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New York Times Business News - August 25,
These are the top stories on the New York Times business pages for August 25, 2018. These stories have not been?verified and we cannot vouch for their accuracy. The Supreme Court, which was divided on Monday, allowed the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump to proceed with its executive order that directed?the U.S. Postal Service will help determine which voters should receive mail-in votes before midterm elections. The Trump administration proposed a steep new fee on Monday for visas granted to foreign skilled workers. This is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to fundamentally revamp the H-1B Visa program. The Trump administration plans to also revoke visas for foreign nationals who have come to the United States "temporarily" for business or tourism but sought to stay longer in the country by applying for asylum. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently issued subpoenas for banks to provide information on the trading of Situational Awareness, a hedge fund that is based on artificial intelligence. A private arbitrator ordered The Washington Post to hire back?opinion writer Karen Attiah. She was fired in September for her social media posts regarding the assassination conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Compiled by Bengaluru Newsroom)
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German investigators discover third drone and explosives after failed airport assault, say media
German investigators have discovered a third drone and suspected explosives linked to the attempted attack on the Leipzig/Halle Airport this month, according to the NDR and WDR radio stations and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. Media reports stated that the drone was discovered on August 14, 10 day after the incident. It was located?towards the west of airport where investigators also?found about 50 grams (1.8oz) of what they suspected as the military explosive hexogen. The office of the?prosecutor general?didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. The reports cite security sources who suspect Russian intelligence involvement. This accusation has been denied by Moscow. A drone containing explosives was found on August 4?near an Antonov cargo plane used for?military?supplies. Investigators suspect that a second drone 'collided' with a DHL cargo plane shortly after the airport was temporarily closed. The airport is used by NATO and Ukraine's Antonov Airlines to supply military supplies. (Written by Friederike?Heine, edited by Clarence Fernandez).
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Lockerbie Bombing Trial postponed days before its start by US Judge
The trial of the man accused by authorities of building the bomb that allegedly blew Pan Am Flight 103 out the sky over Lockerbie in Scotland and killed 270 people in 1988 was postponed on Monday by a federal judge. The jury selection was'scheduled' to begin on Wednesday for the trial of Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi. Prosecutors claim that the Libyan intelligence agent confessed his involvement in the 1988 bombing. U.S. district judge Dabney Friedrich said that the defense attorneys wanted to review new evidence. She said that "the newly-discovered evidence, as well evidence found in other countries", and "the need for the defense determine the best way to defend this case", led her to make the decision. Friedrich didn't schedule a new date for the trial but instead set up a hearing in court on September 1, to discuss next steps. Mas'ud has now reached his mid-70s and has pleaded no contest to two criminal charges relating to the destruction of an aircraft that resulted in death. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The Boeing 747 that exploded in London minutes after takeoff on December 21, 1998 killed all 259 passengers, including 190 Americans and 11 people on ground in Scotland. The bombing turned former Libyan leader Muammar Gadafi - whose government had accepted responsibility for 2003's attack - into an international pariah. Mas'ud denies wrongdoing, and his lawyers question the credibility of evidence collected by prosecutors. This includes Mas'ud's supposed confession to a Libyan Police?Officer in 2012, one year after rebel forces overthrew Gaddafi's regime. The trial of Mas'ud in a 'Washington, D.C. Federal 'court has been delayed for years by legal wrangling about the alleged confession, and other issues, which have revealed the complexities of a U.S. prosecution of a decades-old British attack with key evidence gathered in Libya. Mas'ud was arrested in Libya in 2022 and brought to the U.S. He is accused of constructing a "time-delayed" bomb which was placed into a suitcase and checked luggage in Malta. The suitcase containing explosives eventually found its way to London Heathrow Airport where it was placed in the hold of Pan Am Flight 103.
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US Supreme Court gives Trump a victory over restrictions on mail-in voting
The?U.S. The?U.S. Supreme Court lifted on Monday a judicial ruling that had prevented President Donald Trump from implementing an executive order restricting the use of mail-in votes ahead of the November midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. However, another judicial ruling remains. The Justice Department received an emergency request from the Justice Department to suspend an injunction issued by U.S. judge Indira Talwani in Boston in June, which prevented the Republican President from implementing his directive against a coalition consisting of 23 states, mostly governed by Democrats, and Washington, D.C., who had sued in order to stop him. The court is conservatively majority with a 6 to 3 margin. Three liberal justices were dissidents from the ruling. As the midterm elections approach, the Supreme Court's decision leaves the door open for states to sue again in the future. However, the court didn't act on a second injunction that Talwani issued on August 11, which blocked the U.S. Postal Service across the country is not enforcing stricter voting rules in accordance with the directive. The judge made this order as part of a separate lawsuit brought by voting rights groups. The Justice Department had asked the Supreme Court to clarify that it applied its decision to both of Talwani's?injunctions. However, the justices didn't do this on Monday. Both lawsuits challenged Trump's executive order as being unconstitutional. TRUMP'S MARK EXECUTIVE ORDDER Trump's March executive order directed the Department of Homeland Security?to compile and transmit to each state a list of U.S. Citizens eligible to vote, while the Justice Department prioritized investigating and prosecuting local and state election officials who issued ballots to people deemed "not qualified" to vote at federal elections. The order also mandated that the U.S. Postal Service will only deliver ballots to those voters who are on the approved list of mail-in votes for each state. Postal Service has recently implemented Trump's directive. Trump has promised to stop the use of mail in ballots before the midterm elections. He has also cast doubts on their security, even though evidence of voter fraud has been rare. Republicans want to keep control of Congress during the fiercely contested midterm elections. Republicans would benefit disproportionately from limiting mail-in votes, as Democratic voters are more likely to use them than Republican voters. JUDGE RULED TRUMP lacked authority Talwani ruled in June that the President lacked authority to order any changes in the way states administer federal election, noting that states are responsible for determining 'voter eligibility requirements' under the U.S. Constitution. The judge noted that federal agencies are unable to compile accurate lists of citizens for each state. The Justice Department had said that the lawsuit against Trump's directive was premature, and the states lacked the legal standing to sue at this point. The administration stated that the agencies haven't taken any concrete steps to impact the states, and any harm they claim is speculation. The states claim that their claims are real and that the "rushed effort to change the rules for mail voting just before the midterm elections in November risks disenfranchising substantial numbers of voters." The judge rejected administration arguments. He found that the lawsuit was not filed too "soon" and that states had a legal right to file the suit because they would be subjected to disruption of election administration, compliance costs, and the credible threat of criminal prosecution. Trump's executive orders is part of a larger effort to fundamentally change the U.S. election system. Trump, who has made false claims of widespread fraud in U.S. elections including his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden, has pressed the Republican-controlled Congress to pass a contentious package of voting restrictions called the SAVE America Act. (Reporting from Andrew Chung, New York; Editing done by Will Dunham and Matthew Lewis.)
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WestJet cabin staff approves proposed deal following strike
WestJet's?flight attendants voted on Monday to accept a tentative deal that would?increase wages?"by a?more than 18%?over the next three years?, according to their union. This follows a strike earlier in the month that resulted in hundreds of cancellations. Flight attendants at the airline 'also received duty pay premiums as part of an 'overall shift in North America where cabin crews are challenging compensation structures based primarily on flying time, rather than each?hour worked. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 4,400 WestJet Flight Attendants, sought compensation for the period from when members report to work until their clock-out. The 'tentative agreement' would offer a premium to compensate for time that was previously unpaid. Air Canada, Alaska Air, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines have all introduced a pay-for-boarding system or specified ground time. This has increased the pressure on other carriers to recognize more of what attendants do on duty. On August 3, the?union announced that it had tentatively reached a?deal with Canada’s second largest?carrier which is owned by Onex Corp.
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Sources say that the derailment of Rusal in Guinea has stopped alumina exports.
Three sources said that a train owned by Russian aluminium producer?Rusal, derailed over the weekend in Guinea's Dubreka Prefecture, halting exports of alumina and slowing production. Two company officials reported that the train carrying alumina fell off the track near Kagbelen, on Saturday evening. The incident injured four people and forced the suspension of rail traffic. Senior Friguia refinery officials said that alumina production continued at a slower pace after the accident but they could not quantify its impact. Exports are at a standstill. "A team has been dispatched on the site to assess and repair the situation," said the official. They asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak on the subject publicly. Rusal didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Guinean authorities have not yet released an official statement on the cause of the derailment. RUSAL FACE EXPORT DISRUPTIONS Guinea, the world's leading exporter of the bauxite ore that is used to produce aluminium, faces disruptions in its exports. Rusal runs the only alumina refining plant in the country, with a capacity of 600,000.00 metric tons annually. It supplies?alumina for the Russian aluminium smelters. The derailment of the Rusal ship in Guinea is a further challenge to Rusal's exports since the Iran War disrupted shipping lanes. According to a fourth source, the incident has disrupted the supply of key production inputs such as fuel and caustic soda, which are transported by rail between the port refinery. Rusal's second executive and a mining expert?said that the company had already cut alumina production before the derailment due to?fuel supply issues. Guinea's mining industry relies on a number of privately-operated rail corridors that connect bauxite, iron ore and alumina refineries with export terminals. The derailment, according to a senior official in the transport ministry, highlighted a 'chronic'?shortcoming of railway maintenance. According to the refinery's official, Friguia reopened in 2018 after closing in 2012. Since then, it has produced around 450,000 tons alumina per year. (Reporting and editing by Matthew Lewis; Maxwell Akalaare Adombila, Guinea newsroom)
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Putin gives Russia control over infrastructure that is vulnerable to drone attacks
On Monday, President Vladimir Putin 'granted the Russian state authority to seize control of critical infrastructure that is not adequately protected against Ukrainian drone attacks or other threats. A presidential decree outlines the special powers that will allow Ukraine to temporarily take over management of these facilities. This is at a time where drone attacks on oil refineries, retail warehouses and other critical infrastructure have increased. According to the decree, the state can take control of assets such as physical or financial and formal ownership rights when entities in charge of these?facilities fail to do their job to protect them. This applies to fuel, energy, communication, industrial and transport facilities, as well as other items deemed critical for the economic and security stability of both the state and its population. First Deputy Premier Denis Manturov stated that the measure would not be used on a large scale and should not be seen as a prelude to nationalisation. "This is not a nationalisation or change in ownership." Manturov, quoted by Interfax as saying that the decree allows for the state to be involved in managing an entity in order to "address certain?security concerns". Last week, Putin ordered the government launch a program to rebuild damaged or destroyed commercial warehouses caused by Ukraine in recent weeks. Kyiv has destroyed a significant portion of the storage capacity at Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer. Since July 18, Kyiv has targeted more than two dozen warehouses. Russia's second largest online retailer Ozon said on Monday that four of its southern Russian logistics hubs had been attacked by Ukrainian forces. (Reporting by Editing by Andrew Osborn, Alexandra Hudson)
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UK's Burnham: 'Glorifying dangerous driving in social media is repugnant'
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham referred to the promotion of dangerous driving via social media as "truly repugnant" on Monday, while his government called for tech companies to remove videos after a weekend car crash that killed seven people. In the early morning hours of Saturday, a car that was driven in the wrong direction down a major highway crashed into a police vehicle with armed officers in Northeast England. All five passengers and two officers were killed. Police said that four of the five people in the car had prior convictions. The police said that they had arrested 12 people as part of an investigation into organized criminal activity related to the incident. The accident came after two recent head-on crashes near Dublin. One of them killed five people. This prompted Ireland's chief police officer to warn that some young people are driving wrong way on motorways "for social media". The police said that there is no evidence to suggest the events that led up to the accident were filmed for the purpose of appearing on the short-form video platform TikTok. Burnham described the incident as "devastating" but said that he couldn't say more at this point because an investigation is ongoing. He told Kyiv reporters on Monday that anyone who promotes dangerous driving does something truly reprehensible. Since the accident, the government has raised the issue with social media companies of videos of dangerous driving and asked that they be removed. The police said they had received reports of dangerous driving before the crash, including one vehicle seen ramming into a property in Middlesbrough in northeast England. Police said that both vehicles were operating with cloned plates in order to avoid detection. Nine men and three woman, aged between 19 and 60, were arrested by police in the Teesside region after inquiries conducted over the weekend. Police said that the suspects were detained on suspicion of crimes ranging from possessing a firearm to engaging in 'activities of organised crime groups'. In a press release, Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox stated that the investigation was fast-moving with significant connections to serious criminal activity.
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)
(source: Reuters)