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Bloomberg News reports that Brookfield and GIC are close to a binding offer for National Storage.
Bloomberg News, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported Sunday that Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) and Singapore's GIC were close to making a binding bid for National Storage REIT. The deal could value the Sydney listed company at around 4 billion Australian Dollars ($2.65 billion). The report stated that the parties were finalizing the details of the deal, which could be announced as early as Monday. Brookfield and GIC had also made good progress in their due diligence process on National Storage. The report states that the price for the binding offer will likely be the same in November as the conditional offer. Could not verify immediately the report. National Storage REIT announced last month that it received an A$4.02 Billion buyout offer by a consortium consisting of Brookfield, Singapore's GIC and other companies. This would have been the largest real estate privatisation in Australia. ($1 = 1,5067 Australian Dollars) (Reporting and editing by Andrea Ricci in Bengaluru)
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Canada's Air Transat suspends flights after pilots union strikes notice
Transat AT, a Canada-listed tour operator, announced on Sunday that Air Transat, Canada, will suspend its flights from December 8 to 9 after receiving a 72-hour notice of strike by ALPA, the union which represents the 700 pilots at the company. Air Transat's pilots may begin their strike as early at 3:00 am. Air Line Pilots Association said that the strike would begin at 3:00 AM ET on December 10. The Canadian leisure carrier deemed the strike announcement "premature", given the progress made at the bargaining tables. It said that it had offered compromises including a salary increase of 59% over five years, and improved working conditions. Bradley Small, Chair of the Air Transat Master Executive Council, said: "There's still time to avoid striking, but unless there are significant improvements at the bargaining tables, we may strike to get a modern contract." Transat AT reported that Air Transat was working with the union in order to avoid a strike, but it will stop all operations on December 9th to ensure passengers and crews are not left stranded. Transat AT Inc. offers Air Transat as a brand. Reporting by Abu Sultan in Bengaluru and Shivani Tana; editing by Andrea Ricci
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American Airlines asks for notices regarding the bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines
According to a court document, American Airlines has filed an appearance notice in the bankruptcy proceedings of Spirit Aviation and requested that all notices and documents be served going forward. Spirit filed for bankruptcy a second-time in August as it struggled to deal with its dwindling reserves of cash and increasing losses. The airline stated that it was looking at all possible options in its restructuring, including a merger and sale of the business. American Airlines filed a request in the Southern District Court of New York on December 5, requesting to receive all notices, including operating reports and plans of reorganization, as well as liquidation statements. Spirit and American didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Spirit Airlines has previously stated that they are considering all options to ensure the future of their airline. Spirit actively explores all possible opportunities. The merger or sale of Spirit could maximize value. Spirit stated in a SEC filing in October that the company was actively involved in discussions with several interested counterparties. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year rejected a request from American Airlines to overturn a judicial ruling that found the company's scrapped U.S. Northeast Partnership with JetBlue Airways in violation of federal antitrust laws. JetBlue and United Airlines have partnered in a partnership since then. You can also Both airlines' websites allow travelers to book flights. Spirit Airlines urged the U.S. Transportation Department in June to reject the collaboration of United and JetBlue. Spirit Airlines said it was anti-competitive and that other large airlines would pursue similar deals. Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York, editing by Andrea Ricci
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American Airlines asks for notices regarding the bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines
According to a court document, American Airlines has filed an appearance notice in the bankruptcy proceedings of Spirit Aviation and requested that all notices and documents be served going forward. Spirit filed for bankruptcy a second-time in August as it struggled to deal with its dwindling reserves of cash and increasing losses. The airline stated that it was looking at all possible options, including a merger and sale of the business. American Airlines filed a request in the Southern District Court of New York on December 5, requesting to receive all notices, including operating reports and plans of reorganization, as well as liquidation statements. Spirit and American didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Spirit Airlines has previously stated that they are considering all options to ensure the future of their airline. Spirit actively explores all possible opportunities. The merger or sale of Spirit could maximize value. Spirit stated in a SEC filing in October that it was actively in talks with several interested counterparties. (Reporting from Doyinsola Oladipo in New York, editing by Andrea Ricci.)
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Southwest Airlines fined $11 million by the US for holiday meltdown in 2022
The Trump Administration announced Saturday that it would waive a $11 million fine on Southwest Airlines, as part of the $140 million settlement for the airline's meltdown during a busy travel season in December 2022. Southwest Airlines in December 2023 will pay $35 million in cash and $90 million worth of travel vouchers for passengers who are delayed by at least 3 hours in reaching their final destination due to an airline issue or cancellation. This is because the airline handled the meltdown which stranded over 2 million passengers. In a written order, the U.S. Transportation Department cited Southwest Airlines' decision to invest more than $1 billion into its operations since the 2022 crash to improve performance and reliability as the reason for its decision to waive the remaining $11 millions of the fine due by January 31. Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Chizu nomiyama
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Merz and Macron to discuss fate FCAS fighter jet in the week of December 15, says industry source
A source in the industry said that the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the French President Emmanuel Macron plan to discuss the fate the troubled Franco German fighter jet project FCAS – or SCAF – during the week of December 15. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a 100 billion-euro ($116-billion) project that was floated over eight years ago, is mired in disputes among the companies concerned about workshare and prized technologies. A source with knowledge of the project said earlier this week that the defence ministers from the participating countries, Germany, France, and Spain, will meet on the 11th to discuss it. The German government spokesperson refused to comment on the exact date but only said that the appointments made by the chancellor will be made public at the appropriate time. The French government did not respond to a request for comment. The French government was not immediately available for comment.
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Bloomberg News reports that Indian and US investigators will meet next week to discuss the Air India crash.
Bloomberg News reported that India would send investigators next week to the United States to review data collected on the fatal Air India crash in June, with the National Transportation Safety Board. The report cited people with knowledge of the situation as saying that Indian investigators planned to share their findings, which included any information they gleaned from cockpit voice and flight recorders. Could not verify immediately the report. The report stated that the meeting would take place at the NTSB headquarters in Washington D.C. Other parties, including Boeing representatives, will also be present. Boeing referred all comments to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. NTSB, India’s civil aviation ministry, and the AAIB didn't immediately respond to requests for comments. Shortly after takeoff, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner departing from Ahmedabad in India and heading to London began to lose thrust. The 242 passengers and 19 people on the ground were all killed, except for one. (Reporting and editing by Aidan Lewis, Aurora Ellis and Yazhini MV from Bengaluru)
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IAEA: Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant temporarily lost electricity overnight
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Saturday that Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant temporarily lost all of its off-site electricity overnight. It cited Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Since March 2022 when Russian forces seized much of the southeast Ukraine, this nuclear plant - Europe's biggest - has been under Russian authority. The plant is currently not producing electricity, but it relies on external power in order to keep the material cool and prevent a meltdown. IAEA reported that the plant had been reconnected after a 30-minute outage to a power line of 330 kilovolts (kV). The Russian-installed plant management said that the 750 kV power line, which was also previously disconnected, was now back in operation. Stable power supply was restored, they added. The management stated that radiation levels were normal. IAEA said that widespread military activities over night affected Ukraine's power grid, and caused operating nuclear power plants to reduce their output. Reporting by Gnaneshwarrajan and Yazhini MV in Bengaluru, Editing by Aidan Lewis & Bernadettebaum
Exclusive: China's Shandong Port bans US-designated vessels
Three traders reported that Shandong Port Group had banned U.S. sanctioned tankers calling at its ports. The province in eastern China is home to independent refiners who are the largest importers of oil coming from countries under U.S. sanctions.
Ship tracking data from Kpler revealed that the province imported 1.74 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), or 17% of China’s total imports, from Iran, Russia, and Venezuela in 2017.
The traders said that if the ban is enforced, it will increase shipping costs for independent refining companies in Shandong who are the main purchasers of discounted sanctioned oil from the three countries.
Washington increased sanctions last month against companies and shadow fleets that deal in Iranian oil. Donald Trump is expected to continue tightening sanctions on Iran when he takes office in January.
Traders said the ban could reduce imports to China, which is the largest oil-importing nation in the world.
Two traders confirmed the Shandong Port Notice issued on Monday. A third trader also confirmed it. The notice prohibits ports from docking, unloading or providing ship services for vessels listed on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list maintained by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Shandong Port is responsible for the major ports along China's East Coast, including Qingdao Rizhao Yantai. These are important terminals used to import sanctioned crude oil.
Shandong Port has not responded to any calls or emails requesting a comment.
SHANDONG SAYS THE BAN WILL HAVE A 'LIMITED EFFECT'
Shandong Port, in a second notice, published on Tuesday and also reviewed by., said that it expected the shipping ban would have only a small impact on independent refiners, as the majority of oil sanctioned is carried on non-sanctioned tanks.
The notice stated that the ban was imposed after Eliza II, a tanker sanctioned by the government, unloaded at Yantai Port early in January.
Tanker tracking company Vortexa estimated that eight very large crude carriers with capacities of up to two million barrels discharged mainly Iranian oil in Shandong during December.
The vessels include Phonix Vigor Quinn Divine. All are sanctioned by U.S. Treasury.
According to Michelle Wiese Bockmann of maritime data group Lloyd's List Intelligence, the active shadow fleet transporting Iranian oil, Russian oil and Venezuelan crude is estimated at 669 tankers.
She added that of the 250-300 tankers involved in shipping Russian crude, only Sovcomflot and Iran's largest tanker operator NITC were excluded.
Treasury imposed sanctions between October and December on 35 tankers, which it claimed were part of Iran's "ghost Fleet", excluding vessels operated by NITC. Washington imposed separate sanctions in early 2024 on Sovcomflot.
Sources told The Weekly that the outgoing Biden Administration plans to impose sanctions against over 100 tankers that are involved with Russian oil.
The switch to non-sanctioned vessels could increase costs for refiners, who have been struggling in Shandong with low margins and slow demand.
The shares of Frontline, the leading tanker operator, jumped more than 9% after Tuesday's port ban news. This is due to an expected tightening in tanker availability.
Shipping analysts on Tuesday said that the U.S. Defense Department added China's biggest shipping company COSCO on Monday to a list it says includes companies working with China's Military. This could discourage charterers from using COSCO's tanks and increase the tightness in ships available for hire.
Last month, the price of Iranian crude oil sold to China reached its highest level in many years as new U.S. sanctions reduced shipping capacity and increased logistics costs.
The Iranian floating crude oil storage is at a record high for the past 12 months, with 20 million barrels. Furthermore, the Iranian export fleet has been stretched to its limit due to high exports per vessel. Goldman Sachs analysts stated last week that this has historically been linked to a subsequent decline in Iran's oil exports.
By the second quarter 2025, the investment bank anticipates that Iran's crude oil supply will drop from 3.25 million to 300,000 barrels per day.
The Biden administration is planning to increase sanctions against Moscow for its war in Ukraine. This could support the prices of Russian oil. Reporting by Aizhu, Siyi Liu, and Trixie Yap from Singapore; Colleen, Howe, and Jonathan Saul, in Beijing; Florence Tan, Lewis Jackson, and Mark Heinrich, in London; and writing by Lewis Jackson, Ed Osmond and Sharon Singleton.
(source: Reuters)