Latest News
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German police arrest suspects after sabotage attack on power grid
Prosecutors said that German police detained a man aged 48 suspected of carrying out a series of sabotage attacks against the electricity grid in Germany. After a manhunt, the suspect was arrested near Weisweiler Power Plant, 50 km (30 miles) west of Cologne. The search began when authorities received letters from three German states claiming responsibility for attacks against electricity substations. The police said that the suspect was carrying additional explosive devices at the time of his arrest and did not fight. Officers found explosive charges in a tent nearby. On Tuesday, investigators continued to collect evidence at the scene and checked whether any other launch devices had been placed in the area. German police have been looking for the suspect ever since they received letters sent to authorities and media, claiming responsibility for several sabotage attempts on 'the power grid. In these letters, he claimed opposition to fossil fuels.
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Liverpool signs sponsorship agreement with Turkish Airlines for five years
The Anfield'side has agreed a five year deal with Turkish Airlines to become its main club partner from 1 June 2027. This is the first time since 2010 that Standard Chartered was their shirt sponsor. According to media reports the deal announced Tuesday is worth more than PS300 million ($405.78 millions), which would make it one of the most lucrative deals in the Premier League. The exact figures are not yet confirmed but it is expected to be similar to the income generated by Manchester United's shirt sponsoring deal with Qualcomm that was signed in August 2024. Standard Chartered is still a Global Partner of?Liverpool, according to a statement from the club, but Turkish Airlines takes over as the main sponsor for Liverpool's brand. Ben Latty, Liverpool's chief commercial officer, said: "The front of our shirt has a special significance in the club's history." Turkish Airlines has an international network and is well-recognised. We look forward to building a strong partnership with them, on the foundations of those fond memories from 2005, when Liverpool won the Champions League final in Istanbul. Turkish Airlines is a main sponsor of Turkey’s national football team and an official partner of Champions League. This deal will add to their growing portfolio of sponsorships within the sport.
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After a brief pause to allow US envoys to visit, Russia strikes Kyiv and kills three
Russia bombarded Kyiv early Tuesday morning with drones, missiles, and rockets. After a short pause?for the arrival of U.S. Peace Negotiators, they resumed their air attacks, killing three people. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed this, and said that fires were sparked?across?Ukraine’s capital. Ivan Vyhivskyi, the Interior Minister of Ukraine, said that 16 other people were injured in the city. Officials said that the attack caused damage to at least 14 buildings including high-rises, dorms, schools, clinics, warehouses, and others. Katarina Mathernova, EU ambassador in Ukraine said that Kyiv was "exploding and blazing". After U.S. envoys Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy left Kyiv Sunday after talks with the Ukrainian president Volodymyrzelenskiy. The Trump administration redoubled its efforts to end Russia’s four-and-a half year war in Ukraine. The Kremlin did not exclude the possibility of a resumption in the three-way talks after the talks. For three days, both Moscow and Kyiv stopped strikes on their capitals to ensure the safety of U.S. peace negotiators. Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, said that "the moment the U.S. President's peace envoys had left, (Russian president Vladimir) Putin launched a massive, horrific attack on?Kyiv." Sybiha called on allies to increase pressure on Moscow and to provide interceptors for ballistic missiles as Kyiv’s stock of these has?run critical low. Before the talks, Russia increased air attacks against Kyiv and surrounding areas, primarily at night, to almost round-the clock, using jet-propelled drones which killed residents?and disrupted their activities. Russian news agencies reported that the Russian Defence Ministry said Moscow had hit military and logistics targets in Kyiv, the surrounding area, and in the Black Sea Port of Chornomorsk. 'COMPLEX ATTACK' Premier Sergii Koretskyi stated that eight other regions, besides Kyiv, were also targeted. He said that close to 100 people had been evacuated from the area after Russian drones struck a train in northern Sumy. The governor reported that three people were injured in an attack at a market near the Black Sea port of Odesa. Zelenskiy, a Russian journalist, said that "it was a complex attack which the Russians planned to cause as much damage to life as they could - missiles such as ballistic missiles and cruise missiles as well as anti-ship missiles and jet-powered shaheds". He said that intercepting ballistic missiles was still "particularly hard". Residents gathered near a heavily damaged apartment block in Kyiv claimed that the pause in the attacks allowed them to temporarily forget the war. When foreign guests visit, there's always quiet here. You can relax, exhale and feel calm. Yana, a 19-year-old supermarket worker, said: "It was peaceful as if the war didn't exist at all." "Then they left and everything returned to normal." "Russia gathers its strength, and with more ballistic missiles and drones, begins bombing Kyiv once again," she said. Residents took refuge in the Kyiv Metro as explosions lit up the night skies. Long-range Strikes Both Russia and Ukraine have increased long-range air strikes in recent months, as the frontlines remain mostly static. Ukraine has attacked Russian oil infrastructure and online retailer warehouses in an effort to increase the cost of the war for Moscow. Both deny intentionally targeting civilians. Local officials in Russia said that Ukrainian drones destroyed civilian infrastructure in Saratov and killed three people in attacks against the Crimea, which Russia has annexed, as well as in the Bryansk area.
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WHO: Staff shortage and funding issues hamper Congo Ebola response
The lack of 'trained staff', 'operational partners' and a lack of funding are causing a bottleneck to the expansion of the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the outbreak expands geographically. WHO reported that the outbreak had spread beyond Bunia and affected six provinces, prompting authorities to adopt a decentralised approach by building treatment centres closer?to newly-affected communities. According to WHO, the outbreak of Ebola in Congo has reached 3,175 cases and 6,000 deaths, with the worst epidemic continuing to spread across the northeast. Luca Fontana, WHO's technical officer, said that nearly 1,400 beds were already established in 59 treatment centers, which was one of the fastest scale ups he has ever seen, even during the West Africa ebola epidemic from 2014 to 2016. "Yet despite these extraordinary efforts, we estimate another 1,600 bed will be needed," he said. WHO estimates that around three health workers would be 'needed' for each Ebola bed. This means around 9,000 people are needed to meet the 3,000-bed capacity. This would require the recruitment and training?of approximately 5,000 additional healthcare workers. Fontana stated that the number of international organizations able to run Ebola treatment centres was limited. This is partly due the global funding cuts.
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Satellogic taps former US geospatial-intelligence chief as president
Satellogic's new president is a retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, who led the Pentagon's Geospatial Intelligence Agency. This is a critical hire for the company as it develops a satellite network that can map the planet every day. Frank Whitworth, who led the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) from 2022 until last year, joined Satellogic on Tuesday, the company told . Whitworth will be responsible for "internal operations and integration of mission with sales and marketing efforts while also shaping the strategy for the company’s defense and intelligence products suite," according to a statement from?Satellogic. Satellogic was founded by Argentinian engineers in 2010. It operates 18?Earth imaging satellites, and sells data to companies and governments. Satellogic also sells satellite networks to countries that want their own systems. In 2022, the company became public?by merging a special purpose?acquisition company and bringing in former U.S. Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin to serve as chairman. Satellogic plans to launch a new constellation called "Merlin", starting with eight satellites. This constellation will provide daily global observations. The company targets clients from the military, intelligence agencies, and industries such as shipping and logistics who demand the most current data. Launches of Merlin satellites are planned for October and beyond. The company views the network as being especially important for imaging oceans. This is because there are fewer satellites that monitor large areas of?the Earth than those that observe land. The Merlin network is integrating its data with Automatic Identification System (AIS) information that ships use. Whitworth served in various intelligence positions for the United States government over a 36 year period. His career culminated with his time as head of NGA, a staff of 16,000 people who provided U.S. military forces with 'geospatial information derived from satellites, and other sources. He helped to expand the artificial intelligence Maven program, which was developed by Palantir for the Defense Department.
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Indonesia will transfer control of a China-funded rail next year
Indonesia's Finance Minister said that the sovereign wealth fund INA or an agency within his ministry would take control next week of the company operating a $7.3 billion high-speed rail funded by China. Indonesia's first bullet train, covering 142 km (88 miles) from Jakarta to the city of Bandung in 2023. This was eight years after the contract was awarded jointly by Indonesian and Chinese companies. The Belt and Road Initiative, also known as "Whoosh", has faced a number of?problems including ballooning costs. Indonesia and China began talks in 2025 to restructure?project debt. Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, the Finance Minister of Indonesia, said that a finance ministry agency would take over 60% of the company running the railway. Chinese firms will retain 40%. Purbaya?said Tuesday that authorities were weighing up whether to give the stake to the Indonesian Investment Authority (INA) or Sarana Multi Infrastructure, a development finance arm under his minister. He told reporters that he might use SMI or INA. Purbaya stated that the stake would be transferred on September 15. Purbaya didn't say if the current'stakeholder', a consortium headed by the state railway company Kereta Api Indonesia would be compensated. The minister did say that the new controlling stakeholder was responsible for paying back the outstanding loan. Purbaya stated that China has agreed to extend the tenure of the loan to 80 years following restructuring talks. The $4.5 billion original loan from the?China Development Bank was for 40 years with a grace period of 10 years. Indonesia took out additional loans to cover project cost overruns. Purbaya stated that after the handover, 'the railway will be expanded?by about 700 km east, to?the second-largest city in the country, Surabaya. Purbaya did not specify how the extension will be funded.
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Indian steel prices to increase further due to rising coking coal prices and demand revival
Executives and analysts expect Indian steel prices to increase 'further' in the upcoming?weeks due to a pickup in demand for infrastructure?and?automotives following the monsoon. Meanwhile, higher coking coal prices will raise production costs at mills. While higher prices may help mills recover from margins squeezed due to rising coking coal costs but input costs for infrastructure, construction, and auto companies are increasing as demand increases. Government data revealed that mills in India, which is the second largest producer of crude steel after China, reduced prices for products like hot-rolled coils (HRCs) by 280 rupees per metric ton. According to commodities consultancy BigMint, HRC prices increased by 4,000 rupees a metric ton from August to early September to a record high. Vedant Goel is the director of Enlight Metals. He said, "We expect steel to rise by about 3,500 rupees a ton in the coming weeks." Shankhadeep Mukherjee is the principal analyst of steel at CRU, a London-based consultancy. BigMint reported that the sharp price recovery was supported by planned mill maintenance shutdowns, tighter availability at spots and low distributor inventories. A large steel mill executive who wasn't authorized to speak with the media said that further price increases will be expected in the near future, due to maintenance shutdowns and post-monsoon stocking. Other factors include festive demand, project demands, and higher costs of?coking coal. Imports are a major source of pressure. The executives stated that a significant increase in steel price is unlikely to occur within the next few months, due to rising imports from China and other countries. India imposed safeguard duties on certain steel imports to stem a surge of overseas shipments. In June, it also launched an anti-dumping probe into HRC imports originating from China. Japan and Russia. Imports are up despite the trade restrictions. India was a net steel importer between April and July. The government's data shows that finished steel imports increased 36.6% compared to a year earlier. China was the biggest supplier of India's steel imports. Fitch Ratings said that if the competitive pressure returns, higher imports will be the main risk to margins.
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BHP and union talks for Port Hedland Iron Ore Workers to Stretch into Next Week
The parties announced on Tuesday that talks between BHP and the?unions who represent workers at BHP's iron ore mines in Western Australia, Port Hedland, ended without a deal. Further?negotiations are scheduled for next week. In recent months, the three unions that make up the Combined BHP Ports Unions met almost weekly to negotiate a four year agreement with the third largest iron ore mining company in the world. The Fair Work Commission, which is the regulator for the industry, will facilitate next Tuesday's talks. BHP released a statement saying that "Today, we presented a strong and updated proposal which is a major step in the right direction towards a fair agreement for our port workers." BHP stated that the offer would lock in for most workers a 17% increase in pay over the four-year agreement. It also included a "transition payment" of A$25,000 ($18.038) over two years as well as an increased roster allowance. Australia's mining industry is one of the highest-paying in the country. Workers in remote hot and dry areas say they should receive compensation for the conditions they face and their time away from family. Adam Woodage, secretary of the Electrical Trades Union Western Australia, said that under BHP's plan, "about 40% of the workforce will be moving backwards." "Resolving an?inequality?between workers by cutting one group's pay... instead of raising the pay of?the other group is not fair or reasonable." Port Hedland, Australia's largest iron-ore loading port, is responsible for around 900,000,000 tons of iron ore each year. BHP transports $80 million in iron ore through the facility every day.
Floods, mudslides kill 2 in southwest China, destroy homes, bridge
Floods and mudslides damaged village homes and part of a highway in China's. southwestern province of Sichuan on Saturday, eliminating at least. two individuals and leaving 17 missing out on in 2 incidents, state media. reported on Saturday.
Overnight in Kangding, a mountainous area in Sichuan's. western highlands, mudslides took down some homes in a village,. eliminating 2, while 12 were missing, nationwide broadcaster CCTV. reported.
A bridge connecting two tunnels on an expressway connecting. Kangding and Ya'an collapsed on Saturday early morning, causing 3. vehicles to fall off the highway. One of the 6 travelers has. been saved, CCTV stated. It did not define whether they had. fallen off the bridge.
China has actually been roiled by record rain and heatwaves this. summer as researchers warn of more severe weather fuelled by. environment modification. In the previous years, Sichuan and Hunan in the. south have suffered the most damage from storms and floods,. reporting cumulative financial losses of more than 100 billion. yuan ($ 14 billion) each, according to some estimates.
In Zixing, a city in Hunan province, 30 citizens passed away after. Tropical storm Gaemi lashed the region with record rains in late July. Local authorities said on Friday that 35 people were still. missing.
Throughout Hunan, the rains induced by China's most effective. hurricane so far this year have actually impacted 1.15 million people and. triggered direct economic losses of about 6 billion yuan.
A highway bridge collapse triggered by flash floods in the. northwestern province of Shaanxi killed 38 people, regional. authorities stated on Friday in their latest tally of casualties.
Regardless of search and rescue operate in the previous 2 weeks, 24. people remained missing out on after the Shaanxi bridge collapse, which. plunged 25 vehicles into a river.
(source: Reuters)