Latest News
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Storm Bert causes power blackouts, interferes with travel in UK and Ireland
Tens of thousands of homes, farms and services in Ireland suffered power failures due to Storm Bert on Saturday, while some railway and roadways were closed in Britain due to what forecasters called a. multihazard occasion. Yellow and amber weather condition cautions for wind, rain, snow and. ice were likewise in location for most of the United Kingdom, according. to a Met Workplace weather report. Pictures and videos on social networks showed snow covering. roadways in some parts of the UK, while floodwater could be seen. increasing towards the top of parked cars in the Donegal town of. Killybegs in neighbouring Ireland. As we go through the very first part of Saturday early morning, it. ( the storm) will start to show its hand throughout Scotland, north. Wales and northern England, with the potential for some heavy. snowfall, especially over greater ground, Met Workplace Chief. Meteorologist Jason Kelly said in the projection. Storm Bert is what we call a 'multi-hazard occasion', bringing. snow, rain and wind to the UK for most of the weekend. The Irish Meteorological Service placed a status red rain. alerting - its greatest level - for the populous counties of Cork. and Galway over night. The heavy rain caused flooding in parts of. the west coast of Ireland, making some roadways impassable. Some train services, such as the Inverness-Elgin and. Aberdeen-Inverurie routes - both popular with tourists in. Scotland - have been suspended due to the weather condition, ScotRail said. on social networks platform X. In Ireland, ESB Networks stated high winds due to the storm. had caused power outages influencing on 60,000 homes, farms and. businesses overnight, predominantly in the west and northwest of. the nation. ESB Networks crews and specialists are deployed and
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Australian cops arrest 3 at climate demonstration at coal port
Australian cops stated they apprehended three climate change activists on Saturday when protesters tried to interrupt the movement of vessels at the country's most significant coal port. Object organiser Rising Tide stated hundreds of activists remained in the harbour near the Port of Newcastle, as part of a. 50-hour blockade that began on Friday. New South Wales state cops said in a declaration that two. men and a lady were arrested after being removed from the water. at the Port of Newcastle on Saturday afternoon. Rising Tide stated in a declaration authorities made arrests after. protesters paddled on kayaks past cops lines. Climate change is a divisive issue in Australia, the world's. second-biggest exporter of thermal coal and the largest exporter. of coking coal. Newcastle, some 170 km (105 miles) north of Sydney, is the. largest bulk shipping port on Australia's east coast and the. nation's largest terminal for coal exports. A Port of Newcastle representative said there was no impact to. vessel movements due to the demonstration. A similar demonstration in. November last year disrupted port operations.
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Ukraine steps up air defence advancement in response to Russian rocket implementation, Zelenskiy states
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Friday that Ukraine was dealing with establishing brand-new types of air defence to counter brand-new threats following Russia's release of a new mediumrange rocket in the 33month war. Zelenskiy, in his nighttime video address, stated testing a brand-new weapon for purposes of terror in another country was an worldwide criminal activity and provided a brand-new call for a world-wide severe response to keep Russia from broadening the war. On my behalf, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine is currently holding meetings with our partners concerning brand-new air defence systems efficient in protecting lives from new dangers, Zelenskiy said. When somebody starts utilizing other countries not just for terror, however likewise for evaluating their brand-new missiles through acts of horror, then this is clearly a worldwide crime. He stated the world required to come up with a major reaction so that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will truly be afraid to expand the war and feels the real consequences of his actions. Zelenskiy gotten in touch with Ukrainians to be vigilant in the face of ongoing Russian attacks. There is no other way in war, he stated. We need to be mindful that 'associate' Putin will keep trying to intimidate us. That is how he developed all his power.
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In Mali, at least seven Russian mercenaries were killed
Site Intelligence Group said that at least seven mercenaries of the Wagner private military contractor group from Russia were killed in a central Mali attack, which was claimed by a group affiliated with al Qaeda North Africa. Wagner suffered heavy losses during a battle in July with mainly Tuareg rebels, and Islamists at the border of Mali with Algeria. This battle exposed the dangers that mercenaries who work for military juntas face in West Africa’s Sahel Region. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger struggle to contain powerful Islamic State and Al Qaeda offshoots that have occupied large swathes in the Sahel region over the last 12 years. SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity in the region said in a press release that al Qaeda affiliate JNIM had claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack. SITE reported that JNIM had killed seven Russian Wagner mercenaries, and also seized weapons. The video shown by showed the bodies of at minimum five white men dressed in army fatigues, lying around a vehicle after an attack. The authenticity of the video could not be verified. The photos shared by SITE Intelligence, purportedly taken from JNIM, showed dead soldiers with blood on their bodies and several boxes of ammunition and arms. No one could be reached to comment on the army of Mali. Two local administrators confirmed that the attack took place. A Malian army officer said he had seen seven bodies, including Russian fighters. One of them claimed that five Wagner fighters had been killed. According to a consultant who works on security in the area, the attack was carried by Katiba-Macina, an offshoot of JNIM. At least six Russians were killed. The consultant claimed that the Russians were Africa Corps soldiers, referring to the paramilitary Kremlin force which has replaced Wagner's forces in Africa during the last year. Mali previously stated that Russian forces in the country are not mercenaries, but rather trainers who help local troops with equipment purchased from Russia. Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo, Abdollah A. Ag. Mohamed, and Portia Crowe; Additional reporting in Cairo by Yomna ehab; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Bate F. Felix, Sofia Christensen, and Angus MacSwan
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US energy infrastructure firms to record record profits as AI power demand soars
Investors are betting on the long-term growth of energy-guzzling technologies like generative AI to fuel demand. They also hedge against the volatility in commodity markets. Alerian Midstream Energy Index (which tracks North American major pipeline and storage companies) is up 46% in this year, after reaching a record high last March. Comparatively, the S&P 500 index has gained nearly 25% during the same time period. Kinder Morgan, Targa Resources and Williams Co are on course for their best years in the last two decades. Kenny Zhu is a research analyst for Global X ETFs in New York, a provider of exchange traded funds. The fixed-fee structure of energy infrastructure firms shields them against the volatile oil and gas price fluctuations, while also benefiting from the surge in U.S. production. Experts say that small investors are also attracted by dividends and buybacks, which result from stable cash flow. Artificial intelligence's explosive growth and the data center's insatiable need to run these power-hungry apps has boosted the appeal of this segment. Rob Thummel is a senior portfolio manager with asset management company Tortoise. He said, "There is no artificial intelligence without the energy infrastructure. AI needs power 24 hours per day, 7 days per week." In the second half of this decade, pipeline demand will be further increased by several liquefied gas export projects. In the U.S. however, it is difficult to build new large-scale pipes due to regulatory obstacles. Existing infrastructure becomes even more valuable. If you already have pipelines, you are in a good position because they will become even more valuable with the continued growth of demand, said Zack Van Everen.
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Italy frets over fate of porn star jailed in Egypt
The arrest of an ItalianEgyptian pornographic star in Cairo is raising concern amongst officials in Italy, where feelings are still running high over the unsettled killing of trainee Giulio Regeni who was jailed and eliminated in Egypt eight years back. Elanain Sherif, 44, known by his phase name of Sheri Taliani, was gotten at Cairo airport on Nov. 9 and taken to prison with no official explanation, his legal representative stated on Friday, confirming reports in Italian papers. Online publication of porn is unlawful in Egypt, and Sherif's legal representative, Alessandro Russo, told Reuters this might have been the reason for the arrest, though he had gotten no notice from the Egyptian authorities. The Egyptian foreign ministry did not instantly react to a request for a remark. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated the government and Italy's embassy in Cairo were following the case with the utmost attention. Sherif was moved from a Cairo jail to another penitentiary near Alexandria a few days after his arrest and has not been become aware of because, the legal representative said, including that the last individual known to have seen him was his mother, the day after he was apprehended. Sherif was born in Egypt but resides in Italy and holds both Egyptian and Italian passports. Russo stated he was trying to contact an Egyptian attorney appointed by Sherif's mother, who had accompanied him to Egypt. From Italy we can only attempt to verify that Elanain Sherif is being treated well, the Egyptian lawyer will take care of the case there, he said. It's clear that we are believing with concern about the cases of Giulio Regeni and Patrick Zaki. Italy has actually charged 4 Egyptian security agents with kidnapping and eliminating Regeni, a postgraduate trainee at Britain's Cambridge University, in Cairo in 2016. Egyptian police detained him because they believed he was a. British spy, according to Italian district attorneys, while Egypt. blamed the killing on a group of gangsters after initially. recommending he had died in a roadway accident or in a sex attack. Zaki, an Egyptian researcher who had been studying in Italy,. was arrested during a journey home to Egypt in 2020. In 2015 he. gotten a pardon from the Egyptian president a day after he was. handed a three-year jail term on charges of spreading false. news.
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Czechs not aiming to extend waiver for Russian-based oil items
The Czech Republic is not wanting to extend an EU exemption permitting it to import diesel and other products made from Russian oil, its industry and trade ministry said on Friday, taking a position that might end such imports from neighbouring Slovakia. The European Union prohibited most oil imports from Russia after the nation's major invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary are utilizing an exemption to sanctions since of a lack of other supply. A waiver also permits the Czechs to import Russian oil-based improved products, which come generally from Slovnaft, a Slovakian unit of Hungarian oil and gas group MOL. But that ends on Dec. 5, and the Czechs are not seeking an extension, the ministry said. In the context of the present situation and steps that Czechia is requiring to protect independence from imports of oil from Russia, the Czech Republic does not see a reason why the exemption ought to be extended, the ministry informed Reuters. The Czech Republic has actually been upgrading a pipeline from Italy to Germany to transfer more oil that method and wean itself totally off Russian crude by the 2nd half of 2025. Slovakia, on the other hand, does not prepare to end Russian oil supply quickly. It is also seeking the derogation enabling item shipments to the Czech Republic be extended, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar has actually stated. The Slovak ministry on Friday declined to comment beyond what Blanar has actually previously stated. The Czech position does not dismiss an extension, as there might be additional talks amongst parties consisting of Poland, whose Orlen owns the Czech Republic's only 2 refineries, 2 Czech federal government sources stated. One source said one option might be an extension till June 2025, when the Czechs anticipate to end their own purchases of Russian crude. A unanimity of EU members is needed to extend the waiver. The 2 sources said the Czech Republic might replace any reduction in Slovnaft fuel products by rail from other sources. Slovnaft has also been raising its proportion of non-Russian crude. Its annual report stated it processed 0.82 million tonnes of non-Russian crude in 2023, 15% of the overall.
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Bomb team sent out to London's Gatwick Airport as terminal left
British authorities sent out a bomb disposal group to London's Gatwick Airport after a thought forbidden item was discovered in baggage, authorities said on Friday, following the earlier evacuation of a passenger terminal. Gatwick, Britain's second busiest airport which is located about 30 miles south of London, stated earlier it had actually left a. large part of its South terminal, mentioning a security event. The occurrence disrupted weekend itinerary for countless. passengers, with more than 600 flights due to land or remove. on Friday from Gatwick, totaling up to more than 121,000 guest. seats, according to information from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Sussex Police, the local force, said a security cordon would. stay in location while the matter is dealt with. Cops were contacted us to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport. at 8.20 am on Friday following the discovery of a thought. forbidden product in travel luggage, it said in a declaration. As a safety measure, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) group. is being deployed to the airport. Airport authorities said on X that passengers were being. stayed out of the structure while the incident was ongoing, while. cops stated there was significant traffic interruption in the area. and advised individuals to prevent it. In videos posted online, thousands of travelers can be seen. outside the terminal and the surrounding location. Emergency foil. blankets were distributed to some of the passengers to assist. shield themselves from the cold, social media photos revealed. In a separate incident previously on Friday, London police. carried out a regulated explosion near the U.S. embassy in. south London after discovering a suspect bundle. Police later. stated they believed it was a scam.
Lethal storms, twisters create chaos throughout central US
Storms sweeping across parts of the central United States left a path of destruction and death as forecasters alerted of more severe weather to impact several states over the Memorial Day vacation weekend.
At least 5 individuals, consisting of kids, were eliminated in northern Texas when an effective tornado struck a backwoods near the Oklahoma border on Saturday night, Ray Sappington, the constable of Cooke County, informed regional media.
The storm triggered major damage to homes and businesses in the location, and many injuries were reported, Cooke County authorities said. Emergency workers were combing through the debris on Sunday and looking for missing out on persons.
A twister likewise crossed into Denton County, northwest of Dallas, on Saturday night, damaging homes and other residential or commercial property, and knocking down power lines. Authorities said that a number of individuals with injuries were carried to location hospitals.
The variety of individuals hurt and the types of injuries are not known at this time as the event is still a working scene, authorities composed in a post on the Denton County Facebook page.
Hundreds of thousands of customers lacked power in states consisting of Arkansas, Missouri and Texas on Sunday, according to poweroutages.us.
In Arkansas, a minimum of one person died and multiple individuals were hurt in Benton County as a result of what officials called a violent weather condition occasion.
Storms caused prevalent damage and at least 2 deaths in parts of Oklahoma, where officials activated an Emergency situation Operations Center to coordinate efforts statewide.
After creating chaos throughout the main states, storms were moving east on Sunday and were anticipated to combine into a bigger complex of thunderstorms, threatening to let loose more serious weather across a big area including parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee.
The National Weather Service alerted of harmful winds, big hail and more twisters in the affected areas.
The latest bout of extreme weather condition came just days after a
powerful twister
ripped through a rural Iowa town, eliminating 4 individuals, and more tornados touched down in Texas recently.
On the other hand, the U.S. is preparing for what federal government forecasters have actually called a possibly
extraordinary
2024 Atlantic typhoon season starting June 1.
(source: Reuters)