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Turkey claims electrical failure was reported before Libyan military plane crash
Turkey's director of communications said that the private jet carrying Libya's chief of staff requested an emergency landing before it crashed near Ankara. Burhanettin Duran said that the Dassault Falcon 50 jet left Ankara’s Esenboga Airport on Tuesday at 1717 GMT en route for Tripoli. At 1733 GMT, it notified air traffic control about an?emergency due to an electrical malfunction'. According to Libyan and Turkish officials, eight people, including three members of the crew, died in the crash. The aircraft was redirected back to Esenboga Airport and emergency measures were taken. However, the jet vanished?from radar? at 1736 GMT while it was descending for landing, he stated. Ali Yerlikaya, Turkish Interior Minister, said earlier that the aircraft requested a landing emergency while flying over Ankara’s Haymana District. He added that the wreckage later was found near Kesikkavak Village in the area. Duran stated that search and rescue teams had reached the crash scene after operations launched by the Turkish Interior Ministry. Investigations into the cause of the crash were ongoing with all relevant authorities. The internationally recognized?government of Libya has confirmed that the dead include the country's 'army chief of Staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad', as well as four members of the 'entourage'. Libyan officials said that the jet had been leased and registered on Malta. They added that the ownership and technical history of the aircraft would be investigated as part the investigation. (Reporting and editing by Thomas Derpinghaus; Ece Toksabay)
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Wall Street Journal, December 24,
These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal has not confirmed these stories and does not guarantee their accuracy. BP is close to selling a majority of its Castrol lubricants division to Stonepeak, valuing the entire business at $10 billion (including debt). ServiceNow, a leading enterprise software company, has announced that it will buy cybersecurity startup Armis for $7.75 billion cash. The move is part of an effort to attract new customers in the face of increasing cyberattack risks. General?Motors, the federal auto safety regulators and other agencies are investigating an airbag that exploded on a pickup truck that was recalled but not repaired. Alphabet’s Waymo unit said it would expand?first responder involvement, improve its emergency responses protocols, and roll out updated to allow its vehicles to navigate more decisively at intersections,?following instances of stalled Waymo roboticaxis following a San Francisco?power?outage. The estate of Texas billionaire Robert Brockman, a Texas-based tech executive who is regarded as the most successful tax evader in U.S. History, has agreed to settle a lawsuit by paying $750 million in back taxes and penalty to settle what federal prosecutors have called the biggest tax evasion case ever in U.S.history. (Compiled by Bengaluru Newsroom)
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Onley, a Scottish cyclist, signs with INEOS Grenadiers
The British team announced on Tuesday that Scottish rider Oscar Onley would join INEOS Grenadiers at the start of the?2026 season, after he had agreed to a transfer from Dutch outfit Picnic 'PostNL. The Kelso 23-year old has been one of the brightest cycling talents since turning pro at 19. He underlined his potential with a 4th-place finish in this year's tour de France, the youngest rider among the top 10. Onley stated in a press release that he was "proud" to join the Grenadiers for a long time. It will also be a British team that races when the Tour de France departs Scotland in 2027." Onley thanked PicnicPostNL for its support and said he would "miss" his friends from the team. He was also proud of what they had achieved together. Thomas, Director of Racing at INEOS Grenadiers, praised?Onley for his maturity and racing craft. Oscar's performance in 2025 was incredible. Thomas, who won Tour de France 2018 said that the way he rides and comprehends a race is beyond his years. He's a real racer. (Reporting and editing by Hugh Lawson; Martyn Herman)
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TankerTrackers.com reports that a loaded supertanker returned to Venezuelan waters after US interceptions.
The very large crude carrier Kelly (flagged by Panama) - which had departed Venezuela last week with oil - has returned to Venezuelan water 'following the U.S. Monitoring service TankerTrackers.com reported on Tuesday that more tankers were intercepted. The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a Panama flagged tanker Centuries on Saturday, which was carrying 1.9 million barrels?Venezuelan Merey?heavy crude. It is also pursuing a separate?vessel on its way to OPEC -country. Sources say that Centuries and Kelly left almost simultaneously last week escorted on by Venezuelan navy vessels. Kelly is back fully loaded in Venezuelan waters, near the Amuay Port of state-run PDVSA. This was reported by TankerTrackers.com. After the U.S. seize the supertanker?Skipper?earlier in the month, and two additional vessels at the weekend, more than a dozen vessels with cargo are waiting for new instructions from their owners. Last week, U.S. president Donald Trump announced a "blockade", which would apply to all vessels that were under sanctions and entered or left Venezuela. This was done in an effort to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Guyana's maritime authorities said in a statement this month that one of the vessels was flying a "false Guyanese" flag. Panama's Foreign Affairs Minister said that certain tankers targeted by the United States did not adhere to Panama's maritime laws. (Reporting and editing by Marianna Pararaga, Nathan Crooks, and Jamie Freed).
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Turkey reports that a jet carrying the Libyan army chief lost a signal over Ankara.
The radio?contact with a jet carrying Libyan?army chief-of-staff,?Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad was lost shortly after takeoff, according to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, on Tuesday. Yerlikaya stated on the social media platform 'X' that radio contact had been lost at 1752 h GMT. The jet took off at 1710 h GMT. He claimed that the plane had requested an emergency landing while flying over the Haymana district in Ankara. However, no contact was made after. He added that four other passengers were aboard the jet. Flight tracking data revealed that other flights had been diverted from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport. The Turkish defence ministry announced earlier that the Libyan chief-of-staff had visited Turkey, saying he met with Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and his Turkish counterpart Selcuk Berktaroglu along?with a number of Turkish military leaders. The Turkish broadcasters showed footage of a flashing light near the spot where the jet had lost radio contact. No immediate comment was made by Libyan officials. Reporting by Tuvan Gümrukcu in Ankara and Ece Tksabay; editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Matthew Lewis
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Venezuela passes law against piracy, blockades amid US oil ship seizures
The National Assembly, controlled by the ruling party in Venezuela, unanimously passed a law Tuesday that allows for prison sentences of up to twenty years for those who finance or promote what they call piracy. The law, which includes "other crimes international", follows recent U.S. action against Venezuelan oil exports. U.S. officials said that the U.S. Coast Guard had seized an sanctioned supertanker transporting Venezuelan crude oil earlier this month, and they attempted to intercept another two vessels connected to Venezuela at the weekend. Washington's biggest blow against the state oil company PDVSA is that Washington intercepted their communications. This was after its Treasury Department sanctioned two Rosneft subsidiaries, which were PDVSA's former trading partners. They forced it to reduce production and exports. PDVSA has been under sanctions since 2019. Giuseppe Alessandrello, a pro-government legislator, introduced the draft of "Law to Guarantee 'Freedom of Navigation and Commerce Against Piracy and Blockades and Other 'International Illicit Acts". The National Assembly's President Jorge Rodriguez announced that the bill would be sent to the Executive for approval at the end the session and take effect after publication in the Official Gazette. Washington has increased its pressure on President Nicolas Maduro's government in recent months. This includes a military buildup in the Caribbean, and the killing of dozens in strikes?on boats that it claims, without providing any evidence, are trafficking narcotics off its coasts. The U.S. authorities say that the operations are part efforts to combat drug trafficking and sanctions evasion. Maduro claims that the United States is trying to undermine Venezuela's economic system and remove him from power. Rodriguez also attacked Venezuela's opposition political party, which Leader She has been hiding in the shadows for several months, but she traveled to Oslo earlier this month to receive her Nobel Peace Prize. He said the opposition was promoting sanctions, and that they had "stolen, plunder, bowed to U.S. Imperialism," adding, "They are happy with aggressive actions taking place currently in the Caribbean Sea." (Reporting from Staff)
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Vucic, Serbian Vucic: Gazprom talks with Hungary's MOL about NIS stake sale
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic revealed on Tuesday that Russian energy giant Gazprom has been in discussions with Hungary's MOL about a possible sale of its majority stakes in 'NIS' - Serbia's only oil refiner. In January, the United States announced sanctions against Russia's oil industry in response to Moscow's conflict in Ukraine. But, NIS's application was repeatedly delayed before finally coming into force on October 8th. "We have no problem with it. We have information that Gazprom representatives have been talking to MOL in Hungary, and we don't have anything against them." Vucic said to reporters on Tuesday that the Hungarians were our friends. "We must finish this as soon as possible - by January 15." Due to sanctions, banks have stopped processing NIS. The JANAF crude oil pipeline in Croatia has also stopped delivering crude to the refinery. Gazprom owns 11.3% of NIS, while its sanctioned oil subsidiary Gazprom Neft has 44.9%. The Serbian Government owns 29.9%, with the rest belonging to employees and small shareholders. Vucic said that Serbia's gas supply agreement with Russia would be extended by another three months. The Balkan nation remains one of Europe’s few remaining buyers of Russian gas. Western nations have pressed the government to align itself with EU sanctions against Russia, but it has not yet taken action. (Reporting and editing by Joe Bavier; Ivana Sekularac, reporting)
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Germany deports criminals to Syria amid pressure on migration
Germany deported to Syria a criminal convicted of a crime for the first time since the beginning of the 14-year civil war in Syria. The government?in?Berlin is trying to show its voters that it's addressing their concerns about migration. Migration is now the top concern of German voters, and the support for Alternative -for- Germany (AfD), a far-right party, has risen. Friedrich Merz, the conservative Chancellor, has responded by taking a more aggressive stance on border security, migration and pledging a faster?deportation. Since the end of the civil war in Syria last year, Syria has been a major focus. Interior ministry says the criminal was handed over to Damascus authorities on Tuesday morning. Another criminal was deported to Afghanistan as the second time in a week. Alexander Dobrindt, Minister of Interior, said that deportations to Syria or Afghanistan should be possible. He said, "Our society has a legitimate interest to ensure that criminals leave our country." Deporting migrants to these two countries would put them in danger, according to critics. The man sent to Syria was a former prisoner in Germany's north-west for aggravated robbery and bodily harm. The Afghan criminal had served a prison sentence in southern Bavaria, for, amongst other things, intentionally bodily harm. (Reporting and editing by Ludwig Burger. Madeline Chambers)
Malaysia's Petronas signs a LNG supply agreement with China's CNOOC
Petroliam Nasional, the Malaysian state-owned energy company
Petronas stated in a press release that the agreement between Petronas 'LNG and CNOOC Gas and Power Singapore 'Trading & Marketing' builds on existing cooperation between both?companies.
Petronas will sign a 10-year contract for LNG supply with a CNOOC subsidiary in?2021. The deal is valued at $7 billion.
CNOOC and Petronas have not responded to our requests for details, including the duration of the deal.
Petronas and Canadian oil company Pembina Pipeline signed a similar agreement in November to supply 1,000,000 tons of LNG per year for the next 20 years. The deal was a result of its Cedar LNG Project. (Reporting by Sneha Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
(source: Reuters)