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Berlin fire could cause 45,000 people to be without electricity until January 8
Stromnetz Berlin reported on Saturday that a fire?on a bridge?across the Teltow Canal in south-west Berlin could cause up to 45,000 homes to be without electricity until January 8. The local police are investigating the early morning incident as an arson attack. The fire that broke out near the 'Lichterfelde Heat and Power?station' damaged several high voltage?cables. The company stated in a press release that it expected all customers to be back online by Thursday afternoon. It noted the need for new cables. The report said that mobile phone and landline services could also be affected. According to a note on Twitter, firefighters were alerted by 0545 GMT and extinguished the fire. The police have confirmed that emergency services and criminal investigators are at the scene. Vera Eckert reported; Susan Fenton, Jason Neely and Jason Neely edited.
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CANADA-CRUDE-Discount on Western Canada Select narrows
On Friday, the discount between West Texas Intermediate and North American benchmark West Canada Select futures narrowed. CalRock reported that WCS for delivery in Hardisty (Alberta) on?February? settled at $13.15 per barrel, which is $13.40 below the U.S. benchmark WTI. After trading in the $9 to $11 range for most of the year, the WCS discount is now trading in a wider price range. This is largely due to the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, which has given Canadian oil producers more 'export capacity. * The widening is due to a combination of factors, including the rising production in Canada which has put pressure on its export pipelines as well as normal seasonal patterns. * Oil prices settled lower on Friday, the first trading day in 2026, after registering their biggest annual loss since 2020. Investors weighed geopolitical risk, such as the war in Ukraine, and Venezuelan exports, against oversupply concerns. (Reporting from Arathy S. Somasekhar, Houston; editing by Vijay Kishore.)
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US LNG exports set new records in a banner year that marks new capacity
Preliminary data from LSEG revealed that the U.S. became the first nation to export over?100,000,000 metric tons of liquefied gas (mmt) in a year in 2025,?powered mainly by the start-up of new plants. LSEG data revealed that the world's biggest LNG exporter, Qatar, sold 111 mmt, nearly 20 mmt higher than its nearest competitor and almost 23 mmt higher than last year. Last year, U.S. LNG exports accounted for about a quarter. LSEG data showed that Venture Global's Plaquemines?facility?-the country's second largest export facility - delivered 16,4 mmt by 2025, after sending its initial cargo in December 2024. Alex Munton is the director of Global Gas and LNG for research firm Rapidan Energy Group. He said that 24% growth year-on-year was due to high utilization at onstream terminals, and rapid ramp-up at new facilities. Data showed that the U.S. exports of 11.5 mmt in December were a record. The U.S. will set five monthly production records in 2025. Jason Feer said that the U.S.'s success in achieving 100 mmt of LNG by pulling gas from the grid and selling it free onboard validates its approach to selling the gas on board and ensuring the supply reliability. The LSEG ship tracking data shows that Europe remains a major export market. As the Northern Hemisphere's winter intensified and Europe cut back on its Russian gas purchases, the U.S. exported 9 mmt of LNG to Europe last month. Turkey increased its U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas purchases in December by 1.45 mmt. The data revealed that the U.S. only sold 1,23 mmt (million cubic meters) of superchilled natural gas in December. This is down from the 1.75 mmt it sold in November. Egypt continues to purchase significant quantities of U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas cargoes despite its natural gas shortages. In December, it purchased 0.78 mmt, while the Americas took in 0.42 mmt. Feer believes that the U.S. can increase its production by 20 mmt this year. With Plaquemines aiming to reach full capacity in 2018, Cheniere's modular plants expected to be?either at full volume or ramping-up, and the Golden Pass LNG joint venture between QatarEnergy & Exxon Mobil set to start production in the 1st quarter of 2026. Curtis Williams reported from Houston, and Nathan Crooks edited the story.
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Timeline of suspected underwater sabotage at Baltic Sea
After a series of power outages, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine 2022, the Baltic Sea region has been on high alert. The NATO military alliance increased its presence by adding aircraft, frigates and naval drones. The police have determined that some incidents were caused through sabotage, while others were accidents or are still under investigation. DECEMBER: FINLAND - ESTONIA TELECOM CANAL Finnish police on December 31, seized A cargo vessel suspected of sabotaging a undersea cable that runs from Helsinki through the Gulf of Finland to?Estonia was stopped on its way from Russia. Police said that the Fitburg vessel was caught dragging an anchor in the water and directed to Finnish territorial waters. Investigators reported that the 14 crew members of the ship were from Russia and Georgia and two had been arrested, while two other were banned from travelling. An investigation is ongoing JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2025 - SWEDEN - LATVIA AND FINLAND - GERMANY TELECOM CABLING A fibre-optic cable undersea connecting Latvia with the Swedish island Gotland failed on January 26. This prompted an investigation by NATO, police and other agencies. Sweden seized the Maltese flagged bulk vessel Vezhen and boarded it on suspicion of gross sabotage. The Bulgarian shipping company 'Navigation Maritime Bulgare' said that Vezhen’s anchor may have hit the cable in high winds, but denied any sabotage. Later, a Swedish prosecutor ruled that the breach was accidental and released vessel. In the month that followed, the Finnish telecom operator Cinia reported it had detected issues on its C Lion1 link between Finland and Germany. However, they concluded the damage could have been caused as early as the 26th of January, the day after the Gotland incident. DECEMBER 2024 :?POWER CABLES AND INTERNET CABES On December 25, four telephone lines and the Estlink 2 underwater power cable, which connects Finland to Estonia, were cut. Finland has seized the Cook Islands Eagle S tanker, on suspicion that it was responsible for the damage caused by its anchor dragging. The ship is also believed to be part of an "shadow fleet", which circumvents sanctions against Russian oil. The Kremlin stated that the seizure of the ship was not a major concern for it. Later, the police in Finland recovered an anchor that they believed belonged to the ship. A?Finnish Court dismissed an Eagle S case in October 2025. The court ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove intention and that the flag state of the ship or the home country of the crew must pursue any negligence. The vessel was released after no charges were filed against Caravella LLC, a United Arab Emirates-based company. BALTIC TELECOM CABLES: NOVEMBER 20, 2024 On November 17 and 18 two undersea fiber-optic communication cables, located at a distance of more than 200 km (about 100 nautical miles) in the Baltic Sea, were cut. This raised suspicions about sabotage. The investigators focused on the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3. An analysis of MarineTraffic showed that the coordinates of the ship matched the time and location of the breaches. After a diplomatic standoff lasting a whole month, China finally allowed investigators and representatives from Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark to board the Yi Peng 3 on December 21, along with Chinese officials. The Accident Investigation Authority of Sweden said that a Swedish investigation found no conclusive proof to suggest the ship intentionally dragged its cable to damage it. BALTICCONNECTOR - GAS PIPE AND CABLES OCTOBER 20, 2023 The Balticconnector subsea pipeline that connects Finland and Estonia was cut by the Chinese container ship NewNew Polar Bear, according to Finnish investigators, on October 8, 2023. The Estonian police suspected that the ship had also damaged telecoms cables linking Estonia with Finland and Sweden between October 8-9, before striking the gas pipeline while on its way to St Petersburg in Russia. According to a Hong Kong charging document seen by us, the ship's captain was charged with causing "criminal damages" to cables and pipelines in Hong Kong during a hearing held last year. SEPTEMBER: NORD STREAM?BLASTS In September 2022, explosions damaged Nord Stream 1 & Nord Stream 2 which were built by Gazprom across the Baltic Sea to supply natural gas to Germany. Western officials have suggested that Russia has blown up its own gas pipelines. This interpretation is rejected by Moscow, which blames the United States of America, Britain, and Ukraine for these explosions. These blasts have largely cut off Russian gas from the European Market. These countries deny involvement. In November 2025 the top court of Italy will be in place Approve the transfer A Ukrainian man's journey to Germany Suspected of Coordinating The sabotage. Last year, a Polish court ruled that German prosecutors could not have a Ukrainian diving trainer. Reporting by Anne Kauranen, Essi Lahto, Nerijus Adomiaitis, Terje Solsvik, Johan Ahlander, Stine Jacobsen, Stine Ahlander, Johan Ahlander, Stine Jakobsen, Andrius Sytas, Anna Ringstrom, Simon Johnson, and Agnieszka Oleniska in Helsinki; Editing by Alex Richardson David Evans Mark Heinrich
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Police in Finland say that Finland has made progress with its investigation of cable breaches
The Finnish police said that they made progress on Friday in their?criminal? investigation into the damage done to an underwater telecommunications cable belonging to operator Elisa. The police seized the cargo ship "Fitburg", which was on its way from Russia to Israel, on suspicion of sabotaging the telecoms cable that runs across the Gulf of Finland between Helsinki and Estonia. Investigators said on Thursday that they had arrested 2 of the 14 crew, placed a travel ban?on another two and began questioning them. The 14 crew members are Russian, Georgian, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijani nationals. In a Friday statement, Detective Chief Superintendent 'Risto Lohi of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation stated that the interviews had clarified the events and roles of crew members. Investigators previously stated that the Fitburg was dragging its anchor on the ocean when the incident occurred. It was then boarded and brought ashore by the Finnish authorities for inspection. The Finnish authorities say that the cable currently is not working, but it will be some time before the full extent of damage can be determined. Alar Karis, the Estonian president, said that the incident was hoped to not be a deliberate act. However, he added that the investigation would?clarify matters'. The Baltic Sea region - which includes the Gulf of Finland - has been?hit by A string of incidents In recent years, gas pipelines, electricity cables, and telecoms links located on the seabed have been damaged. This has triggered extensive criminal investigations. There is increasing concern in Europe about what officials perceive as an increase of hybrid threats coming from Russia, which Moscow denies. The Russian embassy in Helsinki confirmed that it is in contact with the Finnish authorities. In a press release, it stated: "We hope the situation will be solved in a spirit co-operation and in accordance to the relevant legal standards." Essi Lehto (Reporting, Terje Solsvik, Gareth Jones).
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Asia spot prices flat amid muted demand, ample supply
The Asian spot prices for liquefied gas started the year flat, due to a lack of regional demand and an abundance of supply. This follows a 34% drop in 2025. Average LNG price for February deliveries to Northeast Asia Industry sources said that the price was?estimated at $9.60 per mmBtu (million British thermal units), which is unchanged from last week. Siamak Adibi is the director of gas and LNG supply analysis at consultancy FGE. He said that despite outages in Canada at LNG Canada, and in the U.S. at Freeport LNG, LNG supply levels in December were likely to reach new records. He added that "weak Asian demand" has enabled Europe to accept?spot-cargoes with greater ease. Masanori Odaka is a senior analyst at Rystad Energy. He said that the end-of-year holiday season also reduced trading activity. Warmer-than-average weather forecasts are expected in many cities across Asia and North America, which will keep a negative outlook on gas and LNG prices for January. He said that the arbitrage between U.S. LNG and Asia was "deeply closed", meaning Europe would continue to receive U.S. LNG throughout most of the first quarter of 2026. For this to change, the LNG spot price in Asia must rise by more than $1/mmBtu compared to the LNG prices in Europe. S&P Global Energy's daily Northwest Europe LNG Marker price benchmark (NWM) for cargoes to be delivered in February, on an ex ship (DES) basis, was $9.112/mmBtu as of December 31. This represents a discount of $0.535/mmBtu compared to the TTF hub price. Spark Commodities set the price at $9.173/mmBtu. Argus put it at $8.64/mmBtu. Aly Blakeway is the manager of Atlantic LNG for S&P Global Energy. She said that while milder temperatures forecasts and a slower withdrawal rate in December have 'easened immediate pressure', Europe has entered winter with significantly lower storage levels than previous years. To stay 'balanced, she needs to bring in significant volumes of waterborne LNG through January and into February. Blakeway added that the continent's dependence on LNG will?deepen as Russian pipeline gas, LNG, and regasification capacities continue to expand. The LNG-TTF spreads may widen as Europe consolidates its position as a sink for global LNG surplus. According to Spark Commodities analyst Qasim Afghanistan, in LNG freight, Atlantic rates dropped to $71,750/day while Pacific rates fell to $55,000/day. Afghan said that the U.S. front month arbitrage for Northeast Asia via Cape of Good Hope has closed further and now points more strongly towards Europe. The arbitrage via Panama is also closing out, and it's pointing again to Europe. (Reporting and editing by Emily Chow)
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Source: Canada asks Air India for an investigation into the incident where a pilot was removed from a plane after being found to be under the influence of alcohol.
A person with knowledge of the situation said that Canada's Transport regulator had 'asked Air India to conduct an investigation into the incident where a pilot was removed from the plane before takeoff and was found to be drunk, according to a source familiar with the case. The person who spoke on Friday said that two breathalyzer tests performed by Canadian police officers at Vancouver International Airport proved the pilot to be unfit for duty. Transport Canada referred to the incident as "a serious matter" in a letter sent to Air India. Authorities are likely to take enforcement action, according to this person. The person asked for anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak with the media. Transport Canada didn't respond to an emailed comment request outside of regular business hours. Air India released a statement saying that the flight from Vancouver, Canada to Delhi, India on December 23, experienced a "last-minute" delay because of the incident. They also said an alternate pilot had been brought in to fly the flight. Air India said Canadian authorities had raised concerns over the pilot's suitability for duty but didn't provide any details. The pilot was removed from flying duty during the investigation. Air India has a "zero-tolerance" policy for any violation of the applicable rules and regulations, Air India stated. "Pending the result of the investigation any confirmed violation will be subject to strict disciplinary actions in accordance with company policy." According to Flightradar24's and Air India's websites, the aircraft was a Boeing 787, which can accommodate up to 344 people. Ajit Oommen, a Transport Canada official, sent a letter to Air India asking them to submit their findings and the steps they have taken to prevent similar incidents in the future by the 26th of January. Air India has come under heavy scrutiny ever since the Boeing Dreamliner crash on June 12, which killed 260 people. India's aviation regulator flagged multiple safety breaches at the airline. The airline was previously owned by government until 2022. Air India pilots, who are owned by Tata Group, and Singapore Airlines have also been under scrutiny. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation in India (DGCA), which oversees civil aviation, sent warnings to four Air India Pilots this week. They cited "serious concerns" about regulatory compliance and crew decision-making. According to warning notices from December 29, the DGCA said that pilots had accepted an aircraft last year for operation despite knowing about "repeated snags", and "existing system degradations." Flightradar24 reports that the aircraft in question is a Boeing 787-8 used for long-haul flight. Earlier this summer, the DGCA proposed stricter rules for alcohol testing of crew members. One rule would result in a pilot losing their license permanently if they failed three tests. The current rules stipulate that post-flight breathalyzer tests for each flight must be performed at the first Indian port of landing. According to Canadian law, a pilot is not allowed to operate an aircraft for 12 hours after consuming alcohol. (Reporting and editing by Michael Perry, Thomas Derpinghaus, and Abhijith Ganapavaram)
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Source: Canada asks Air India for an investigation into the incident where a pilot reported to duty while under the influence of alcohol.
A person familiar with the situation said that Canada's Transport regulator asked Air India to look into an "incident" where a pilot reported for duty while under the influence of alcohol and failed two breathalyzer testing. A person who spoke to the person claimed that the tests were conducted at Vancouver International Airport by the Canadian police after the pilot had been asked to leave the plane. Transport Canada referred to the incident as "a serious matter" in a letter sent to Air India. The person said that authorities are likely to take enforcement action. The person asked for anonymity because he wasn't?authorized to speak with the media. Transport Canada didn't respond to an email request for comment sent outside of'regular business hours. Air India released a statement in which it confirmed that the flight from Vancouver, Canada to Delhi, India on December 23, experienced a late-minute delay as a result of the incident. It also added that a substitute pilot was brought into the cockpit to fly the flight. The pilot was?taken out of flying duty during the investigation process. Air India has a policy of zero tolerance for any violation to applicable rules and regulations," Air India stated. "Pending the result of the investigation any confirmed violation will be subject to strict disciplinary actions in accordance with company policy." Ajit Oommen, a Transport Canada official, has written to Air India asking them to submit their findings and the steps they have taken to prevent similar incidents in the future by the 26th of January. India has come under heavy scrutiny since the crash of a Boeing Dreamliner on June 12, which killed 260 people. India's aviation regulator flagged "multiple safety lapses" at the airline that was owned by the Indian government until 2022. Air India pilots, who are owned by the?Tata Group, and Singapore Airlines have also been under scrutiny. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) sent warnings this week to four Air India Pilots regarding "serious safety issues" related to regulatory compliance, and flight crew decision-making. According to warning notices dated 29 December, the DGCA stated that pilots had accepted an aircraft last year despite knowing of "repeated snags," and "existing system degradations." Flightradar24 reports that the aircraft in question is a Boeing 787-8 used for long-haul flight. (Reporting and editing by Michael Perry; Abhijith Ganapavaram)
Denver apartment under construction is destroyed by fire, causing power failures
According to the Glendale Police Department, a large fire broke out on Friday night in a new apartment complex in southeast Denver, near the Glendale area. This caused'significant power -outages' in the locality.
Denver's Fire Department posted images on X showing a building engulfed in flames, with thick smoke rising into the night skies, and fire?trucks, flashing lights, and the surrounding streets.
The fire department reported in the post that one firefighter was injured. He was transported to Denver Health Hospital, a local facility.
Robert Murphy, Division Chief of Operations for Denver Fire, told ABC affiliate KMGH TV that more than 100 firefighters were on the scene.
This fire is not yet out. Our firefighters are still pouring water on it. We're here for a while, and they're going to keep Leetsdale Drive closed.
Police said that authorities have erected a temporary shelter in an event center near Glendale. (Reporting and editing by Ruchika Kohna in Bengaluru, Anusha S Shah in Los Angeles)
(source: Reuters)