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NTSB finds evidence that bird strikes occurred before fatal New York helicopter crash
The National Transportation Safety Board announced Thursday that it had 'found evidence of bird strikes before a tourist heli smashed upside down in the Hudson River, 'New York City,?April 2025 killing all six passengers. Agustin Escobar was the CEO of Rail Infrastructure for Siemens Mobility, a train transportation division of Germany's Siemens, and he died in this accident. The NTSB confirmed that evidence had been found of a bird'strike' on the Bell 206L-4 helicopter. At least two dozen helicopter operators are listed on the tour website Viator. They offer tourists a bird’s eye view of Manhattan. Many operators offer shuttle helicopter services to area airports. This was the eighth tourist flight of the day. It flew from the Statue of Liberty over to the George Washington Bridge and then turned south to fly over the Hudson River. Witnesses reported hearing loud "bangs and pops" before the helicopter broke apart and fell into the Hudson River. A witness also reported that, just minutes before, she had seen a large flock take off near the Newport lighthouse, Jersey City, New Jersey. The NTSB report stated that "when the helicopter banged, I immediately believed it was a Bird Strike." Five passengers on a helicopter in New York died when it crashed into the East River. The pilot, however, survived. The helicopter was on charter flight with an open door that allowed passengers to take photos of the skyline. After 67 people were killed in a crash between an American Airlines regional plane and an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport, Washington D.C. in January 2025, regulators focused on helicopter safety. The FAA has restricted helicopter traffic in the vicinity of that airport permanently and also imposed restrictions on helicopters around the country. David Shepardson, David Gaffen and David Shepardson contributed to this report.
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Ontario asks for federal assistance to evacuate remote Canadian towns as wildfires ravage them
Canada is experiencing more wildfires now than in mid-July of the previous two years, and the area that has been burned has increased compared to the year 2025. The majority of fires are located in remote parts of central provinces such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. In recent years, wildfires have affected remote indigenous communities disproportionately. Indigenous Services Canada reported that 1,600 people had been evacuated due to fires in First Nations communities as of July 15, 2015. CBC News reported that the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation in northwestern Ontario, also known by its former name Collins First Nation was evacuated Monday following a rapid-moving fire which swept through an area near 'Armstrong', located more than 500 km (310 miles), north of Toronto. Video showed community members going door-to-door to warn residents. Then, as the flames approached their homes, more than 20 people and their pets escaped on boats. Helen Paavola, chief of the community in question, told CBC that it was all destroyed within an hour. According to Ontario's Aviation Fire and Emergency Services, the wildfire that affected the Armstrong area, which included Namaygoosisagagun?and Whitesand First Nation nearby, had reached more than 350,000 ha by Thursday. Jill Dunlop said, "In response?to the significant threat of wildland fire activities in northern Ontario, Ontario has issued a Request for Assistance. The province is prepared to expedite deployment of federal resources that will support evacuations." She added that the Canadian Armed Forces were among those who would be able to help. Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that the federal government will continue to work closely with its provincial and municipal counterparts, and provide any additional assistance needed. According to the government, there were 859 fires burning across the country as of Thursday. 113 were deemed out-of-control. 2.384 hectares (5.89 acre) of land have been burned so far. Carney stated on Wednesday that "the wildfire situation in Canada has deteriorated dramatically over the past three weeks, particularly in Northwestern Ontario." "Thousands of people were forced to leave their communities because they didn't know if their houses would survive." Canadian National Railway?said that employees and residents in the town of Armstrong had been evacuated Monday night following a viral video posted on social media showing a CN Train surrounded by a?fire? in the surrounding area. CN announced that it had temporarily suspended rail operations in the vicinity of Armstrong due to a?wildfire'. Fury Gold Mines, based in Vancouver, announced on Wednesday it had suspended exploration and drill at its Eau Claire Project in northern Quebec following the evacuation of all personnel because of a nearby forest fire. Green Technology Metals is an Australian-listed company that focuses on lithium exploration. It has a mine near Armstrong. Green Technology Metals did not reply to an email asking if it evacuated staff. The majority of gold mines in northern Ontario are located away from the fires. Thunder Bay is the largest city in Northwest Ontario and has many wildfire evacuees.
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Carney: Canada won't share bridge tolls until US debt is repaid.
Mark Carney, the Prime Minister, said that Canada would not share toll revenue with the United States until Canada had recovered its initial investment. The delay in opening the Gordie-Howe bridge, which was paid for by Canada has caused tensions between the United States, and Canada. This is at a time when the two countries are trying to update their trade agreement. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said last week that he had negotiated "a better deal" with Canada to enable the U.S. bridge's July 27 opening. Carney was criticized by political opponents for caving in to the U.S., after American officials claimed that they had "gone from receiving no revenue" to a significant amount of revenue. Carney told a Thursday press conference that the agreement between Michigan and Canada on the Gordie-Howe bridge was unchanged since 2012, when Canada agreed pay for the bridge. According to the deal, Canada had the right to keep all toll revenues until it recovered its bridge investment costs. Carney said that any sharing of?toll revenues will not happen until the entire debt has been repaid. Carney added that Canada and the U.S. would share net revenues during the first fifteen years, after operating costs such as maintenance and snow removal. He said that he expected net revenues to be modest for the first couple of years after these costs. "When the splitting starts, all the portions that are going to the U.S. Government will be reinvested?into economic development." Details of the agreement reached between Canada and the U.S. are not public. Two sources said that a deal was reached last week, and the U.S. It would receive 50% of the toll revenue profit and be able veto any toll increase that is 10% higher than current tolls. Fen Hampson is a professor at Carleton University who specializes in international affairs. He said that the deal represented a win for Canada. If you do the math on when Canada will split the revenues, it won't leave much to?split." Carney said that it was in Carney's interest that Americans thought they forced a Canadian concession. It's better for Trump to think that he has won, or else he could be vindictive. Shuvaloy Majumdar, a Conservative Member of Parliament from the opposition, called it "a terrible?deal" in a letter he sent to government last week. Majumdar wrote: "Canadians are entitled to the complete agreement, an accounting of all costs and a clear explanation about what was given."
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US networks are faced with a dilemma about whether or not to broadcast Trump's speech on election security
U.S. TV networks are considering whether or not to broadcast a planned address by President Donald Trump on Thursday, who will reportedly?focus his remarks on the security of elections, four months before?critical midterm election. Most of these speeches have been broadcast on television because they are considered to be important for the public. Reports on Wednesday said that the White House was considering using the speech as a way to reveal sensitive intelligence about China's intent or ability to influence the 2020 U.S. elections. Some Trump officials are concerned this could be misleading. Karoline Lavitt, White House Press secretary, said during a press briefing on Thursday that it is "also very likely" that Trump will address the current economic situation and Iran at the beginning of his speech. She said it is "all the more reason" that the networks should broadcast the speech in real time and Americans should tune in. Trump has spent many years sowing doubts over the outcome of elections, falsely claiming that his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 was rigged. Trump has claimed, without any evidence, that mail-in votes are rife in fraud and voting machines can be manipulated. Non-citizens voting is also widespread. Democrats such as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez have asked networks to not air the speech. They claim Trump will likely?repeat false claims. The three?major U.S. television networks - ABC, CBS, and NBC - did not answer questions regarding whether or not they would be broadcasting the speech live. CNN and Fox News did not reply to requests for comment. Refusing to broadcast the speech could anger an administration which has already put unprecedented pressure on major broadcast networks. Walt Disney's ABC faces two pending Federal Communications Commission inquiries, one of which examines whether the daytime talk show 'The View' violated equal time rules by interviewing Democratic Senate candidate in Texas. Trump has attacked NBC, and Comcast (which he calls "Concast"), repeatedly. He stormed out last month of an interview with NBC's political reporter Kristen Welker, after calling it "a one-sided crooked" network. Comcast?announced plans to split into 2 publicly traded companies by a spinoff NBCUniversal Sky. Analysts?have stated that the move could'make NBCUniversal a takeover target. The takeover of Paramount, by David Ellison - whose billionaire dad Larry is an ally of Trump - has caused a stir in the CBS newsroom, and led to the departure of senior staffers from "60 Minutes". Several employees have claimed that political influence was used to make editorial decisions. The network has denied this claim. Ellison now awaits FCC approval of Paramount's purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery could allow him to control CNN, which Trump has long criticized as unfair. Last month, the?Antitrust Division of the U.S. Justice Department approved this deal. The ?conservative-leaning cable news network Fox News, owned by Rupert Murdoch, generally carries all of Trump's speeches but may also be wary of this one. The network was ordered to pay $787 million in 2023 to settle a lawsuit for defamation over false claims it made about the 2020 elections. (Reporting Helen Coster, Additional reporting Edmund Lee; Editing Alistair Bell).
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New York's hydropower line outage irks governor who championed the project
The administration of New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday condemned an "ongoing outage" on the Champlain-Hudson Power Express transmission line. She had championed the $6 billion project to reduce the use of dirty oil-fired power plants and increase the razor-thin'state grid's buffer against unforeseen events. According to the latest transmission outage calendar from grid operator New York ISO, the?1,250 megawatt Champlain Hudson Power Express is expected to remain offline until July 31. New York ISO's data previously indicated that CHPE would not be in service until the end of this week. New York ISO didn't respond to a request for comment. Ken Lovett is Hochul's spokesperson and he said that the CHPE outage was unacceptable. "On the Governor's instruction, administration officials are in daily contact with developers to help identify and solve the problem." CHPE is able to deliver as much as 20% of New York City’s electricity. Hydro-Quebec said on Monday that it is currently offline because of a cable problem. Hydro-Quebec stated that the current cable problem on the U.S. end of the line has nothing to do with the shutdown on July 1. Blackstone Inc. and Hydro-Quebec jointly developed the project. Hochul said last month that CHPE would help replace the lost power with the?closure of the Indian Point nuclear facility. Since then, New York City is relying more on fossil-fuel generators and this has increased pollution in the downstate area. According to the NYISO, this month, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit,?oil-fired-generators have been ramped up in order to meet a surge in energy demand due to increased air conditioning usage. The power line runs 339 miles (546 km) along the length of New York State from the Canadian border, to the converter station in Astoria Queens where the energy enters the New York City grid. New York ISO announced earlier this week that it would not be relying upon CHPE for this summer's grid, despite the fact that grid reserves were "extremely low."
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Ontario seeks federal assistance for evacuations due to wildfires, as the smoke spreads
Ontario asked for federal assistance on Thursday to evacuate people from remote northern communities that were ravaged by wildfires. Smoke brought poor air quality to Toronto and the Northeastern U.S. Canada now has more active fires than in the previous two years, and has a larger burned area compared to the year 2025. The majority of fires are located in remote parts of central provinces such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. Jill Dunlop said that Ontario's Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Jill Dunlop stated on X, "In response the the significant threat of wildland fires in the north of Ontario, the Province has issued a formal request for assistance to the Government of Canada. We are prepared to expedite deployment of federal resources as support to evacuations." She said that the Canadian Armed Forces were among those who would be able to help. In prepared remarks, Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that the federal and provincial governments are in constant communication and will provide assistance as required. In recent years, wildfires have mostly affected'remote indigenous community. Indigenous Services Canada reported that?1,600 people had been evacuated due to fires in First Nations communities this season as of July 15th. According to the government, there were 859 fires burning across the country as of Thursday. Of those, 113 were considered uncontrollable. So far, 5.89 million acres (2.384 million hectares) of land have been burned. Carney said on Wednesday that the wildfire situation had gotten worse in the past three weeks, especially in Northwestern Ontario. "Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes, not knowing whether they would survive." Canadian National Railway announced that employees and residents in the town of Armstrong had been evacuated Monday night following a viral video posted on'social media showing a CN train engulfed in fire. CN announced that it has suspended rail operations in the area of Armstrong, which is more than 500 km (310 miles), north of Toronto. This was done as a precaution because wildfires were raging. Fury Gold Mines, based in Vancouver, announced on Wednesday that they had temporarily suspended exploration and drill at their Eau Claire project located in northern Quebec. This was after the company evacuated all its personnel because of a forest fire nearby. The Australian-listed 'Green Technology Metals', which focuses primarily on lithium exploration, operates a mine near Armstrong. Green Technology Metals did not reply to an email asking if it evacuated staff. The majority of gold mines in northern Ontario are located away from the current fires.
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U.S. networks are faced with a dilemma about whether or not to broadcast Trump's speech on election security
U.S. TV networks are considering whether or not to broadcast a planned address by President Donald Trump on Thursday, which is scheduled to be centered around election security. This comes four months before the crucial midterm elections. Most of these speeches have been broadcast on networks because they are deemed to be 'information of public interest. Reports on Wednesday said that the White House is considering using the speech as a way to reveal sensitive intelligence about China's ability or intention to interfere with the 2020 U.S. elections. However, some Trump officials are concerned this could lead to misleading information. Trump has spent many years spreading doubts about the outcome of elections, falsely claiming that his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 was rigged. He also said without any evidence that voting machines were vulnerable to manipulation, and that non-citizens were voting in large numbers. Some Democrats, such as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, have asked networks to not air the speech. They claim that Trump will likely repeat false claims. The three major U.S. television networks -- ABC, CBS and NBC - did not answer questions regarding whether or not they would be broadcasting the speech live. CNN and Fox News did not reply to a comment request. The refusal to broadcast the speech could anger an administration which has already put unprecedented pressure on major broadcast networks. Walt Disney's ABC faces two pending Federal Communications Commission inquiries, one of which examines whether the daytime talk show 'The View' violated equal time rules by interviewing Democratic Senate candidates in Texas. Trump has attacked NBC, and Comcast (which he calls "Concast"), repeatedly. He stormed out last month of an interview with NBC's political reporter Kristen Welker, after calling it "a one-sided crooked channel." Comcast announced last month plans to split NBCUniversal into two publicly-traded companies via a spinoff. Analysts said that the move would make NBCUniversal a desirable takeover target. CBS's?takeover of Paramount by David Ellison - whose billionaire dad Larry is a Trump supporter - has?roiled its newsroom, and led to the departure of several senior staffers from "60 Minutes". The network denied allegations that political influence was involved in the editorial decisions. Ellison now awaits FCC approval of Paramount's purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery could allow him to control CNN, the network Trump has long criticised for its unfair coverage. Last month, the U.S. Justice Department Antitrust Division approved?the deal. Fox News is a conservative cable news network owned by Rupert Murdoch. They usually carry all of Trump's speech, but they may be wary about this one. The network was ordered to pay $787 million in 2023 to settle a lawsuit for defamation over false claims it made about the 2020 elections. (Reporting Helen Coster, Additional reporting Edmund Lee, Editing Alistair Bell).
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Ireland passes law lifting Dublin Airport passenger limit
Ireland's Transport Minister lifted a passenger cap at Dublin Airport on Thursday after President Catherine Connolly signed a new law. The government is under pressure to lift its 32 million passenger limit per year, which has been suspended in anticipation of a ruling from the European Court. Last year, the airport exceeded its limit by four million passengers. Irish Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien welcomed Connolly's signing of the law and expressed his hope that an order would be issued to "amend or repeal the cap" as soon as possible after an environmental assessment. He said, "I intend to immediately begin the relevant provisions of the Act." This will now enable the sustainable development at Dublin Airport. O'Brien said in May that his hope was for the bill to become law by July. Planners in 2007 set a limit of 32 million passengers for Ireland's major airport, in part to prevent local traffic congestion. Local residents are in favor of limiting the number of passengers at the airport. The airport carries 80% or more of the country's air traffic. Environmental groups warned that its removal could weaken the oversight of an industry with high emissions. Irish airline chiefs have warned that the measure would harm the economy of the country. U.S. Airlines have also criticized the 'cap. Their representative body, as well as 'Irish carriers', warned that the U.S. Government could retaliate by restricting transatlantic flights out of Dublin if it is not scrapped quickly. Conor Humphries wrote the article, Sam Tabahriti edited it.
Can Peru restart its Amazon oil industry? Pollution and local opposition are a concern
Wilmer Macusi, a Peruvian living in northern Amazon, sat atop an old rusty pipe that cut through the jungle and tossed a branch into the stagnant pool of water around it.
Macusi, an Indigenous Urarina leader of 25 years, pointed to the place where an oil spill took place in early 2023. "But even if you change the water, the oil will still come out." As plastic barriers intended to contain the spill dropped into the water, black droplets bubbled up to the surface. The pipeline connects a nearby oilfield (Block 8) to the North Peruvian Pipeline, which is owned by the government. Santa Rosa, Macusi's locality, is just a few minutes away. According to data from the government, Peru's northern Amazon contains hundreds of millions barrels of crude oil. However, indigenous groups claim that oil extraction in the last half century has brought pollution and not progress. They are against a new wave of development.
In the 1980s, this region produced more than half of Peru’s oil. However, environmental liabilities and local opposition lowered production to 40,000 barrels per day. In 2020, key blocks became dormant.
Petroperu, the state-owned oil company, is once again focusing on the modest reserves of this region. The company spent $6.5 billion to upgrade its Talara refinery, which now produces 95,000 bpd of high-grade fuels. Petroperu, heavily indebted and with a CCC+ junk rating from the ratings agency Fitch wants to revive Amazon oil production to supply Talara.
Petroperu, the state-owned firm, estimated that last month proven and probable reserves were valued at $20.9 billion. This could generate $3.1 billion of tax revenue for local governments.
The amount of oil involved is small but the plans have caused tensions due to past spills. This has fueled Indigenous opposition as Brazil, Ecuador, and Guyana try to expand their Amazon oil frontiers.
The frustration about forest protection and climate action boiled over during the
Climate summit COP30
This week, dozens of Indigenous demonstrators forced their way in and clashed violently with security guards.
Petroperu also plans to import oil into the refinery through a 1,100 km ONP link to Ecuador. Ecuador is aiming to increase production in the Amazon region of its country as part a $47 Billion oil expansion plan. The ONP was hailed as a marvel of engineering when it opened in the 1970s. However, since then, it has become a lightning-rod for leaks, protests, and sabotage. Both indigenous groups are fighting the pipeline connection.
The government is considering options to best run the pipeline. These include a joint venture and outsourcing its management.
OBSTACLES TO REVIVAL
Petroperu has failed to find an international partner for its largest oilfield Block 192. This field produced over 100,000 bpd during its peak, but was recently the subject of Indigenous protests calling for remediation due to damage caused to the soil, forest and waterways.
Petroperu’s former chairman Alejandro Narvaez was dismissed last month. He estimated Block 192 production at least 20,000 bpd and that Amazon's overall production could reach 100,000 bpd.
Upland Oil & Gas, a domestic company, was selected by the state oil firm to operate the block. However, Peru's state regulator of oil disqualified Upland in the last month because it had not demonstrated financial capability. Upland has requested a review of the decision. Petroperu partnered up with Upland in order to restart production at Block 8, a smaller block that produced 5,000 barrels per day last month. Upland CEO Jorge Rivera is the son of Peru's first oil prospector. He said that Upland had offered Indigenous communities funding, training and jobs.
He said, "We have dedicated ourselves to understand the complexities of operating these fields." Rivera made a visit to Santa Rosa, California in March. He gave a Starlink terminal as a gift and requested a report about the needs of the community.
Although the community was primarily concerned with the cleanup of a nearby spill, questions still remain about who is responsible.
Although Upland is responsible for the 108 km of pipeline that connects Block 8 to the ONP and runs through it, its contract exempts them from liability for pollution in the past.
Pluspetrol Norte was the previous operator. It is an Argentinean subsidiary that was fined a number of times before filing for liquidation in late 2020 and leaving the area.
Eight Indigenous federations, as well as non-governmental organisations, filed a complaint with the Dutch National Contact Point of the OECD, a mechanism for implementing OECD guidelines to businesses. The Dutch National Contact Point concluded in September, that Pluspetrol violated Indigenous community rights in Peru's Amazon, and urged Pluspetrol to remedy the damage to the environment.
Pluspetrol responded by saying that it had already complied with the environmental and human right regulations. It also said the NCP statement lacked merit because it did not reflect the "breadth, complexity and extent of evidence presented and actions taken by the Company."
Onp Spills
Scientists have been studying the effects of oil fields on wildlife and Indigenous populations for decades. They've found that there are high levels of mercury, lead, and arsenic. Block 192 cleanup costs are estimated at $1.5 billion.
OEFA recorded over 560 environmental violations including oil spills or other incidents from the ONP and other oil infrastructure blocks in Blocks 192 & 8 between 2011 and September 2025.
Petroperu said that any damage was "temporary" and "reversible". It blamed the local communities for "economic, rural and domestic activities" which were not specified.
The Peruvian prosecutor's office announced in late 2023 that they had dismantled a network consisting of local Indigenous leaders, businessmen and an employee from Petroperu who, according to the prosecutor, were orchestrating oil spills for lucrative cleanup contracts.
Narvaez stated in an interview before his dismissal that Petroperu prioritized the cleanup of spills under regulator supervision. Fidel Moreno, Petroperu Board Vice President, was appointed to replace Narvaez by the government of Peru's interim president Jose Jeri who assumed power last month. The government also announced that it would soon replace Petroperu’s entire board. Moreno declined to respond to an interview request. Macusi stated that communities have not yet received the fund Upland promised to provide 2.5% from oil sales. Meetings with Perupetro to discuss funding community projects were delayed. In 2022, after an oil spillage from the Block 8 Connector pipeline, Urarina Communities held a strike. They took over oil fields, oil facilities and blocked a river in order to demand better state response. Macusi says that communities are prepared to act again after Macusi hauled buckets of oil spilled as a teenager.
He said that if the benefits promised did not arrive soon, he would take action.
(source: Reuters)