Latest News
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Sources claim that Iran has planted about 12 mines along the Strait of Hormuz.
Two sources with knowledge of the matter have confirmed that Iran has placed about 12 mines along the Strait of Hormuz. This move is likely to impede the reopening of the narrow waterway, which is an important route for the shipping of oil and LNG. The war that was launched by the United States and Israel 12 days ago has effectively halted the exports of LNG and oil through the strategic chokepoint on the coast of Iran, which is helping to push up the world's energy prices. Iran's military leadership said on Wednesday that the world must be ready for oil to reach $200 per barrel. Sources said that the U.S. knew the location of many of the mines but refused to reveal how they planned to deal with them. CNN reported on the mining of the Strait for the first time Tuesday. Iran has threatened for years to mine the Strait in retaliation against any military attack. The strait is normally the route of a fifth or more of all global oil and LNG. Tehran has enormous influence over the U.S. The U.S. Military says that it has 'targeted a 'Iranian vessel that was laying mines, destroying 16 of them Tuesday. The U.S. Navy, however, has?refused to provide a protective escort to?commercial vessels through the strait. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, demanded on Tuesday that Iran remove any mines in the Strait of Hormuz and warned that it could face military consequences. He did not specify what those would be. (Reporting and editing by Jonathan Landay, Erin Banco and Timothy Heritage).
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Used electric vehicles are becoming more affordable, attracting US buyers.
The steep depreciation of used electric cars and their improved reliability is attracting more Americans. As federal incentives for new EVs fade, the pre-owned vehicle market has become a 'key entry point' for those who cannot afford to buy a new EV. The rapid advancements in battery technology, range, and software, along with falling resale values, have pushed'many used EVs to a price that is comparable to 'comparable gasoline cars. Meanwhile, over-the-air upgrades and a growing 'charging -network? are easing concerns about ownership. Rollbacks of incentives, which once fueled EV purchase, combined with increased vehicle prices are also helping them to gain a bigger slice of the approximately $800 billion U.S. used car market. Cox Automotive reports that used EV sales reached 31,503 vehicles in January. This is up 21% compared to a year ago. According to CarEdge, the total number of used EVs sold in 2025 will be 378.140, which is about 35% more than last year. Electric cars, like luxury gasoline vehicles depreciate rapidly as newer models are able to outperform vehicles that are only a few years old. A Carvana spokesperson stated that "we're seeing used EV price normalize, opening up the category to a wider set of buyers." This has helped to narrow the price difference between gasoline and electric vehicles on the used market. According to Cox Automotive, a research firm in the automotive industry, the premium for used EVs compared with comparable gasoline vehicles dropped from $2,591 per vehicle in December to $1,376 last month. Wess Dunn is the senior vice president of CarMax. He said that used EVs are a good entry point for those who want to buy an electric vehicle but may not yet be ready to purchase a new one. Analysts expect that the used EV market will continue to grow as more vehicles are returned from leases and trade-ins rise, boosting inventories and offering buyers a wide range of options at lower prices. Analysts say that EVs make up nearly half of the ten most popular leased vehicles in the market. Sam Fiorani is vice president of global vehicle forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions. He said that leasing protects drivers from steep depreciation, which can be experienced by EVs, as battery technology continues to improve. Newer models are more capable than those just a few short years old. Tesla dominates used EVs, with Model 3 and Model Y being the most popular and widely available vehicles. In recent years, the company's price reductions on new models and Hertz's massive sales of Teslas have boosted a supply of 'affordable' used EVs. This has made them more accessible to consumers. As technology has improved and charging networks expanded, concerns about battery durability and charging accessibility, which once slowed EV uptake, have diminished. Fiorani added that the battery 'packs' of modern EVs are likely to last the lifetime of the vehicle. Fiorani compared the degradation in performance over time with the aging gasoline cars. Days of supply (a measure of the time a vehicle sits on a dealer's lot) was lower for used electric cars than gas-powered vehicles over the last 10 months. Buyers are also attracted by EVs' 'fewer mileage' and 'bare minimum service', which makes them a practical option for everyday driving. Justin Fischer, CarEdge analyst, said that most EV drivers don't do much more than check their tires and top up the windshield washer fluid. They also avoid routine maintenance like oil changes and engine repair.
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US Safety Board to Hold Hearing on Two Fatal Ford Crashes
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hold an?hearing on March 31 to determine the probable causes of two fatal accidents involving Ford Motors'?hands free advanced driver assistance?system BlueCruise. In both crashes, 2024, Ford Mustang Mach-Es of the 2022 model year were operating in partial automation mode. The Ford SUVs hit stationary vehicles in San Antonio and Philadelphia at highway speeds. The crashes raise serious concerns about the limitations of the current system. The NTSB will vote on "safety suggestions designed to prevent future crashes." Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Traffic Safety Board have been investigating BlueCruise since 2025 to answer questions about system limitations and evaluate drivers' abilities to respond. BlueCruise, an advanced hands-free system, operates on 97% of U.S. highways and Canadian highways without intersections or traffic lights. NHTSA upgraded its investigation to an engineering review in January 2025. Ford says BlueCruise has been used in 17 countries, covering more than 500,000,000 miles of highway travel. In 2025, Ford said that 2,5 million vehicles would be equipped with BlueCruise. Ford stated that BlueCruise was a convenience feature developed in accordance with the industry standards for partial autonomous driving. We've made thoughtful, deliberate choices during product development and marketing to ensure safety and clarity of use. In the San Antonio 'crash', a Ford truck on Interstate 10 hit a 1999 Honda CR-V that was stationary, killing the Honda CR-V driver. And in the Philadelphia crash a Ford truck on Interstate 95 struck a pair of stationary cars, causing them collide with a Toyota Corolla, and both the Prius & Elantra drivers were killed. In both crashes, the NTSB stated that "no driver or system-initiated steering or braking was recorded in?moments prior to impact." In recent years, the NTSB opened several investigations into advanced driver assistance systems such as Tesla's Autopilot. Tesla, the electric car manufacturer, agreed in December 2023 to recall 2,000,000 vehicles and install new safety measures for its Autopilot driver-assistance system.
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Lufthansa will operate the majority of flights planned during the pilot strike
Lufthansa, Germany's national airline, will operate more than half its scheduled flights during a planned strike by pilots this week. The sector is currently facing one of the 'deepest crises' since the pandemic. The VC union called for walkouts of Lufthansa cargo and passenger flights on German airports from Thursday to Friday. This was done in response to a dispute over pensions with Lufthansa. The VC union will exclude?flights from selected Middle East countries due to the current?situation. The Iran War has created chaos in the aviation industry, with many airlines being forced to cancel flights or use alternate routes. Lufthansa does not operate flights to Tel Aviv or Dubai, or Abu Dhabi. The flag carrier stated that?more then 50% of the flights will be available. This includes 60% of long-haul flights and 80% for cargo flights. Francesco Sciortino said that the airline's Frankfurt hub director, Francesco Sciortino stated in a press release, "It is our top priority to ensure as many passengers reach their destination despite the call for a strike." The company said that the Lufthansa City Airlines will be operating 'all scheduled flights on Thursday and Friday. Lufthansa described the action as 'incomprehensible', particularly given the new geopolitical level of uncertainty. The union has stated that it expects 300 cancellations a day. (Reporting and editing by Mark Potter, Thomas Seythal and Matthias Williams)
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US resumes Global Entry Program amid Industry Pressure
The Trump administration reinstated on Wednesday the 'Global Entry program, which expedites U.S. Customs and Immigration clearance for pre-approved low-risk travellers entering the United States. On February 22, the Department of Homeland Security suspended the program, but retracted its original plan to suspend the Transportation Security Administration PreCheck program. The DHS stated that the action was needed to "preserve funds and personnel limited" during a partial government shut down. The DHS announced that Global Entry was reactivated at 5 am ET. The government stated that it was working to reduce the inconvenience caused to travelers by the Democrats' shutdown, but didn't explain why the fee-funded programs were being reinstated. During the 43-day shutdown of the federal government last fall, neither TSA PreCheck nor Global Entry were suspended. Many saw the suspension of Global Entry as a tactic used to get Democrats to agree to funding the DHS. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat Senator, stated that in 2025 more than 18,000,000 travelers would use Global Entry, saving 300,000 hours of officer time at 79?ports d'entry. He claimed that the DHS was "inflicting suffering on American travelers for political reasons." Democrats are ready to resume funding the TSA, but they want immigration reforms. The Trump administration was pressed by airlines and travel groups to restart the Global Entry program. Travelers entering the United States have had to wait in lines that were three hours long or longer at some airports due to the suspension of the Global Entry Program. TSA staff absences in recent days also contributed to long security lines at some U.S. Airports. Around 50,000 TSA airport security officers work without pay, and will not receive any wages on Friday in their two-week regular paycheck. David Shepardson, Andrew Heavens and Pooja Deai edited the report.
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As the Middle East conflict escalates, airlines cancel more flights
The global air travel industry is still severely affected by the Iran war, which forced the closures of major Middle Eastern hubs such as?Dubai and Doha, leaving tens thousands of passengers stranded. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically. AEGEAN AIRLINES The largest airline in Greece has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Baghdad. Dubai flights are cancelled until the 28th of March and Riyadh flights until March 14th. AIR BALTIC AirBaltic, a Latvian airline, said that all flights from and to Tel Aviv have been cancelled until March 28. AirBaltic has cancelled all flights from and to Dubai until March 16. AIR CANADA The Canadian carrier has cancelled all flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai and all flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv, until May 2. AIR EUROPA All flights from Spain to Tel Aviv have been cancelled until March 20. AIR FRANCE KLM Air France has canceled flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut and Dubai until March 15, and to Riyadh and Dubai until March 14. KLM has suspended flights from Riyadh to Dammam until March 12 and Dubai flights until March 28. Flights to Tel Aviv have been suspended for the rest of winter. CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong Airlines has announced that it will cancel all flights from and to Dubai, and Riyadh up until the 31st of March. The U.S. airline has cancelled flights between?New York and Tel Aviv from March 22 to March 23, as well as Tel Aviv-New York from March 22 to 23. EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES El?AL regular flights and Sundor scheduled flights have been cancelled until March 14th. EMIRATES The UAE airline announced that it would be operating a reduced flight schedule. ETIHAD AERWAYS The UAE carrier announced that it has resumed limited commercial flights between Abu Dhabi, and a few key destinations. FINNAIR The Finnish airline has cancelled Doha flights and Dubai flights up until March 29, and will avoid the airspace of Iraq, Iran Syria and Israel. The airline will still send a flight to Muscat to take customers back home on March 10. British Airways, owned by IAG, has cancelled all flights from Abu?Dhabi to Amman and Bahrain until the end of this year, and to Doha, Dubai, Tel Aviv and Doha until the end of this month. BA will also fly BA customers out of Muscat between March 9-12. Iberia Express, IAG's low cost airline, has cancelled all flights between Tel Aviv and Tel Aviv until March 10. ITA AIRWAYS ITA Airways has extended the cancellations of flights to Dubai until March 15 and suspended flights from Tel Aviv until 2 April. JAPAN AIRLINES Japan Airlines has suspended all flights between Tokyo and Doha scheduled to run from 28 February until 21 March, as well as Doha-Tokyo flights up to 22 March. All flights between Tel Aviv, Dubai and Riyadh have been cancelled by the Polish airline until 28 March. LOT has also cancelled flights from Riyadh to March 16, and from?Beirut to April 30, LUFTHANSA GROUP Flights to Tel Aviv were suspended through April 2, and flights to Beirut until March 28. Flights from Tehran to Amman were suspended until April 30, and flights to Erbil, Dammam and Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Amman and Erbil to March 15. MALAYSIA AIRLINES Malaysian Airlines suspended all flights from Doha to March 13. The airline resumed its normal flights to and from Jeddah?and Madinah on March 8. NORWEGIAN AIR The airline plans to begin flying to Tel Aviv from June 15 instead of April 1, and to Beirut on April 4, as previously planned. PEGASUS Pegasus Airlines has cancelled all Iran flights and Riyadh flight until the end of March. Flights to Iraq, Amman Beirut Kuwait Bahrain Doha Dammam Dubai Abu Dhabi Sharjah and Amman are cancelled until 23 March. QATAR AIRWAYS The airline operates a limited flight schedule between Doha and other destinations. It plans to start operating some flights on March 9 following a temporary authorization from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority. SAUDIA AIRLINES Saudia suspended Amman, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi flights until 10 March and?Moscow flights and Peshawar flights till 15 March. The airline has also started operating with a limited schedule in Dubai. TURKISH AIRLINES Turkish Transport Minister said that Turkish Airlines has removed Iran flights from its program until March 12. The Turkish transport minister said that Turkish Airlines had cancelled all flights to Iraq and Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, until March 13. WIZZ AIR The low-cost carrier suspended flights from Europe to Israel and other destinations in the Middle East until September. (Compiled by Josephine Mason and Jamie Freed; edited by Matt Scuffham, Milla Nissi, and Romolo tosiani)
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Shell declares force majeure for clients who purchase Qatari LNG. Sources say
Three sources said that Shell, the largest LNG trader in the world, declared force majeure for all LNG cargoes purchased from QatarEnergy, and sold to clients around the globe. Qatar, the second largest LNG exporter in the world, declared force majeure last week on LNG shipments and announced a halt to production at its 77-million-ton per annum (mtpa). Shell refused to comment. Two sources confirmed that other Qatari LNG buyers including TotalEnergies, some Asian companies and others have received force majeure notifications from Qatar. These notices state that they will not sell Qatari LNG to their customers as long as the facilities are closed. Sources close to TotalEnergies have said that the French oil and gas giant has not declared force majeure. This is a term used to describe circumstances beyond a company's ability to control, like a natural catastrophe, which releases them from contractual obligations without penalty. Shell and TotalEnergies are partners with QatarEnergy in their massive North Field expansion, which is aimed at increasing capacity by 2027. Analysts estimate that Shell takes 6,8 mtpa Qatari LNG while TotalEnergies only takes 5.2?mtpa. Qatari Energy Minister Saad Al-Kaabi said to the Financial Times that even if war ended today, it would still take "weeks or months" for normal deliveries to resume. QatarEnergy declared a force majeure for LNG shipments Wednesday. Last week, sources told us that the force majeure notifications sent to clients stated that LNG deliveries for March would not be affected. The impact will only be felt in April. (Reporting and editing by Nina Chestney, Alexander Smith, America Hernandez. Additional reporting by Marwa Rashed.
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Spain withdraws its ambassador permanently as the rift with Israel grows
Spain permanently 'withdrew' its ambassador from Israel on tuesday, as a diplomatic standoff between the two countries grew worse over Spain's stance on the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. The ambassador was summoned to Spain in September last year amid a diplomatic dispute over Spanish measures that banned aircraft and ships from Spain's ports or airspace carrying weapons to Israel due to Israel's military offensive in Gaza. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called the Spanish measure antisemitic. Spain announced in its official journal on Tuesday that the ambassador's post had been "terminated". Spain's foreign ministry?said that its embassy in Tel Aviv would be headed by a charge-d'affaires at least for the near future. The move is the latest in a series of escalations in the diplomatic relations between Israel and the United States, which have been strained ever since Israel's assault on Gaza Strip in October 2023. Israel's embassy is also run by a charge-d'affaires. The country summoned their ambassador in May last year to protest Spain's decision to recognise a Palestinian State. Since the U.S. and Israel?strikes against Iran, tensions have increased. Sa'ar accused Spain of "standing with dictators" in early March for opposing this war. (Reporting and editing by Emma Pinedo, Victoria Waldersee and William Maclean).
How many ships were attacked in the Gulf after the start of Iran War?
The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran has disrupted the global trade through Strait of Kormuz - where roughly a quarter of the world's crude oil and liquefied gas passes.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that any vessel passing through the narrow Strait would be?targeted. The following is a list?of reported attacks since the?war started on February 28:
MARK 1
V.Ships, the manager of V.Ships, confirmed that a crew member died on the Marshall Islands flagged crude tanker MKD VYOM when it was struck by a projectile while the vessel was sailing off the Omani coastline, 50 nautical mile north of Muscat.
A projectile struck the oil bunkering tanker Hercules Star of Gibraltar, which supplies fuel for ships. It was located 17 nautical miles north-west of Mina Saqr, in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. UKMTO reported that the fire started by the attack has been extinguished.
Two nautical miles north of Kumzar, Oman, a tanker with a Palau flag was attacked. Oman's maritime centre reported that the crew of a U.S. sanctioned Skylight tanker was evacuated.
MARCH 2, 2019
UKMTO reported that the U.S. flagged products tanker, Stena Imperative, was struck by two projectiles while in Bahrain's port, resulting in an explosion and evacuation of the crew.
MARCH 3, 2019
UKMTO reported that the Marshall Islands crude oil tanker Libra Trader?and Panama flagged bulker Gold Oak both suffered minor damages about 7-10 nautical mile off the UAE port of Fujairah.
MARK 4
A projectile damaged the container ship Safeen Prestige, which was sailing towards the top part of the Strait two nautical miles north from Oman. According to shipping sources, the attack caused an engine room fire and forced its crew to abandon ship.
MARCH 5, 2019
Sonangol Marine Services, the U.S. representative of Sonangol Marine Services, reported that a blast occurred near Iraq's Khor al Zubair Port while Sonangol Namibe anchored.
According to two Iraqi port security officials, an Iranian remote-controlled vessel laden with explosives has been used to damage and target the Bahamas-flagged boat.
UKMTO reported that on MARCH 6, a tugboat, operating with the vessel Safeen Prestige which was hit on March 4, was hit by projectiles while performing operations in the Strait of Hormuz six nautical miles north of Oman.
7th MARCH
UKMTO, citing an unnamed 'third party', reported that a drone attack was possible 10 nautical miles north-northeast of Saudi Arabia’s Jubail. The majority of the crew were evacuated, it said.
A projectile struck the bulk carrier Mayuree Naree, flying under Thailand's flag in the Strait 11 nautical miles north of Oman. A fire broke out on board and prompted the crew to evacuate, the vessel's owner Bangkok-headquartered Precious Shipping said in a statement.
The container ship One Majesty, flying the flag of Japan, sustained minor damages after being?hit by an object 25 nautical miles north-west of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. Vanguard, a maritime risk management firm, reported that the hull of Star Gwyneth - a bulk carrier flying the flag of Marshall Islands - was damaged by a projectile which struck it 50 nautical miles north of Dubai. UKMTO reported that there was no environmental impact and the crew were safe. (Compiled by Nayera Abudallah, edited by Emelia Sithole Matarise).
(source: Reuters)