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Russia reopens Krasnodar Airport in its southern region for the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine
The Russian authorities announced on Thursday that they had reopened Krasnodar's main airport, which is one of the biggest cities in southern Russia. Flights were suspended in 2022 for security reasons after the beginning of the Ukraine war. The transport ministry stated that it had solved outstanding security issues. It said the reopening would help local businesses and residents, and provide access to resorts on the Black Sea and Azov Sea coastline. Rosaviatsiya (the aviation watchdog) said that Krasnodar Airport, which had been completely overhauled, would receive its first flight regularly from Moscow when an Aeroflot plane is due to land on 17 September. Since the end of February 20, 2022, Russia has closed 10 airports due to security concerns. In July 2025, Russia will resume operations at Gelendzhik Airport, located in the same region of the south. Elista Airport, located in the Kalmykia Region, will be operational in May 2024. Andrew Osborn is responsible for reporting and editing.
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Sources say that Adani, the Indian company, has stopped accepting vessels sanctioned by the United Nations at its ports.
Adani Ports and Logistics has issued orders that show the Adani Group in India has stopped accepting vessels sanctioned by Europe, the U.S. and Britain. Adani has not yet commented. Adani operates 14 ports and has issued several orders with similar content. The order read: "To protect the legal and commercial interest of the Port, it is our intention to not accept sanctioned vessels." India, which is the largest buyer of Russian oil by sea, has tightened up its surveillance on vessels and transactions that involve Russian supplies. After the U.S. and EU imposed sanctions on vessels, traders, and companies, among others, to reduce Moscow's oil revenues, which are its lifeline, most Russian oil is supplied by shadow fleet. The orders stated that vessels sanctioned would not be allowed entry, berthing, or use of port facilities and services. The document stated that "at the time of nomination the vessel's agent must provide a written undertaking that the ship is not subjected to sanctions."
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India pledges $680 Million in Economic Support for Mauritius
India has agreed to provide $680 million to Mauritius in economic aid for projects in healthcare, infrastructure, and maritime security, as New Delhi competes with China to gain more influence in this Indian Ocean nation. This assistance includes grants and credit lines to support the development and surveillance of a marine protected area in the Chagos Archipelago that houses a U.S. and British air base on Diego Garcia. In May, Britain ceded sovereignty over the Chagos islands to Mauritius. However, it retained control of its military base through a 99-year leasing agreement. India has always supported Mauritius in its claims to the islands, and it has supported U.S. presence on the Indian Ocean as a way to counter the growing influence of China which has strong trade ties with Mauritius. The marine protected area is the largest in the world, with an area of over a quarter million square miles, larger than California, the U.S. State. In a joint announcement made during the visit to India by Mauritian Prime Minster Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM, the economic assistance was announced. Support is also provided for other projects, such as the construction of a new port, a new hospital and a redevelopment of the existing port. It includes helicopters, budgetary support of $25 million and a grant of 25 million dollars in this current financial year. (Reporting and editing by Alex Richardson; Shivam Patel)
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Belarus opposition leader: US sanctions against Belarusian airline may help Russia
Sviatlana khanouskaya, an exiled Belarusian leader of the opposition, said that a easing of U.S. restrictions on Belarusian airline Belavia would also be beneficial to Russia. Tsikhanouskaya's comments were made in a press release released by her chief advisor after the U.S. announced that sanctions would be relaxed following the release by the Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko of 52 prisoners. "We appreciate the humanitarian goal -- to release people. "We welcome their release but, in essence, it is a trade of human lives - people who shouldn't have been imprisoned to begin with," Tsikhanouskaya stated. She said that the move to impose sanctions was important for Lukashenko, as it would allow Belarus to buy spare parts for its state airline. She said, "But they could also create a loophole that would allow Russia to obtain parts via Belavia." She claimed that the release only covered 4% of those who were designated as political prisoner and that it did not represent a real change in policy from Lukashenko.
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Delta Air Lines confirms its annual profit forecast based on sustained travel demand
Delta Air Lines reaffirmed Thursday its full-year earnings forecasts and current-quarter earning predictions, betting on sustained demand for travel in the U.S. The carrier has also increased the lower end its revenue forecast for the third quarter to September. It now expects growth of 2%-4% from its previous projection of 0%-4% growth. This buoyant mood is in stark contrast with earlier this year when many U.S. airlines issued gloomy predictions as President Donald Trump’s tariffs, budget cuts and other measures weighed on demand. In July, major airline executives expressed confidence that the industry would be able to increase airfares by the end of the year. According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, airfares increased by 4% in July. During the holiday season, more Americans took advantage of the travel discounts and deals to fly within the United States or abroad. Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru and Utkarsh Setti; editing by Pooja Deai
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Redeia: Solar plant mismanagement left Spain's grid vulnerable to blackouts on blackout days
According to Redeia's chair, the owner of grid operator REE, the mismanagement of a large plant of solar panels in southwest Spain left the power system of the country more vulnerable when a major blackout struck the Iberian Peninsula on April 28. The power outage in Spain and Portugal paralyzed many areas for several hours. This prompted numerous investigations by the government, energy watchdogs, and the grid and power companies. Beatriz Corredor, who spoke at a Senate hearing Thursday, said: "We have evidence that shows that the extraordinary oscillation which began at 12.00 was caused by the poor management and control of a high-capacity photovoltaic power plant in the province Badajoz." She was referring to the first oscillation, recorded just before the blackout. She said that the plant "behaved inappropriately and as a consequence made the system more vulnerable," without disclosing its name, owner, or exact location. The same plant had experienced a similar failure the year before, and those in charge of that plant said that they were conducting an experiment to see how best to manage this plant. Corredor, as it has done in the past, blamed some coal, nuclear and gas plants for not maintaining an adequate voltage. The Spanish utilities blamed grid operator's incompetence for the blackout. (Reporting and editing by Tomaszjanowski)
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Zelenskiy calls on allies to reconsider air defence following the Poland drone attack
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, urged Kyiv’s allies to reconsider their air defence capabilities on Thursday after drones were spotted infiltrating Polish airspace. Warsaw claimed that these drones were Russian. Zelenskiy, who spoke in Kyiv alongside visiting Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that Ukraine is "open and willing" to support its allies. Since Russia's war against its neighbour began, Ukraine has successfully repelled many airstrikes using a variety of Ukrainian and foreign weapons from old machine guns up to advanced missiles. Zelenskiy stated that countries like Poland should explore similar multilayered approaches, as missile systems made in the U.S.A. such as Patriot are too expensive to be used against cheaper drones by Russia. Zelenskiy stated that "no one has enough missiles in the entire world to destroy all types of drones." Poland, with the support of its NATO allies, shot down drones Wednesday that had entered its airspace. The Polish president claimed this was a Russian provocation to test Poland's and NATO's response. Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine is in a good position to guide its allies, as it relies heavily on Western long range air defence systems, but has also developed sophisticated internal approaches to repel Russian attacks. He said that the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has already agreed to send military personnel to Ukraine to discuss this issue. A source familiar with this matter confirmed on Thursday that the Polish military representatives would be trained to shoot down drones. (Reporting and writing by Max Hunder, Yuliia Dysa and Dan Peleschuk. Editing and proofreading by Aidan Lewis, Timothy Heritage and Timothy Heritage.
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Ryanair may not return in Israel
Michael O'Leary, the Group Chief executive of Ryanair, said that the airline may not return to Israel once the violence associated with the Gaza War recedes. He also claimed that airport authorities in Israel "muck around" with the airline. O'Leary, speaking to journalists in Dublin, said: "I believe there's a very real possibility we will not bother going back... once the current violence recedes." The airline announced earlier this summer that it would not be returning to Israel before October 25, at the latest. O'Leary stated that Ryanair is unhappy that Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport charges a higher rate to use the main terminal, when the lower-cost terminal has been closed due to security concerns. He said, "Until the Israelis get their act together, and stop messing with us, frankly, there is more growth in Europe." (Written by Conor Humphries, edited by Sharon Singleton & Emelia Sithole Matarise).
Snowstorm in South Africa leads to fatal accidents and power outages
Officials said that a severe cold front has been sweeping through South Africa and has brought heavy snowfall, which led to power outages, road closures, and even a fatal accident.
Unathi binqose, spokesperson for the Eastern Cape Transport Department, told Newzroom Afrika that five people died in a traffic accident on the N2 due to bad weather.
The South African Weather Service warned its citizens last week that temperatures would drop across the country this week, with disruptive rains, damaging winds and snow in eastern areas.
South Africa receives regular snowfall from June to August. Temperatures can drop below zero degrees Celsius.
According to the KwaZulu-Natal Transport Department, snow has been reported in provinces such as Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Free State since Monday. This led to closures of sections of the N2 Highway that connects these provinces.
Eskom, the power utility, said on X in a recent post that "widespread power outages due to inclement weather" were causing a large number of calls from customers.
Eskom announced that it was putting more resources into place to resolve power outages as quickly as possible.
The forecast by the weather service was that the cold front will persist until midweek. (Reporting and editing by Olivia Kumwenda Mtambo, Bernadettebaum and Olivia Kumwenda Mtambo; Additional reporting and Alessandro Parodi by Sfundo Parakozov)
(source: Reuters)