Latest News
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Sweden inks French war ship order
Sweden's Defence Material Administration?signed an?order?for four Naval Group navy frigates?on Monday during a ceremony in Stockholm - attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristiersson. In May, Sweden announced that it had ordered the vessels in a $4-billion deal with?the French firm. This will?triple its air defence capability in the face of security threats on the Baltic Sea. Sweden, NATO's new?member, has been rushing to?upgrade its military in the wake of Russia?s invasion of Ukraine. The first of four new frigates - which will be the largest ships in the Swedish navy - is expected to be delivered by 2030. The deal comes at a moment when France and Sweden are deepening defence ties. They want to push for greater 'European military independence', as doubts about the commitment of U.S. President Donald Trump -to Europe- have prompted governments on the continent to reconsider their dependence on American weapons and security guarantees.
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School head: Last-minute flood warnings saved more than 900 Nepalese students
Last Wednesday, Headmaster Rajendra Dawadi, was at his school in Bidur, Nepal, when his accountant entered and shouted: "The flooding is coming!" The flood is coming, the flood is coming! Teachers at Tribhuvan Trishuli secondary school began to receive panicked calls from family and friends. A roaring wave mud water had already made its way upstream through the valley, flattening whole towns. The accountant received a phone call from a family member in Rasuwa. Rasuwa was the first to be hit, and had only 14 minutes to evacuate. This decision saved both students and teachers lives. The school was rebuilt in Nepal after the devastating 2015 earthquake, which killed 9,000 people. It is located on a peninsula, wedged between the Trishuli River and a Hydropower Canal. In an interview, Dawadi said that "we immediately said: stop the class and ring the bell." The school is no more and the former site of its location lies within the riverbed. A PANICKED Escape At the time of the initial warning, over?900 students were present on campus. Dawadi claimed that he had instructed buses carrying more students towards the school to move to safer grounds and began to evacuate the building. Dawadi reported that at least one fainted as chaos spread. Motorbikes were used by parents, teachers and students to collect their children. Some were transported to safety by bus, while others ran up higher or climbed to safety. The 60,000-person town was flooded by the time the final?bus had crossed the nearby bridge over the river, approximately 14 minutes later. Dawadi reported that the old bridge collapsed as "our bus crossed over the new bridge". Headmaster Dawadi, who was a student at this school before becoming its 'headmaster', now wants authorities to rebuild it in a secure location as quickly as possible. Only God can do this Many parents credit Headmaster Dawadi for saving their children. "He was a god. He gave my daughter, and many other children's lives. "Only God can do it," said Man Maya Tamang (50), who thought initially that she had lost Sushmita. Many others in Bidur were not warned until it was too late. Dawadi reported that at least one staff member?and mother of the school accountant are missing. The accountant was able to take his father uphill, but when he returned to get his mother the house had been swept away. Dawadi claimed that he managed to get his father up the hill, but his house was destroyed when he returned with his mother.
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Turkey has a Black Sea grain plan, and is in touch with Russia and Ukraine
Hakan Fidan, the Turkish Foreign Minister, said that the country has prepared a 'plan for the safe passage of grain through the Black Sea. It is in contact with both Russia and Ukraine about it. The Turkish government has expressed its willingness to revive an?agreement? brokered by the U.N. that allowed grain to be removed from Ukraine during wartime. "We are working on a plan and we're in touch with both sides about this plan," Fidan said at a press conference in Istanbul. "If necessary conditions are met, we will work to reach another agreement similar to that of the grain deal." The United Nations and Turkey helped to mediate the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was agreed on in July 2022. This initiative allowed the safe exportation of nearly?33 millions metric tons (about 66 million pounds) of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. In 2023, Russia withdrew its agreement after complaining about'serious obstacles' to?its own food and fertilizer?exports.
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Sources say that India's Fly91 is close to ordering 20 ATR turboprops.
Three sources with knowledge of the matter have confirmed that Fly91, an Indian regional airline, is on its way to ordering at least 20 turboprops from ATR in order to expand its fleet. The deal represents a significant wager on the Indian regional aviation market, where the government is trying to connect dozens of smaller towns through a "subsidised connectivity scheme", despite the fact that many routes have already been discontinued. Two sources said that the order could include options to purchase several additional aircraft. Two sources said that an announcement could come as soon as this week. ATR's spokesperson declined to comment. Fly91 did not respond immediately to a comment request. Sources spoke under condition of anonymity, as the negotiations were?confidential. The sources said that the deal was not finalised, and that the number of planes and timing of the announcement may change. ATR HAS DOMINATED THE TURBOPROP MARK This deal is a major boost for ATR. It dominates the turboprop market but relies on a small number of markets to place its orders. India and Indonesia are two of the most active markets for turboprops, which are economical for short domestic or island-hopping flights and prized for supporting regional development. Fly91 operates ATR 72 600s from Goa’s Manohar International Airport to a dozen or so destinations. The airline has said that it will induct 30 aircraft to connect over 50 cities within 5 years. Convergent Finance, a private equity firm, is backing the airline. India, which is the fastest-growing aviation industry in the world, announced earlier this year that it would invest $3 billion to expand air travel in underserved areas of the country. The scheme is called Ude Desh Ka?Aam nagrik or "let the average citizen fly." India will continue to subsidise routes that are otherwise unviable and develop 100 airports using existing airstrips.
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EU Aviation Safety Agency narrows Gulf Airspace Warning
The European Union's?Aviation Safety Agency extended Monday its warning for airlines to avoid airspace over the waters of the Persian Gulf in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, while reducing an earlier advisory which recommended avoiding all airspace within the four countries. The latest advisory comes just hours after U.S. and Iran resumed hostilities, the first since late July. EASA's newest advisory to the Persian Gulf nations stated that "while risks remain high over the waters of this region, operations necessary for arrivals or departures at aerodromes in the affected Flight Information Regions can be carried out with enough mitigation." The agency asked that operators exercise caution when flying over the land of these nations and to avoid operating in the Gulf of Oman within Oman's Muscat Flight Information Region. The agency has lifted its previous advice that airlines should avoid Jordanian airspace but still advised them to be cautious until 'September 30. EASA has also extended its recommendation that airlines do not operate in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon's airspace until the end of September. The agency said that flights landing or departing the Lebanese Capital Beirut were 'permitted' if they'start from the sea or end over the sea.
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Ground crews at Qantas Airways in Australia vote to strike over "rock-bottom" pay
Ground crew members at Australia's biggest airline, Qantas Airways voted on Monday for strike action due to pay and conditions. The 'Transport Workers Union' said that 97% of the 350 workers who voted supported a?industrial action?, including work stops?ranging from an hour to 24 hours. A strike date has not been announced. Before taking industrial action, the union must give at least three days' notice. Michael Kaine, national secretary of the union, said that although ground workers didn't want strike, after falsely being promised by this airline that they would be treated with respect, there was no other option. The union said that the workers' "pay, safety, and conditions" had fallen to the lowest levels. The strike threat follows Qantas long-haul flight pilots who voted for industrial action in early August before reaching a wage agreement with the airline. Qantas stated in a press release that it was "committed to reaching an agreement" with its employees that included annual pay increases. The details of the airline's proposal were not made clear. The Fair Work Commission said that the discussions with the Fair Work Commission were constructive, and that negotiations continue. We are focused on a deal that addresses the issues employees told us were most important, such as pay and full-time employment opportunities. Qantas said it has contingency plans in place to minimise any impact on its operations, if there is a strike. The subsidiary Qantas Ground Services employs its ground staff as casual or part-time workers. They do not work on mainline or international services. The Transport Workers Union stated that "QGS employees are calling for job stability, a fair wage rise after years in which wages were frozen, and to bring back the scattered work groups under a single Qantas banner instead of pitting them against each other." Qantas' ground staff and the Fair Work Commission of Australia are due to meet on September 18 for talks. Qantas reported A$2,06 billion ($1.47billion) in annual underlying profits before tax on Thursday, a fall of 14% attributed to an increase in fuel costs due to the Middle East conflict.
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Honda and Nissan aim to roll out joint vehicle software by fiscal 2029
Nissan and Honda, two Japanese automakers, announced 'on Monday that they will jointly develop electronic control units (ECUs), standardised for software defined vehicles (SDVs). This is a step forward in their collaboration on more advanced car technology. In a joint statement, the companies said they plan to integrate the ECUs developed jointly and the software into next-generation cars starting in the financial year 2029. Automakers are increasingly focusing on software as their vehicles adopt more autonomous driving and connected features. The cost of development is increasing as carmakers invest heavily in operating systems to support features such as driver assistance, entertainment and over-the-air upgrades. This move reflects the growing pressure of Chinese automakers, such as BYD. They have made significant gains in Europe and Southeast Asia by introducing electric and hybrid vehicles with sophisticated software. This agreement is the result of talks that began 2024 when Honda and Nissan announced they would?jointly research next-generation platforms. The agreement comes after more than a yr of abandoning?merger discussions that would have created a?fourth-largest automaker in the world. Honda and Nissan have stated that they are working to create common specifications for the core ECUs in their vehicles' electrical and electronic architecture. They also plan to standardize operating systems, middleware software and other parts. Nissan's alliance partner, Mitsubishi?Motors, said in a press release that it was considering joining the collaboration. It remained in discussion with both automakers about potential areas of cooperation.
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Rhine water levels rise after rain but shipping issues are not over
The Rhine river in Germany rose'sharply' after recent rains, according to the inland navigation agency of Germany. However, shipping problems remained despite ships being able to take on more cargo. Rhine water levels reached record lows in early August. Industry suffered higher transport costs, logistic bottlenecks, and curtailed production. WSV, the inland navigation agency, said that the navigable water gauge at the chokepoint near Koblenz measured 72 cm on Monday compared to 60 cm on Friday. The Rhine dropped 'below 10 cm' in mid-August. This was below the previous low recorded level of 25cm?in 2018. The river is approximately 1 metre deep?than its navigable depth. Ships continue to sail partially loaded, even though they can take on more cargo. For fully loaded sailings, a navigable water gauge at Kaub of approximately 1.5 metres is required. The cost of transporting freight on roads and rails has increased as a result of the need to spread out loads across multiple vessels. One commodity trader stated that "some rain is forecast this week, but any improvement will be dependent on how much actually falls." The WSV predicts that the river may fall later this week, but will remain?well below early-August levels. Germany and other European nations have experienced successive heatwaves this summer and limited 'rainfall. This has pushed the water levels down on important waterways such as the Rhine. The Rhine is a vital shipping path for grain, minerals and refined oil products.
Shipper: Danube queue to Ukrainian ports has grown to 80 vessels
A shipper reported on Monday that the queue of vessels waiting to enter?the?Danube to reach Ukraine's river ports?has increased to around 80 in the last five days. However, the number allowed to pass through the route has also been increasing.
Russian attacks on Ukraine have effectively blocked the main Black Sea ports that handled 90% of Ukraine's grain exports. Kyiv has been forced to divert cargo via Danube river -ports which have far less capacity.
Last week, shipping agencies reported an increasing backlog at Sulina Canal's entrance. This is the only Danube canal deep enough to allow vessels to travel to Ukraine's port of Reni or Izmail via the Black Sea.
The delays have been attributed to the shortage of pilots as well as to the necessity to prioritize certain cargoes including fuel shipments.
Traffic through the canal has improved. Last week, only five vessels per day entered the canal. This is expected to increase to at least seven on Monday.
Since this morning, seven vessels have been piloted. "We expect that around noon, more vessels will enter the canal after the pilots depart vessels heading out to sea", said KaterinaKononenko, from Avalon Shipping.
She added, "in theory, if 10 vessels can be moved into Sulina each day, then we will be able clear the queue, which is?about 80 ships."
Kononenko stated that it could take up to several weeks for the queue to be reduced to 10 vessels.
A rise in the inbound traffic may create bottlenecks at departures as more vessels are required to exit the canal for mandatory inspections.
More Shipments
Last week, officials at Ukrainian railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia stated that exports could increase via the Danube. However, operations are still?hampered' by frequent air raid alerts and vessel shortages.
According to a monitoring service, the Odesa region has experienced 300 air raid alerts in total since August began. These alerts lasted a total of 238 hours.
The alerts can prevent entire days from being spent without unloading a single grain truck.
Ukrzaliznytsia has said that it can transport up to 500,000 metric tonnes of grain per month to Izmail or Reni. Analyst data revealed that the volume of grain headed to Danube port increased by 35% in the past week.
(source: Reuters)