, Canada and United States, there is a chronic shortage of staff. This has led to controllers working long hours.
According to the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, the amount spent on overtime by air traffic controllers in the U.S. increased more than 300 percent between 2013 and 2024. Last year, the total was $200 million.
(source: Reuters)