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Riyadh Air, a Saudi-backed airline, lands its maiden flight amid the Iran conflict
Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Air, a new airline in Saudi Arabia, launched its first London flight on Wednesday using its new Boeing fleet. CEO Tony Douglas played down the impact of Iran conflict saying that the startup would benefit if travellers avoided other parts of Gulf. As the aviation industry struggles to cope with the impact of war in the Middle East, and rising jet fuel prices, the state-backed carrier has launched its first service from London Heathrow using one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Douglas claimed that Riyadh Air’s smaller fleet offered some protection from the crisis. Douglas said, "I am glad that I don't have a fleet 200 aircraft because it is a different challenge." When asked about launching in conflict situations, Douglas replied, "It's a little bit different." Douglas stated that the company plans to deliver its aircraft to 22 cities before March 2027. Since the start of the war in late February, air strikes have caused airport closures, and travel disruptions for airlines across the Middle East. Meanwhile, carriers elsewhere are facing consumer concerns over increasing fares and jet-fuel shortages. Riyadh Air is currently not experiencing any direct disruption. Douglas stated that the absence of airport closings in Saudi Arabia's capital city has supported demand. Some travellers view Riyadh to be a more stable destination. He said that some people may have come to believe it is a safe exit-entry point. Douglas, who led Etihad between 2018 and 2022, said that early ticket sales are encouraging, but refused to provide figures. Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's second national airline after Saudia, will be launched in 2023. It is owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Douglas describes it as "the largest global aviation startup of modern history" with up to '72 787s, 60 A321neos, and 50 A350s ordered. The airline is a part of the plan for the oil-producing country to diversify their economy by focusing on new industries like tourism, logistics and technology. Douglas, when asked to comment on ticket sales, said that the majority of passengers are from Saudi Arabia. He added that Riyadh Air's cabins were designed to appeal to Saudi Arabia's many under-30s. Douglas stated that Riyadh Air aims to reach more than 100 destinations by 2030. Douglas said that Riyadh Air has so far announced routes to Cairo and Dubai. (Reporting and editing by Louise Heavens, Sarah Young)
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US Transport agency repeals civil rights regulation with 'disparate impacts'
The U.S. Transportation Department announced Wednesday that it will rescind a part of its civil rights regulations, which prohibits conduct that may have an unintentional "disparate impact". Donald Trump has ordered that federal agencies not enforce laws prohibiting policies and practices that have discriminatory effects that are often unintended. Sean Duffy, U.S. Transportation secretary, said that the department's regulations "prohibits only intentional discrimination and not conduct or activities which have a disparate effect", adding USDOT would not take action regarding disparate-impact liabilities. By limiting the so-called disparate-impact liability, which is commonly used in employment-related matters, the government can no longer use a tool that it has been using for years to police discrimination, including in housing, education and lending. FEDERAL DISCRIMINATION ACTS DATE BACK AS FAR AS THE CIVIL WAR The Justice Department stated on Tuesday that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's legal advice to prevent disparate impacts for protected groups of workers is wrong, because it only focuses?on results without regard for the employer's intention. Many federal laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, and other protected characteristics. Some date back to the decades following the Civil War. The courts had long considered discrimination an intentional act. However, this began to change with the 1964 adoption of the landmark Civil Rights Act. In a case from 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that neutral employment practices could violate Title 'VII' of the Civil Rights Act if they are disproportionately harmful to a protected group and not "demonstrably" related to performance. Some policies can have a disparate impact on women and people with disabilities. Others may require that new hires are recent graduates of college, excluding many older candidates. Trump and other critics have argued that disparate-impact liability is a legal theory that wrongly assumes discrimination when there are disparities between the outcomes of different groups. Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Chizu nomiyama and David Holmes
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FAA: red obstruction lights needed for Trump Arch in Washington
The U.S. agency said that the proposed '250-foot (76m) tall Independence Arch of President Donald Trump would require red safety lights, but it 'would not have any impact on safety at Reagan Washington National Airport. Federal Aviation Administration will conduct an aeronautical study next in coordination with National Park Service. According to the preliminary review, Washington's arch would require red obstruction lights. The arch would be 3,000 feet from Reagan National Airport and in the main departure and approach corridor. The FAA requires that buildings over 200 feet from airports have red blinking warning lights to alert?pilots during the night. This includes the nearby Washington Monument, which is 555 feet tall. Trump wants to build the Arch in Washington, across the Potomac River near the Arlington National Cemetery. The Arch is similar to the Arc de Triomphe, but it's much bigger. It is estimated that the height of the arch with Lady Liberty and eagles on top will be 250 feet. This is higher than Lincoln Memorial, and not too far from the size of U.S. Capitol which can be seen in Washington. The Arc de Triomphe is 164 feet tall in Paris. The National Capital Planning Commission approved the project on 4 June, while asking for more information about the impact of the structure on flight paths. A lawsuit was filed to stop the project. The suit claims that allowing construction to continue would cause irreversible damage?to an historic landscape protected in the heart the capital. The lawsuit argues that Congress must approve any "major" new structure in District of Columbia on land administered by the federal government. The?Justice Department argues that Congress approved large structures on the planned site decades earlier and delegated the authority to the National Park Service for their design.
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Italy reduces its reliance on imported jet fuel amid disruptions caused by the Iran war
Senior officials from the fuel producers and airport operators in Italy said that the refineries had increased jet fuel production this year to reduce the risk of a shortage for the airline industry due to the 'Iran War. The Strait of Hormuz closure has caused global jet fuel supplies to be disrupted, which has led to higher prices and forced suppliers of cargoes to reroute their shipments. According to the head of fuel producers' union UNEM, Italy imported 50% of its?5million tons of jet fuel annually. By 2026, it will increase domestic production to 70% to meet demand. UNEM President Gianni murano stated that "in addition to its national production, Italy imports significant quantities of?jet-fuel from the United States" and Turkey. This practice has been continued. Murano stated that the increase in Italian jet-fuel production was due to higher prices. He added that the 'Iran war' had changed the pricing structure of oil products and made jet fuel more costly than gasoline or diesel. Iran's blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which was a transit route for around 400,000 barrels of jet fuel per day, drove European prices to a record high of $200 a barrel in April. Carlo Borgomeo said that the rerouting some jet fuel imports helped the airline industry manage the disruptions caused by conflict. Borgomeo stated that Italy will not face any shortages of jet fuel for the rest of the year. Francesca Landini reported, Giulia Segrit and Keith Weir edited.
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German airshow opens in shadow of Iran War, fighter project collapse
The ILA airshow in Germany opened on Wednesday, under the shadow of the?Iran war and the failure of a flagship Franco German fighter?jet program this week. Berlin's event, which dates from 1909, showcases a large part of Europe's defense industry as companies present new technologies to governments and military purchasers. The article also highlights European manufacturers' efforts to close the gap between them and their U.S. competitors, as well as persuading governments to support them at a time when the region is ramping up its defence spending. The build-up was dominated, however, by the cancellation of the Franco-German Future Combat Air System. This project had been hailed as Europe's "most ambitious" defence project for years but was ultimately ruined by rivalry between industries. The failure of the FCAS has highlighted Europe's difficulty in building military capability at scale. The decision comes at a time when Western officials are warning of an increasing threat from Russia, and the U.S. is pressing Europe to rearm more quickly. RESHAPING ALLIANCES Three people familiar with the situation said that Airbus, who represented Germany and Spain at FCAS, is increasingly looking towards Sweden's Saab to be a preferred partner as companies jockey to reshape their industrial alliances. The?Iran War has increased the feeling of unease by exposing tensions in transatlantic relations and raising questions about NATO’s future. It also affects airlines, as more flights are being cancelled and fuel prices have risen. The show will be addressed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday. He has publicly questioned if a manned fighter jet of the sixth generation still makes sense for Germany’s air force. Ottmar Pfaender, MTU Aero Engines' Head of Programs, said that decisions about how to proceed must be made in the next few weeks. He added that the engine manufacturer was open to working together with other companies. Stephanie Lingemann is a senior executive with the defence startup Helsing. She said that technologies like software-driven defense systems and autonomy in war could be incorporated into what follows FCAS. She said, "There is always a chance with these kinds of endings." Walking to the Venue A380 jets from the Gulf carrier will be on display at the air show, giving Emirates President Tim Clark the opportunity to lobby the German government in favor of landing rights in Berlin. Protesters?blocked the roads leading to the venue, chanting slogans such as "Free Palestine". Witnesses reported that dozens of police officers were on the scene, and that buses couldn't reach the site, forcing hundreds?of people to walk into the venue. Some complained about the disruption. From June 10 to 14?the ILA will be hosting more than 750 exhibitor from 37 different countries. In conjunction with the opening of the new facility, Germany's Cabinet approved a 15-year strategy for aviation aimed at cutting expenses and increasing research in order to combat rising costs and increase foreign competition. (Additional reporting by Maria Rugamer. Matthias Williams is the author. (Editing by Thomas Seythal, Mark Potter and Mark Potter).
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There are some flights to the Middle East that have resumed but there is still disruption.
Middle East airlines are slowly resuming some flights as they rebuild their schedules following the war's disruption. However, the conflict is still disrupting wider traffic flows. Middle-East airlines have increased capacity following the severe disruption caused by the Iran War, but many carriers outside of the Gulf are still diverting Europe to Asia flights. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically: AEGEAN AIRLINES Greece's biggest carrier has cancelled flights from Thessaloniki, Greece to Tel Aviv. Flights to Dubai have been cancelled until August 31 and flights to Erbil?and?Baghdad?until July 2. AIRBALTIC AirBaltic, a Latvian airline, has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv and Dubai until the 28th of June. AIR CANADA Canadian Airlines has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv, Dubai and Abu Dhabi until October 24. AIR EUROPA Spanish Airlines has canceled flights to Tel Aviv from June 28 until now. AIR FRANCE-KLM Air France suspends Tel Aviv flights through June 21 and Beirut and Dubai flights through June 24. KLM has suspended flights from Dubai to Riyadh until August 2, and until July 26 to Dammam and Riyadh. CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong Airlines has suspended its flights to Dubai and Riyadh till?August 31, 2008. The U.S. carrier suspended service for the Atlanta-Tel Aviv routes through December 18, 2018. The airline plans to resume New York JFK-Tel Aviv flights starting September 6. Meanwhile, the launch of its Boston-Tel Aviv flight, scheduled for late October, was delayed. FINNAIR It has cancelled all Doha flights up to October 2 and continues to avoid the airspace over Iraq, Iran Syria, and Israel. The airline will resume its Dubai flights in October, which are only operated during the winter. British Airways, owned by IAG, delayed the return of its flights from Doha to Riyadh to August 8 and until August 1. Flights from Amman, Tel Aviv and Dubai will be paused for the rest of the summer and resumed on October 25. The airline plans to reduce flights to Dubai, Doha, Riyadh, Tel Aviv and Amman to just one flight per day when they resume. Jeddah will be dropped as a destination. JAPAN AIRLINES Japan Airlines has suspended its scheduled Tokyo-Doha and Doha-Tokyo flight until July 31, and until August 1. Polish Airlines has cancelled all flights to Riyadh and Beirut until 30 June. LOT will begin operating its winter route from Dubai in October. LUFTHANSA GROUP Lufthansa has announced that it will resume Tel Aviv flights as soon as July 1, whereas ITA Airways confirmed they would begin on July 1. SWISS delayed the return of flights to August, while Brussels Airlines suspended its operations until October 24. The suspension of Dubai flights by Lufthansa SWISS and ITA Airways continues until September 13th. Lufthansa and SWISS have suspended flights until October 24 to Abu Dhabi, Amman Beirut, Dammam Riyadh Erbil Muscat and Tehran. Eurowings, a low-cost carrier, has suspended its flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut until July 9, Erbil and Dubai until June 22, and Abu Dhabi and Amman until October 24. ITA Airways also extended its suspension of flights to Riyadh through June 30. MALAYSIA AIRLINES From July 2, the Malaysian carrier will resume limited services to Doha. NORWEGIAN AIR The low-cost carrier has delayed the launch of its Tel Aviv, Beirut and other services indefinitely. No new dates have been set. QANTAS Australia's flag-carrier has added flights to Rome, Paris and London to meet the increased demand for European routes. The number of flights to Paris will rise from three to five weekly return flights, and the Perth to Singapore service will go from daily to 10 per week. A new schedule will be implemented gradually for flights starting in mid-April. It will run through late July. ROYAL MAROC Moroccan airline announced that flights to Doha have been cancelled until 30 June. SINGAPORE Airlines In response to a 'higher demand,' the carrier has extended the Singapore-Dubai flight suspension until August 2. It also added services for Singapore-London Gatwick (late March) and Singapore-Melbourne (October 24). TURKISH AIRLINES SunExpress, Turkish Airlines’ joint venture with Lufthansa has cancelled flights from Dubai to Bahrain, Beirut, and Erbil up until July 14. WIZZ AIR Low-cost airlines have suspended flights from Europe to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman until mid-September. (Compiled by Josephine Mason and Jamie Freed. Elviira Lioma, Tiago Branao, Agnieszka Olesska, Bernadette HOG, Alexander Klyve Gudbrandsen, Romolo TOSIANI, Boleslaw LaSocki). Matt Scuffham and Alexander Smith edited by Milla Nissi -Prussak. Jonathan Ananda, Joe Bavier, and Joe Bavier.
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Think tank: Ukraine will experience summer power shortages following Russian attacks
The DiXi Group, a think tank, predicts that Ukraine's energy system, which has been under constant Russian assault, will face power shortages in the summer months, and consumers may be affected by outages, despite the strong output of solar power plants and the imports. Russia has been attacking Ukraine's energy generation and transmission system throughout the war. This has caused severe damage to thermal power plants, forcing Kyiv to import more and to resort to massive power cuts for consumers. DiXi stated in a press release that, under moderate temperatures and with no further damage done to the energy grid, the power shortage could reach 0.7 gigawatts during peak consumption. However, it could rise to 2.4 gigawatts if temperatures are significantly higher. The situation will be further complicated by the annual maintenance of nuclear power units, which are crucial to the energy system. It stated that "as the average daily temperature rises, hourly power cut will be 'unavoidable. A shortage could even occur at night when demand is?lowest", it said. If the system is damaged by high temperatures and further damages, the shortfall could reach 6.2?GW compared to 15.8 GW of demand, or about 40%. Blackouts in Kyiv, the capital, lasted up to 14-16 hours during the winter of 2025-2026 when Russian missiles damaged more than half of Ukraine's capacity for power generation. (Reporting and editing by Jan Harvey; Pavel Polityuk)
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Taliban: Pakistani air strikes in Afghanistan kill at least 13, Taliban claims
The Afghan Taliban government reported that Pakistani air strikes on Wednesday killed at least thirteen people, including 11 children. This is a resurgence of the conflict which has claimed hundreds of lives in this year. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mojahid stated that at least?14 other people - including children and women – were injured by strikes that violated Afghanistan’s airspace, and bombed homes of civilians in the provinces Kunar, Khost, and Paktika. The Pakistani government said that the "calibrated attacks" along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier killed 26 militants. They were in response to recent attacks on the country's northwestern region. Attaullah tarar, Pakistan's Information Minister, said that based on reliable intelligence, the targeted camps and hideouts were carried out with "precision and accuracy". Four targets, including a training center, a hideout, and an ammunition stash, were destroyed. Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring militants who it claims plot attacks against Pakistan. According to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, militant attacks in Pakistan 'have risen by fourfold since the year 2022. This was the year 'after the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan. The Taliban denied these allegations, and claimed that militancy is a problem within Pakistan. 'WE'LL TAKE REVENGE!' A renewed violence between former allies could disrupt a long-lasting truce between Islamabad, Afghanistan and their most intense battle for years that took place in February. In March, the two countries started a dialogue to reduce tensions. China was tasked with mediating a solution to the conflict. Fighting has ceased since then but there have been sporadic clashes along the 2,600 km (1,600 mile) border. Haji Ali Khan is a tribal elder in Khost. He said that one of the airstrikes killed 10 people in a village, including women and kids, after midnight. The family whose home was bombed is a local villager. "They have no connection to the TTP nor do they know them," said he, referring the Pakistani Taliban. "People want the authorities to provide security in this area, or, if that is not possible, they should allow people to defend themselves.... Either we all sacrifice ourselves or we take revenge on our own." Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar and Hritam Mukherjee, Saad Sayeed, and Himani Sarkar; editing by Himani Sarkar and Lincoln Feast.
China summons giants of state-owned construction companies over safety violations
China's National Safety Regulators summoned China Communications Construction Company, and Power Construction Corporation of China on Wednesday for what they alleged were safety failures related to two major accidents.
The emergency management ministry said that negligence, falsifications and illegal subcontracting as well as cutting corners, and failures in safety management at two companies and their subsidiaries led to a road collapse in May 2024 in southern China, which killed 52 people, and a partial collapse in November 2025 of a newly built?bridge in southwest China.
The statement said that "the same types of accidents hazards were found repeatedly during inspections but violated repeatedly... the lessons learned are painful."
It was not possible to reach the companies for comment after regular office hours.
According to a statement, regulators from the State Council, Emergency Management Ministry, Transportation?Ministry, Housing Ministry?and State-owned Asset Administrator?have said that companies must take "concrete" and forceful measures in order to "resolutely avoid and curb the occurrences of'major and extraordinarily severe disaster accidents.
(source: Reuters)