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Ted Cruz calls on Trump to support a higher retirement age for pilots. Worker groups are against.
The Republican Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee has urged Donald Trump to support the international efforts by a trade group for airlines to raise the mandatory retirement age of pilots to 67. This move is opposed by the Air Line Pilots Association who say it could increase the risk to travel. In a letter, first reported on Sunday, Senator Ted Cruz asked Trump to back efforts during this week's Montreal opening of the United Nations aviation conference. Cruz, the Senate committee leader overseeing aviation, said that the United States should be a leader on the global stage by raising or abolishing the age of retirement for pilots. Cruz added that the current policy "forces thousands of highly-qualified and experienced pilots to retire early every year." Congress has rejected the push for raising the mandatory retirement age of airline pilots to 67 years old from 65. Some lawmakers rejected the proposal to raise the retirement age, citing a Federal Aviation Administration statement that called for an analysis of safety and scientific factors before making a decision. Many countries, including the United States apply the same rule to domestic flights. The White House has not yet commented. When delegates meet for their triennial meeting, which begins on Tuesday, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will examine a proposal by an airline industry group to raise the retirement age of pilots globally to 67. The U.S. delegation includes Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation for the United States and Bryan Bedford, chief of the Federal Aviation Administration. The International Air Transport Association, which represents around 350 airlines, said that raising the limit by 2 years could be done without affecting aviation safety. Canada, Australia Brazil, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have all endorsed the IATA proposal, but the United States is yet to take a stand. In July, Senate majority leader John Thune and Republican Senator Marsha blackburn, as well as Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, called for raising the retirement age from 65 to 67. Willie Walsh of IATA, former CEO at British Airways, said that the age for pilot retirement has changed over time. It was 55 years ago, then 60, and finally 65. Jason Ambrosi is the president of the Air Line Pilots Association. He said that the group opposes any changes to the pilot retirement age. The group cited studies which found increased health risks as well as a decline in cognition skills with increasing age. "The United States are the world leader in aviation safety and we should resist attempts to arbitrarily change the regulatory framework which has helped us achieve our record." The group stated that Congress had rejected a change in the age of pilot retirement just last year. The ICAO, based in Montreal, sets standards for everything from markings on runways to crash investigation. Its 193 members then translate these into regulations. (Reporting and editing by David Shepardson)
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UK Government approves plans for second runway in London Gatwick Airport
The British government announced on Sunday it had approved plans to build a second runway for London Gatwick Airport. The 2.2 million pound project was approved after the government said in February it would be inclined to approve expansion of the second largest airport. The Transport Minister Heidi Alexander stated that she had sent a letter stating her "intent to approve" for Gatwick to use its backup runway to accommodate millions of additional passengers by 2030. According to a spokesperson for the Department of Transport, Alexander issued a letter on Sunday confirming that she had approved the airport’s request for expansion operations through regular use of its northern runway. Gatwick didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Gatwick plans to move its backup runway 12 metres in order to meet safety standards. This could happen by the end decade and will boost trade, tourism, and create 14,000 new jobs. Alexander will ensure that the Gatwick project is legal and watertight, as it may face a challenge from environmental groups and local communities. The government said that a sustainable aviation fuel ensures that airport expansions don't derail net zero targets. It has therefore backed the construction of a new runway for Heathrow, Gatwick’s larger rival.
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Bangladesh has seen the highest single-day increase in dengue cases, deaths and infections this year
Dengue infection is on the rise across Bangladesh. Health officials have reported that this has been the largest single-day increase in hospital admissions and deaths of all time. The Directorate General of Health Services announced on Sunday that 12 people had died and 740 more patients were hospitalised for the mosquito-borne illness. Dengue has infected and killed nearly 42,000 people across the country so far this year. Many children arrive in hospital wards with high fevers, rashes and dehydration. Some develop severe complications. Children are more susceptible to shock and rapid fluid loss, making severe dengue dangerous for them, said ABM Abdullah. He urged parents to not ignore early symptoms such as a persistent fever or bleed gums. Entomologists claim that changing weather patterns have exacerbated the outbreak. Kabirul Bashar is a professor of zoology at Jahangirnagar University. He said that the monsoon has been longer than normal, which creates standing water everywhere. This prolonged wet period gives mosquitoes more space and time to breed. It is intensifying this outbreak. The rapid urbanisation of Bangladesh, coupled with poor waste management and stagnant water on construction sites, has led to an increase in mosquito breeding areas. Doctors fear that the crisis in hospitals will worsen over the next few weeks as infections and hospital strains continue to rise. A rise in cases of chikungunya is adding to the crisis. Chikungunya, unlike dengue, rarely results in death. However, it can cause severe joint pains and weakness. Dengue was the worst disease to hit Bangladesh in 2023. It killed 1,705 and infected over 321,000 people. Experts are concerned that such cycles of death will continue if preventive measures are not strengthened. (Reporting and editing by Christina Fincher; Ruma Paul is the reporter)
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After cyberattack, European airports rush to fix the check-in glitch
Hackers disrupted the automatic check-in system at some of Europe's largest airports on Sunday, including London's Heathrow Airport, which is one of the busiest in Europe. Hackers targeted Collins Aerospace on Saturday, a check-in and boarding system provider owned by RTX. This caused disruptions at Heathrow Airport, Berlin Airport, and Brussels Airport, with long queues and cancellations. Airport officials and data indicate that disruptions had significantly decreased by early Sunday, despite some ongoing delays. Regulators also said they were investigating how the cyberattack originated. Brussels Airport reported that 45 of the 257 flights scheduled to depart on Sunday had been cancelled. However, operational adjustments kept waiting times low. A spokesperson from the airport said that delays ranged between 30 minutes and 90 minutes. It was unclear how long disruptions would continue. One passenger who flew from Brussels reported minimal disruption. "It was just business as usual for me." "Those poor souls that didn't check in online or had bags to check may have a little wait," he said. This is just the latest hack to affect sectors from autos to healthcare. One breach caused production to be halted at Jaguar Land Rover, and another resulted in losses of hundreds of millions of pound for Marks & Spencer. RTX described the incident as a "cyber related disruption" and stated that it affected its MUSE software which is used in several airlines. RTX did not respond to a request for comment immediately on Sunday. Berlin Brandenburg Airport stated on Sunday that problems persist but it is working with the company in order to resolve the problem. The airport added that a manual workaround had been implemented and there are currently no major delays. Heathrow announced early on Sunday that work is continuing to recover the check-in systems. The airport added that the "vast majority" of flights had continued to run. Cirium, a provider of aviation data, found that Heathrow had "low" delays. Berlin had "moderate", and Brussels had "significant", but decreasing, delays. (Reporting and writing by Christoph Steitz, Sabine Siebold and Adam Jourdan. Editing and proofreading by Helen Popper and Ros Russel)
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After hacking disruption, European airports rush to fix the check-in glitch
Hackers disrupted the automatic check-in system at some of Europe's largest airports on Saturday. Heathrow was one of them. Collins Aerospace is owned by RTX and provides check-in and boarding system. The hacking incident disrupted operations at Heathrow Airport in London, Berlin Airport, and Brussels Airport on Saturday, causing long queues, cancellations, and delays. Airport officials and data indicated that disruptions had significantly decreased by early Sunday, despite some ongoing delays. Regional regulators also confirmed they were investigating what caused the hacking incident. This is just the latest hack to affect sectors from autos to healthcare. One breach caused production to be halted at Jaguar Land Rover, and another resulted in losses of hundreds of millions of pounds for Marks & Spencer. RTX described the incident as a "cyber related disruption" and stated that it affected its MUSE software which is used in several airlines. RTX did not respond to a request for comment immediately on Sunday. Berlin Brandenburg Airport stated on Sunday that the problem persists but it is working with the company in order to resolve it. The airport added that a manual workaround was in place, and that there were currently no major delays or cancelations. In an update sent to passengers Sunday, Brussels Airport stated that the cyberattack had a "large effect on the flight schedule", leading to delays and cancellations. Heathrow announced early on Sunday that work is continuing to recover the check-in systems. The airport added that the "vast majority" of flights had continued to run. Cirium, a provider of aviation data, found that Heathrow had "low" delays. Berlin had "moderate", and Brussels had "significant", but decreasing, delays. (Reporting and writing by Christoph Steitz, Sabine Siebold, Adam Jourdan and Helen Popper; editing by Helen Popper).
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Dallas airports are back to normal after FAA explains the problem that caused the outage
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) detailed the telecom failures of a telecommunications provider that caused more than 2,000 flights to be disrupted. American Airlines, Dallas Fort Worth Airport's largest carrier, reported that more than 100,000 passengers had been affected by telecom problems which began around 2 pm CT on Friday and continued until the morning of Saturday. American Airlines said that it had to cancel 530 flights on Friday and 160 flights on Saturday. It also had to divert 65 other flights bound for Dallas. Southwest Airlines, Dallas Love Field's largest carrier, has delayed or cancelled more than 1,100 flights on Friday. Southwest Airlines reported 580 extreme delays Friday. American Airlines, which has also experienced a delay of more than 350 flights in the last week, warned that there may be additional operational impact. The FAA stated that "multiple failures of Frontier Communications' telecommunications data service" caused the outage which affected the FAA Dallas Terminal Radar Approach Control (which handles operations at both Dallas airports). Frontier Communications has agreed to sell itself to Verizon Communications, but this deal is not yet complete. The FAA stated that the oversight by L3Harris contractor failed to ensure the redundancies of the system worked properly. A Frontier spokesperson said that a third party contractor in Argyle (Texas) accidentally cut the fiber lines of their company, affecting communication systems at Dallas airports. She said that her team coordinated with the FAA, the airports, and worked over night to stabilize the system. As a result, the airports were back up and running by today. American Airlines, when describing the events leading to flight disruptions, stated that two fiber optic cables were cut on Friday, affecting data supporting FAA radio frequencies, radars and computer systems. David Seymour (American Airlines' Chief Operating Officer) wrote in an email sent to its employees that the efforts of L3Harris, Frontier and other airlines to restore service were not moving fast enough. He also said the airline would be assessing the financial impact. Seymour, along with the airline's chief executive officer, Robert Isom had difficulty "reaching leaders at Frontier and L3Harris". "We are extremely disappointed that neither of the providers seems to be in a hurry to resolve this issue," Seymour wrote in an email. A spokesperson for L3Harris said that a defect in the switching gear of the local telecommunications carrier and a cut fiber affected flights. The company stated that "L3Harris immediately helped with troubleshooting the impacted circuits, and critical services were returned to the FAA." We will continue to work with the FAA and telecom provider to restore services to full resilience. In recent years, the FAA has been plagued by a series of technical issues that highlight the fragility of the U.S. Air Traffic Control System. Congress awarded $12.5 billion in July to revamp the system. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Lucia Mutikani and Leslie Adler; editing by Leslie Adler).
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Dallas airports are back to normal after FAA details the problem that caused the outage
Flight operations returned to normal at two Dallas area airports on Saturday after the Federal Aviation Administration revealed that a Verizon Communications unit had suffered telecom failures which caused more than 2,000 flights to be disrupted. American Airlines, Dallas Fort Worth Airport's largest carrier, reported that more than 100,000 passengers had been affected by telecom problems which began around 2 pm CT on Friday and continued until the morning of Saturday. American Airlines said that it had to cancel 530 flights on Friday and 160 flights on Saturday. It also had to divert 65 other flights bound for Dallas. Southwest Airlines, Dallas Love Field's largest carrier, has delayed or cancelled more than 1,100 flights on Friday. Southwest Airlines reported 580 extreme delays Friday. American Airlines, which has also experienced a delay of more than 350 flights in the last week, warned that there may be additional operational impact. The FAA reported that "multiple failures of telecommunications services provided by Verizon Communications Frontier unit" led to the outage which affected the FAA's Dallas Terminal Radar Approach Control (which handles operations at both Dallas airports). The FAA stated that the oversight by L3Harris contractor failed to ensure the redundancies of the system worked properly. A Frontier spokesperson said that a third party contractor in Argyle (Texas) accidentally cut the fiber lines of their company, affecting communication systems at Dallas airports. She said that her team coordinated with the FAA, the airports, and worked over night to stabilize the system. As a result, the airports were back up and running by today. American Airlines explains the events leading to flight disruptions. Two fiber optic cables were cut on Friday, affecting data that supports FAA radars and radio frequencies, as well as computer systems. David Seymour (American Airlines' Chief Operating Officer) wrote in an email sent to its employees that the efforts of L3Harris, Frontier and other airlines to restore service were not moving fast enough. He also said that the airline was working on determining the financial impact. Seymour, along with the airline's chief executive officer, Robert Isom had difficulty "reaching leaders at Frontier and L3Harris". "We are extremely disappointed that neither of the providers seems to be in a hurry to resolve this issue," Seymour wrote in an email. L3Harris didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. In recent years, the FAA has been plagued by a series of technical issues that highlight the fragility of the U.S. Air Traffic Control System. Congress awarded $12.5 billion in July to revamp the system. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Lucia Mutikani and Leslie Adler; editing by Leslie Adler).
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Maduro is willing to have direct discussions with Grenell, the Trump envoy.
The Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has offered to have direct talks with Donald Trump's administration, days after the U.S. first strike on a South American boat that Trump claims was carrying drug traffickers. In a letter sent to Trump, Maduro refuted U.S. allegations that Venezuela was involved in the drug trade. He noted that only 5% of Colombian drugs are transported through Venezuela, and that 70% of those were neutralized or destroyed by Venezuelan officials. Maduro wrote, "President I hope we can overcome the falsehoods which have sullied the relationship that must be peaceful and historic," in his letter. "These issues and others will always be available for a direct, frank and open conversation with your special representative (Richard Grenell), to overcome fake news and media noise." He said that Grenell helped quickly resolve previous allegations that Venezuela refused to accept migrants. "To date, the channel has worked flawlessly," he added. Sources familiar with the situation said that despite the U.S. strike, the twice-weekly flights deporting illegal migrants from the U.S. to Venezuela continued unabated. Maduro’s letter is dated September 6, just four days after the U.S. struck a vessel which, according to the Trump administration, carried drug traffickers. Trump claimed that the strike killed 11 members of Trump's Tren de Aragua drug-trafficking gang. White House has not yet responded to the immediate question. Trump stepped up his pressure campaign Saturday. In a post to his Truth Social platform, he warned that Venezuela would pay a "incalculable price" if it did not accept the return of the prisoners Venezuela had allegedly forced into the U.S. Trump announced on Friday at least the third attack against alleged drug ships from Venezuela, amid a large U.S. Military buildup in southern Caribbean which includes seven warships and a nuclear-powered sub. Trump claimed that the strike "killed 3 male narcoterrorists on board the vessel" without providing any evidence. The Venezuelan Government, which claims to have deployed tens and thousands of troops in order to combat drug trafficking, as well as defend the country, said that none of those killed during the first strike were members of Tren de Aragua. The Venezuelan government also denies allegations of links between high ranking Venezuelan officials and drug gangs. Maduro claims that the U.S. has tried to remove him from power. Trump denied this week that he is interested in regime-change, but Washington doubled the reward last month for information leading Maduro to his arrest, to $50 million. It accused him of connections to drug trafficking, criminal groups, and other criminal activities. Maduro's letter to Trump reiterates his denial. In his letter to Trump, he said: "This is an outrageous instance of disinformation that has been used to justify escalation into armed conflict which would cause catastrophic damage to the entire continent." Trump's administration is divided over Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Grenell, former acting director of the national intelligence department during Trump's second term, are pushing for diplomacy. In his letter Maduro stated that he has and will continue to communicate directly with Grenell who organized the deportation flight, some of which went to Caracas, and others to Honduras. An official in the administration said that more than 8, 000 Venezuelans had been removed from the U.S. through the flights. The numbers were not verified. Grenell worked with the Maduro government to secure the release seven U.S. Citizens, including Air Force veteran Joe St. Clair who was released in May and whose family claimed he had wrongfully been detained in Venezuela from November 2024. Grenell did not respond to a request for comment. Geoff Ramsey is a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council. He said that Maduro was clearly making overtures. The White House must ask itself, "How can they win this battle?" Maduro will not want to give his head to the Venezuelans or the Americans on a silver platter. Ramsey claimed that the U.S. was building up to encourage the opposition in its efforts to topple Maduro. However, this strategy has been used unsuccessfully over the past decades. Henry Ziemer is an associate fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He noted that Trump was averse to getting involved in entanglements but predicted more targeted attacks. Ziemer stated, "I do not think Trump wants war and Maduro does not want war." "But the greater the number of assets in the region, the more chances there are to make a mistake." We could end up in a situation where Maduro and Trump are unable to back down. (staff in Washington and Bogota, edited by Mary Milliken & Andrea Ricci).
Kim Jong Un's slow train to China:
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang on Monday in his signature green rail car on his way Beijing. The reclusive nation's leaders use this slow, but specialized form of transportation for decades.
Experts say that bulletproof trains are a better alternative to North Korea's aging fleet of passenger planes. They offer more comfort, security, food, amenities and space for large groups.
Kim, who became the leader of North Korea in late 2011, has traveled by train to China, Vietnam, and Russia.
What's inside the trains?
Ahn Byung Min, a South Korean expert in North Korean transportation has stated that multiple trains are needed for security.
Ahn stated that these trains each have between 10 and 15 carriages. Some of them are only used by the leader. This includes a bedroom. Other carriages carry medical staff, security guards, or both.
He added that they also have room for Kim's desk, communications equipment and a restaurant. They can also accommodate two armoured Mercedes.
State media pictures on Tuesday showed Kim and senior officials having a smoke break in front of an emerald green carriage with gold trim and crests, as well as sitting in a wooden-paneled room in front of the North Korean flag and a large gold emblem.
Kim's desk was adorned with a laptop computer embossed in gold, a bank telephones, his trademark box of cigarettes, and bottles filled with liquids that were either blue or clear. The windows were decorated with blue and gold curtains.
In 2018, a video by North Korean state TV featured Kim with Chinese top officials in a train car with pink couches.
State TV footage from 2020 showed Kim on a train, visiting a typhoon hit area. The carriage was decorated with flower-shaped lights and fabric chairs printed in zebra.
In his 2002 book, "Orient Express", Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky describes a journey of Kim Jong Il's father Kim Jong Un made to Moscow over a period of three weeks.
According to the book, live lobsters and cases of Bordeaux wine and Beaujolais were also flown into that train from Paris.
How does it cross borders?
Ahn explained that when Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia in 2023 to meet with President Vladimir Putin at the summit, the wheel assemblies of the train had to be rearranged because the rail gauges are different between the two countries.
Kim Han-tae is a former South Korean train engineer and author of a book about North Korea's railroads. While China does not have such a requirement, a Chinese engine pulls the train after it crosses the border because a local train engineer knows the rails system and signals.
According to media images, Kim's special train carriages were usually pulled by DF11Z engines, Chinese-made engines with the China Railway Corporation emblem, and at least three serial numbers.
Ahn noticed that the serial numbers of the engines were either 0001 and 0002, indicating China provided him with engines reserved only for senior officials.
When Kim traveled across China in 2019 to his summit with U.S. president Donald Trump in Vietnam his train was drawn by a locomotive red and yellow emblazoned China's railway logo.
Ahn stated that the train could reach speeds of up to 80 km/h (50mph) in China, as opposed to a maximum speed of 45 km/h (28mph) for North Korea.
Who uses the trains?
Kim Il Sung's, Kim's, grandfather, was the North Korean founding leader. He travelled regularly abroad by train during his reign, until his death in 1995.
Kim Jong Il only used trains to travel to Russia three times. This included a 20,000 km journey to Moscow in 2001.
The carriage from his mausoleum is displayed in his train. He was reported to have died of a heart attack late 2011, while riding on one of the trains.
State propaganda has focused on the train as the main vehicle for the Kim family to travel long distances by train in order to meet North Koreans.
State television in 2022 showed Kim Jong Un on what they called an "exhaustive tour by train" of North Korea, inspecting corn crops and promoting a "communist paradise". (Reporting and editing by Frances Kerry, Edmund Klamann and Josh Smith)
(source: Reuters)