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The White House is considering extending Jones Act waivers in light of the Iran conflict and price concerns
Two sources familiar with the discussions say that the White House is considering extending waivers to allow 'foreign ships' to transport goods between U.S. port as a renewed conflict with Iran has raised concerns over energy prices and disruptions in supply. The Trump administration is evaluating whether or not to 'extend the waivers to include geographic restrictions that limit where foreign-flagged ships can transport goods between U.S. port, officials are seeking to preserve a tool they claim has helped to 'ease supply pressures, while addressing criticisms from maritime industry groups, and Republican allies. Sources said that the White House, Energy, Transportation and Interior departments met this week to discuss options in anticipation of a possible decision by the end of July. White House officials?stated that no decision had been made on whether to?issue a third extension of the waiver, pointing out that the current waiver does not expire until August 16th. "President Trump’s?decisive decision to waive the Jones Act helped prevent supply shortfalls in?the nation. Officials said that the Administration "regularly monitors how the waiver is used".
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Toronto's air quality is the worst in the world due to wildfires in Northern Ontario
Toronto's air ranked as the worst among major cities worldwide on Wednesday as smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario darkened skies and prompted residents to limit outdoor activity as temperatures continued to rise. Environment Canada reported that Toronto's Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), which is classified as "very risky," was 10+. Forecasts indicated that hazardous conditions might persist until Thursday night. IQAir, a Swiss company that specializes in air quality, ranked Toronto the world's worst city for air quality, beating out Kinshasa, Delhi, and other cities. In recent years, wildfire smoke from Canada's north has spread to large areas of the United States. This has prompted health warnings for the elderly and infants who are more sensitive to smoke particles. A video of a Canadian National train burning near Armstrong, Ontario was shared on social networks. Canadian National announced that it had temporarily suspended rail operations in the vicinity of Armstrong, Ontario as a precautionary measure due to wildfires. CN said that residents and employees of the area were evacuated 'Monday night. The Government of Canada said that the wildfire season started more slowly in 2026 compared to?2023 or?2025 - the two worst seasons for wildfires - but warned that the fires are likely caused by warmer temperatures than usual across the country. According to the government, there were 835 fires burning across the country as of Wednesday. Of those, 112 were considered out-of-control. As of today, 1.9 millions hectares (4.7million acres) have been burned. The majority of fires occurred in central provinces such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario. Greg Evans, Professor at University of Toronto Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry said that it was the first time he could recall the city being simultaneously affected by severe heat and smoke from wildfires. He said that he expects this to happen more often in the coming decades, so residents and cities should prepare themselves for the future. Paula Oreskovich is a Toronto resident who said that she noticed the haze, and smell of smoke, when she went outside in morning. She expressed concern about the air quality, especially since wildfire smoke is a frequent feature of summers in recent years. "I think you would be foolish to ignore climate change. Oreskovich stated that climate change is a reality. Toronto was also hit by extreme heat in the past few days. Environment Canada issued a heat alert for the city, predicting a high temperature of 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit) with humidity that made temperatures feel closer to 39 C. Environment Canada issued an advisory stating that "reduce or reschedule any strenuous outdoor activities, especially if symptoms like coughing and throat irritation are present." IQAir reported a U.S. Air Quality Index of 184 in the city. This is a level that is considered unhealthy. (Editing by Caroline Stauffer, Nick Zieminski and Ed White from Winnipeg)
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Anduril and two other companies selected by the Pentagon to manufacture low-cost cruise missiles
Anduril, a defense company, announced that it had signed a framework agreement with the Pentagon for the delivery of thousands of low-cost Barracuda 500 cruise missiles over a seven-year period starting in 2027. The United States government has been urging defense firms to increase production due to the dwindling stock of weapons in the country as a result of global conflicts. The Air Force's Family of Affordable Mass Missiles Program includes the framework agreement, which also included CoAspire?and zone 5, according to a separate statement from the U.S. Defense Department. The agreement includes both lug-launched and pallet-launched weapons, which are mounted on fighter aircraft wings. Anduril was founded in 2017. In September 2024, it completed the first successful flight test with the pallet-launched Barracuda 500M. It expects to test the lug launch variant within the next few months. The company said that the U.S. government plans to purchase up to 8,000 vehicles each year, including both versions. Anduril signed an agreement in May to deliver 1,000 ground launched variants of the Barracuda 500M every year for three years. Anduril stated that "by establishing framework agreements... over?the next few?years?, the Department has energized non-traditional industry base." Anduril raised $5 billion earlier this year in a round of venture capital led by Thrive Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Andreessen Horowitz. This doubled its valuation from $39 billion to $61 billion. The Norwegian defense and technology company?Kongsberg acquired?Zone 5, while Virginia's CoAspire was owned by its founders, and had no outside investors. Aishwarya Jain reports from Bengaluru, Joyjeet Das edits.
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Portugal: TAP buyer will be determined by strategy and not price
The decision to sell a minority stake in TAP is a strategic one that depends on much more than the price. Portugal has relaunched the long-delayed TAP privatisation, with a view to selling a 44.9% share to a strategic partner airline to increase its global reach, and to improve competitiveness. 5% of this stake will be reserved for employees. The government has requested that Air France-KLM and Lufthansa submit binding bids by the 29th of July after both airlines emerged as sole competitors, with initial offers they deemed to be "largely equal and very ambitious" in terms of strategic, industrial, and financial criteria. Infrastructure Minister Miguel Pinto Luz stated that such a proposal was by nature 'complex' and involved many factors. He did not elaborate, but the government said that bidders should commit to strengthening TAP’s operations and routes not only in Lisbon, but also at Portugal’s other nine airports including Porto, Faro and the Algarve and the archipelagos Azores and Madeira. Pinto Luz told a parliamentary committee that "this is a strategic choice which should not be based solely on price and requires discretion and careful consideration." TAP's main draw is the lucrative and prime slots that connect its Lisbon hub to Brazil, Portuguese-speaking African countries, and the United States. Parpublica, the state-owned holding company, has 30 days after receiving binding bids to provide a final assessment of their merits. The government can then choose a winner or begin negotiations with either or both bidders in order to improve final offers. The government will likely decide the winner of this election later in the year. (Reporting and editing by Emelia Sithole Matarise; Reporting by Sergio Goncalves)
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The wife of a Ryanair passenger who was partially sucked from the plane window recalls an incident
Svetlana and Ljubisa had just settled in to a Ryanair flight last week when a loud thud pierced through the engines. She saw her husband, 61, being sucked out of a cabin window that had become dislodged within seconds. On July 10, in what Greek officials described as a "rare incident", Karovic was dragged out of his window seat while his wife and other passengers held him. "I have never heard anything so loud in my entire life." Maksimovic said, "I?just turned around (then) and saw that part his body had already been thrown out of the window." She said that his head and right hand were hanging out. Greek media and airport officials said it was most likely that a broken piece of engine smashed the window and caused the cabin to "decompress" early on in the flight. Ryanair confirmed that the window was displaced during the flight. Senior executive Eddie Wilson stated on Wednesday that photos clearly showed engine damage and that the plane had returned using only one engine. He refused to speculate about the cause or whether engine fragments had hit the window, while he awaited the results of the ongoing investigation. Maksimovic reported that Karovic was being treated at a hospital in Thessaloniki for severe injuries to his neck and arms. The couple has hired an attorney. Vassilis Tsiaras is the legal advisor for the couple. He said that what happened was "extremely serious". Pulling him back inside Maksimovic stated that Karovic appeared relaxed after takeoff and was likely to have fallen asleep. She stated that after the loud crash, a woman seated next to her husband pulled on his left hand. It was only when another passenger arrived to assist that they were able to get him back into?the aircraft. The plane had already started to descend. Maksimovic, a passenger who left her seat in order to assist her husband, placed an oxygen mask over him, while another passenger gave it to her for her own use. She said that her husband's face had been utterly deformed, and that his ears, eyes and nose were all completely deformed. Maksimovic stated, "The consequences remain for him and me." We'll find out how we're going heal, and for how long the treatment will last. 'THINGS HAPPEN NOW AND THEN' Boeing said that it would assist the investigation led by North Macedonia in the case of the accident. In the investigation, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EUASA) are both involved. The case is being investigated by both the Greek Air Accident Investigators and the Greek Prosecutor. The aircraft is still located in Greece. "It's a serious incident." Ryanair's Wilson said to?Irish broadcaster RTE that the incident will be investigated and we'll take any recommendations that come out of it. "We have the best crews and they showed that last week." Reporting by Alexandros. Avramidis, in Thessaloniki; Ivana Sekularac, in Belgrade. Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou, in Athens; Padraic Halpin, in Dublin. Editing by Michele Kambas Matthew Lewis Jan Harvey
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Pakistan promises more security to China's mine after warning of insurgency
Pakistan announced on Wednesday that it would be stepping up security around a Chinese copper and gold mine in Balochistan, after 'insurgent violence' disrupted supply routes. The mine operator also denied reports that the project might have to close. Raziq Sajirani, managing director of Saindak Metals Limited, has called the Financial Times report on the mine's closure factually inaccurate. He said that the mine had been running without interruption for over 25 years, and there was "no possibility" of it being shut down. He said that the company asked Pakistani authorities to help move furnace oil from the site after some transporters refused to use certain routes through Balochistan. Security agencies have since assured him of the uninterrupted supply. Talal Chaudhry, the State Minister of Interior, said that Islamabad received concerns about security from mine operators in early July. He ordered agencies to increase their deployment around its personnel and cargo. Chaudhry said, "We have instructed the provincial authorities and all security agencies concerned to beef up their deployment of personnel, logistics, and transportation for all of their facilities, personnel and transport." He said that "it is our priority to protect all projects run in Pakistan by international companies," adding that the logistics and cargo to be transported to the site will receive extra security protection. Balochistan, a region bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to several Chinese-backed major projects, such as the deep-water Port of Gwadar. Separatists in the Baloch region have been seeking an independent state since decades. They claim that Pakistan and its allies have exploited natural resources of the province without benefiting local people. The Financial Times reported earlier on Wednesday, that Saindak’s managing director warned Pakistan’s energy ministry of the possibility that operations could become unsustainable in a month due to deteriorating conditions. The Saindak Mine is operated by Metallurgical Corporation of China, a state-owned company. It has leased the mine until 2022 and exports its majority of output to 'China. China's Foreign Ministry said that it was not aware of the situation, but would work with Pakistan, its close partner to protect Chinese citizens and institutions. Barrick Mining’s $9 billion Reko Diq copper and gold project, located about 50 km from Saindak, has also been affected by the unrest in Balochistan. Reporting by Asif Shahzad from Islamabad, Saleem Ahmed from Quetta and Jackson Lewis from Beijing. Ariba Ariba is the writer. Mark Potter, Andrei Khalip and Ariba Shahid edited the work.
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Air India crash investigation enters final stage after cockpit recording and psychology reviews
A court filing revealed that India's aviation accident investigation body had?prepared? a cockpit voice recording transcript, performed a psychological autopsy, and is now in the final stages of its investigation into last year's fatal Air India crash. The filing failed to identify who conducted the psychological autopsy or reveal any findings about the crash of a Boeing 787 which killed 260 people soon after takeoff from Ahmedabad in India. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in India (AAIB), without providing any further details, said that an analysis of the data from an engine monitor unit retrieved late in May was still being awaited and an assessment of some organisational factors is in progress. AAIB stated that investigators interviewed Air India 787 Pilots, crew who previously flew with pilots of the aircraft that crashed, technical personnel who were involved in?preparing the jet as well as air traffic controllers and weather officials. AAIB's filing from Tuesday said that the families of the crew were also contacted at their homes during the initial stages of the investigation. AAIB officials visited the home of Pushkar Raj Saharwal last year. He was upset because they implied that his son had cut off the fuel supply to the engines of the plane after takeoff. The AAIB disclosed the information in the court filing after he filed a suit. AAIB stated that media speculations and narratives blaming the pilots for their actions had led to some witnesses becoming "restrictive" and "non-responsive". The investigation is now in its analysis phase. Findings and conclusions are being drawn from operational, technical and human-factors areas. The AAIB said it expected to complete the remaining investigations within six weeks. This is subject to "external dependents" that are still pending. The filing stated that a draft final report will be ready 'around October', and then it will be sent to the participating countries to get their comments before being finalized and published. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will receive the draft report. U.S. officials reported last year that their early assessment of the situation was that the cockpit recording of the dialogue between the pilots confirmed the Captain's claim. AAIB stated at the time that it was "too soon to draw any conclusions." (Reporting and editing by Abhijith Ganapavaram, Arpan Chaturvedi)
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What sites have been attacked by Ukraine?
In the last two weeks, Ukrainian forces have intensified their attacks on Russia's infrastructure for energy. Fuel shortages are worsened by the drone attacks in Russia. People have reported high prices and long lines at fuel stations in most regions. Here is a brief summary of recent attacks, starting with the latest. SALAVAT According to industry sources, the Salavat Petrochemical Complex, located in Bashkortostan's Urals region, stopped operations on July 14th following an attack by a Ukrainian drone. A fire broke at the Afipsky refinery, in southern Krasnodar Region of Russia. The cause was drone debris that fell from the sky. Emergency services announced this on 14th July. The refinery is capable of processing over 9 million metric tons per year. SYZRAN According to industry sources, the Russian oil refinery Syzran on the Volga River in the Samara region has halted operations after a Ukrainian drone attacked on July 12, damaging a primary processing facility. Ukrainian drones attacked the Rosneft owned refinery on May 21. After the attack, the refinery had to stop operations due to damage caused by a primary processing unit. The refinery had suspended operations after the attacks of April 18. The refinery's processing capacity is 8.5 million tonnes per year. According to industry sources, in 2024 it will have processed 4.3 millions tons of crude oil into 800,000 tonnes of gasoline, 1,5 million tons diesel, and 700,000 tonnes of fuel oil. SARATOV Two sources claim that the Saratov oil refinery in Russia stopped processing oil on 9 July after a drone attacked caused damage. The plant will process 5.8 million tonnes of oil in 2024. This is 2.2% of Russia’s total refining production. It will produce 1.2 millions tons of gasoline, as well as 1.9 million tones of diesel, and?1.0million tons of fuel oil. ILSKY On July 10, local officials reported that a drone had attacked the Ilsky oil refinery, located in southern Krasnodar. The design capacity of the refinery is more than 6 million metric tonnes of oil per annum. OMSK On July?6, Ukrainian drones attacked the Omsk refinery, causing a large fire. The Russian air defences destroyed the majority of drones that were involved in the attack. Governor Vitaly Khodsenko confirmed this. The extent of the damage to the refinery was not immediately known. The design capacity of Omsk's oil refinery is about 22 million metric tonnes of oil per annum. NORSI Ukrainian drones struck NORSI, Russia’s fourth largest oil refinery owned by Lukoil for the second time on 2 July and crude processing has been suspended according to sources. The attack damaged CDU-6 which can process 25700 metric tonnes per day. This is 53% of refinery capacity. NORSI can process up to 16 million metric tonnes of oil per annum, or about 320,000 barrels a day. Local authorities reported that on June 28, Ukrainian drones attacked Russian targets, including the Slavyansk Oil Refinery in southern Krasnodar Region. Slavyansk Refinery is a privately owned plant with a capacity of approximately 100,000 barrels per day. YAROSLAVL On July 6, Ukrainian forces attacked a Russian refinery located in Yaroslavl (about 250 km from Moscow). The refinery can process 15 million metric tonnes per year or about 300,000 barrels a day. UFA Ukraine forces attacked an oil refinery a second-time on 1 July in Ufa near the southern Ural Mountains. The refinery is capable of processing more than 7,000,000 tons of oil annually. ORENBURG On June 24, the Ukrainian military announced that it had hit Orenburg's gas processing plant. The plant has a production capacity of 45 billion cubic metres of natural gas each year. MOSCOW According to sources, the operations of an oil refinery in Moscow were halted on 16 June after a drone attack by Ukraine. On June 18, a second attack caused damage to processing units and multiple fires. The Kapotnya district in the south-east of the capital has a capacity of 11 million tons per year. TANECO Tatneft Russian TANECO oil refinery halted operation after a drone strike on June 12th. The refinery is equipped with hydrocracking units, catalytic and delayed coking. According to industry data, TANECO will process 17 million tonnes of crude oil by 2024 and produce 2.7 millions tons of gasoline, 8.5 millions tons of diesel fuel, and 1.3million tons of petroleum coke. KUIBYSHEV Rosneft’s Kuibyshev refinery stopped processing on 10 June after a drone attack. According to industry sources, the refinery will process 4.7 million tonnes of crude oil in 2024. TUAPSE Ukraine attacked a refinery at the Black Sea port Tuapse, Ukraine's military reported on May 27. Officials said that a drone attack caused a major fire to break out at the refinery in April 28. The facility was forced to stop operations. The plant has an annual capacity of 12 million tonnes and produces fuel oil, naphtha and vacuum gasoil. Ports/Oil Facilities Ukraine attacked two Russian oil depots located in Tver and Stavropol, about 500 kilometers (310 miles), from the frontline, said President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on July 9. On July 8, Ukrainian drones struck the Krasnodarskaya Pumping Station, which is part of the natural-gas supply chain from Turkey to Ukraine via the Blue Stream Pipeline. Gas supplies were unaffected. Kyiv reported on July 8 that Ukrainian drones had'struck an oil-pumping station in Russia Bashkortostan, over 1,500km from the border. Authorities said that Ukrainian drones attacked the Baltic Sea ports Vysotsk, Ust-Luga and Sevastopol on July 6, causing damage to the major oil exporting outlets of Vysotsk, Ust-Luga and Sevastopol. They also caused an outage in Sevastopol (home of Russia's Black Sea Fleet), a city located in Crimea. Authorities reported on June 8 that a loading complex in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk caught fire after a drone strike. Authorities in Krasnodar said that a fire started at the southern Russian port of Temryuk following a drone attack by Ukraine. The local governor reported that fuel storage facilities in the Yaroslavl area of Russia caught fire after a Ukraine drone attack on May 29. On May 3, Ukraine attacked Russia’s ports in the Baltic Sea and Black Sea, including Primorsk, oil tanks and military vessels. TANKERS On July 8, industry sources reported that a drone attacked Chevron's Yasa Polaris oil-tanker, which was used to transport Caspian Pipeline consortium shipments off the coast of Russia. On July 8, the governor of Russia's Rostov Region said that two tankers had been attacked by Ukrainian drones on the Sea of Azov. (Reporting and Editing by Ros Russel)
Sources say Trafigura has withdrawn from the Angola Transmission Line Project
Trafigura has "walked away" from a proposed 2,050 megawatt transmission line that would have transported surplus hydropower in Angola to copper mines and cobalt deposits in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to two sources who are directly involved.
This is one of three private-backed transmission projects, worth billions, that aim to supply electricity from Angola – which has an abundance of stranded hydropower – to vital minerals operations in neighbouring countries facing power shortages.
Trafigura signed a non-binding agreement in July 2024 with the Angolan Government and engineering firm ProMarks to conduct feasibility studies.
One industry source said, "Trafigura abandoned the project."
Trafigura has withdrawn from the project, according to a second source within the Angolan Government. The project is still in negotiation and "some changes have been made?regarding consortium members interested in implementing this contract."
The ministry of energy and water did not?respond immediately to questions, and it is?unclear whether the government intends to pursue the project.
When asked if it still supported the project Trafigura, a member of the Lobito Corridor Railway Consortium that transports critical minerals from DRC to Western markets, responded: "No comment".
ProMarks has not responded to any requests for comment.
Other TRANSMISSION Projects to Fill the Gap
Meridia Energy is developing two other transmission lines, a joint-venture between Dubai's Averi Finance, and Morocco's Somagec. These are moving forward and could fill in the gap.
Officials said that the project would connect Angola’s national grid with Kolwezi, which is a strategic hub of DRC’s copper and cobalt mining. It will also link Angola to the Southern African Power Pool, and reinforce the Lobito Corridor.
The project will also strengthen the electricity grid in Angola’s oil-heavy Cabinda Province and connect Soyo City in the north with the DRC.
The project includes a $450 million Soyo Inga Cabinda line, with a?capacity of up to 800MW and a $1.25 billion Lauca - Kolwezi link, with a?capacity of?upto 1,400MW.
Joao Alvares is the chief investment officer of Averi. He said, "We aim to commercially operate both lines by 2030."
Separately U.S. based HYDRO-LINK is planning to build an Interconnector between Angola & the DRC. The goal is to provide reliable, low cost?electricity primarily for the Lualaba & Katanga Mining Provinces.
The project, worth $1.5 billion, would cover approximately 1,200 km (746 miles), and would include five substations. Construction is expected to last about two and half years. (Additional reporting by Wendell Roelf, Editing by Bate and Louise Heavens.)
(source: Reuters)