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Malta flights disrupted by ash cloud from Mount Etna in Sicily
On?Tuesday an ash cloud from Sicily’s Mount Etna volcanic eruption drifted over?Malta, forcing some airlines to cancel flights to the Mediterranean Island at the height tourism season. Malta International Airport posted a message on Facebook saying that "we're experiencing flight delays due to volcanic ash clouds" over the Maltese Islands, following recent activity at Mount Etna. A spokesperson stated that 19 flights were cancelled by mid-afternoon Tuesday, and a number of?other flights?were significantly delayed. Malta Airport is located 220 kilometers (140 miles), south of Mount Etna. Mount Etna is the most active volcanic mountain in Europe. It erupted again last week and forced the closure of Sicily’s main airport, in the city Catania, for several days. Catania Airport, Italy's 5th busiest airport by passenger traffic, announced?on? Tuesday that it would extend the halt on all arrivals and departures to 11:00 a.m. (0900 GMT) on Wednesday. Before travelling to either airport, passengers with flights out of both?Catania or Malta were advised to check the status of their flight. Reporting by Chris Scicluna, Crispian Balmer and Jan Harvey.
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Sources and data show that Russia's oil exports via the Arctic route to Asia are starting strongly.
According to three sources of trade and LSEG shipping information, Russia began shipping crude oil 'via its Arctic sea routes' this year at a quicker pace compared to a year earlier. Seven cargoes containing 6 million barrels are already headed to Asia. The Northern Sea Route is usually open between July 1 and October 1 every year. It connects Russia's western port with Asian markets via Arctic waters. The route is being used more frequently by Russia because it allows its cargoes to be delivered to China and other parts in Asia without having to transit waters where they would face inspections, detentions, or other restrictions from?European Authorities linked to Ukraine related sanctions against Russia. According to Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear corporation that oversees the NSR, the volume of about 850,000 tons of oil represents almost half of the roughly 13 millions barrels of oil shipped via the Arctic Route during last year's navigation period. In 2025, crude shipments along the route fell 4% on an annual basis. Rosatom has declined to comment. The arctic route reduces the time it takes to travel from Asia Traders said China, the primary destination for Russian crude transported via this route, may increase its purchases if Middle Eastern supplies are disrupted by the Iran conflict. The NSR reduces the journey time to China by two weeks when compared to the traditional route via Suez Canal. One trader who supplies NSR said that the ice conditions this year are mild and facilitating navigation. Logistical issues in both the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the Black Sea, support Arctic shipments of Russian crude oil to China. Another trader said he also expects the oil supply via the?NSR this year to be higher than 2025 because of economic and geopolitical reasons. The traders say that China's ports are close to the Russian Far Eastern export terminals, making it the biggest beneficiary of the NSR during navigation season. Seven?tankers are currently sailing through the NSR to Asia. Six of them are Aframax vessels with a capacity of approximately 750,000 barrels, while one Suezmax tanker has a capacity of about 1 million barrels. According to LSEG, three of the tankers fly the Russian flag, while the others are flown by Oman?and Cameroon. According to traders, the expected launch of the first phase of Rosneft's massive Vostok oil project in Russia could also increase oil supplies through NSR. The amount of oil that will be exported from this project in 2018 is still unknown. (Reporting and Editing by Jan Harvey).
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US fuel exports to Cuba cause chaos on the black market
Gasoline for $38 per gallon is sold in cramped apartments. Diesel is marketed on Instagram with reggaeton music by a celebrity. Cuba's communist sector of energy is experiencing capitalist cracks six decades after Fidel's revolution. The exception to Washington's crippling oil embargo on Cuba that allows U.S. companies to export fuel to Cuban private businesses has triggered a black market, and lifted the lid of an energy sector tightly controlled since Dwight Eisenhower occupied the White House. After the U.S., oil shipments to Cuba from its traditional suppliers Venezuela and Mexico abruptly ceased. ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January. U.S. Coast Guard cutters are patrolling the waters near Cuba while sanctions and threats have discouraged tankers from setting sail. The embargo hampered essential services run by the state, such as healthcare, public transportation and schools. Under the Commerce Department's exception, however, only a small amount of fuel is now reaching restaurants, retailers, and taxis. This is the first time that U.S. fuel has been landed on the Caribbean Island since Castro nationalized the refineries following the 1959 Revolution. It is not possible to determine which U.S. oil companies are shipping fuels to Cuba. However, there are no signs that major oil traders have been involved. Some of the fuel is sold on the black-market, allowing those with the means to maintain their gas tanks and home generators. This helps the public transport system, rolling blackouts and the faltering water supply in the country. The new system, while providing some relief to the poor, is increasing wealth disparities. Amarilis Sánchez, 53, spent hours waiting at a Havana bus stop on a recent afternoon in July. She had come to Havana to celebrate the birthday of her daughter, but was now losing hope that the bus, which costs 2 pesos to take home, would arrive. A few taxi drivers were leaning against antique cars across the street. Ismael, one of the taxi drivers, offered to take Sanchez but said the trip would be 1,000 pesos. This is 500 times more than the bus because of the black-market price of diesel and gasoline, the fuel that many Cuban cars run on. Sanchez, who is unemployed, could not afford to do this. She said that her plan was for her to wait until the sun went down and if it didn't arrive, she would sleep at the house of her daughter and then return the next morning. Backroom Deals and Social Media Ads While the 900k barrels of U.S. Fuel imported between February and May were only enough to meet the country's needs for energy for nine days, they have led to "big" changes. Reporters found this out during their visits to legal wholesalers and black market distributors as well as in discussions with business owners and economists. Havana fell into darkness when the national grid failed just before 11 pm on a Sunday night this month. However, generators powered by imported fuel kept a few shops and restaurants lit. In plain view, a thriving resale marketplace has sprung up. Another day, in a central Havana convenience store stocked with sodas, beer, and crackers customers played pool at the entrance. The shopkeeper keeps gasoline in a large room at the back of the store. She sells it for $5 per liter, or $19 per gallon. In a nearby tenement, a man, who advertised gasoline on Facebook, hoards it in his tiny apartment, despite the dangers of fire, explosions, and toxic fumes. WhatsApp groups dedicated to the illegal sale of fuel have become widespread. The black-market price peaked this spring at a staggering $10 per liter ($38 for a gallon), before falling as imports increased. In February, in an effort to avoid the paralysis caused by the oil blockade the government allowed private companies to import fuel to use themselves. Cuban legislators approved in June a comprehensive package of economic reforms to open the energy sector up to foreign and private investors. Although this package is not yet fully implemented, it was approved by Cuban lawmakers in June. The reforms would open up the energy sector to private and foreign investors. In a social media viral advertisement for such a company, a model who is the ex-girlfriend a Cuban reggaeton singer struts around a warehouse full of industrial bulk containers filled with diesel while Daddy Yankee's "Gasolina", a hit song by Daddy Yankee, plays in the background. A spokesperson from the company that created the advertisement, A Granel said they only sell to registered private businesses. The company charges $2.50 per liter for a 940-liter tank. CUBA GAS STATIONS UP TO GRABS? Manuel Marrero Cruz, Cuba's Prime Minister, said that the island has now approved its first foreign investment project to import and sell fuel. He did not name the company. Cuban law prohibits companies from reselling fuel imported without express authorization. Cuba has not yet approved retail sales despite the reforms that indicate private companies may be able soon to operate some of the distinctive Cupet red and green gas stations. Oniel Diz, the founder of Havana's consulting firm Auge, stated that some state-run gas stations store U.S. gasoline, which they can only disburse to vehicles registered with specific private companies. Cuban authorities have not responded to requests for comments. On July 29, President Miguel Diaz Canel denounced Washington's "genocidal" siege of the island. He said that economic reforms weren't undertaken to please Washington, and vowed no "massive Privatization of National Assets." State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott responded to questions by saying Washington acknowledged "the significant humanitarian need" of Cubans while accusing Cuban officials of incompetence, and diverting resources without providing any evidence. He stated that private businesses, diplomatic missions, and?NGOs can import fuel from the United States. However, he did not address questions regarding the impact of U.S. policies on Cuba's high prices and black market. The average monthly government salary is only $10 (roughly 6,700 pesos), so imported fuels are out of reach for most of the 9 million islanders. Fuel sold on the blackmarket is illegal in Cuba and violates U.S. export regulations, which state that fuel can only be used by the private sector and not the Cuban government. Jorge Pinon, an energy expert and former oil executive from Cuba who works at University of Texas at Austin, stated that "it looks good on paper but there is no monitoring of the people's compliance" with the restrictions. The news agency was not able to determine the amount of U.S. gasoline that reaches the black markets, nor could it find any evidence that the fuel ended up in Cuban officials' hands or government sanctioned entities. Diaz stated that other countries such as Mexico and Panama have also exported small amounts to Cuba's Private Sector in recent months. STATE CONTROLS GAS STATIONS AND PORTS Fuel destined for U.S. private buyers is currently required to pass through state-owned ports and storage tanks controlled by entities sanctioned by the U.S. Diaz says that private Cuban companies enter into service agreements for the use state infrastructure with these entities, paying?11 cents per liter. No evidence was found that fuel was diverted in this process. Jeremy Paner is a former U.S. Treasury Department Investigator who advises businesses. Cuba has said it will continue to relax restrictions and encourage private investment but it is unclear how far these reforms will extend. Mayra Espina is a Cuban sociologist who specializes on poverty. She says that the few supplies of expensive U.S. gasoline don't even begin to compensate for the volume of fuel Trump's embargo has kept out. She said, "It has at least prevented the country from being paralyzed completely." For the vast majority who depend on public services, "it increases and entrenches inequalities." Reporting by Laura Gottesdiener in Havana and Ayose Naranjo in Mexico City. Claudia Parsons edited the piece.
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AirBaltic, a Latvian airline, is considering converting its debt into equity and has requested EUR225 million in interim funding
The Latvian state-controlled carrier airBaltic has asked bondholders to allow it to secure EUR225m interim financing in order for the airline's near-term liquidity requirements. It is doing this as a way of securing its finances and avoiding default. The company stated that the plan was to "strengthen the airline on a long-term basis". It added that the flight schedule would be maintained as usual. According to airBaltic, Lufthansa has a 10% share in the company. The proposal is dependent on bondholder approvals and other approvals. The company also said that it proposed a permanent funding package, which "contemplates", the?bondholders converting part of their EUR380 million bonds into shares, and the remainder of the bonds being replaced by new debt, up to EUR125 millions. AirBaltic said that its other unnamed obligations will also be converted into equity. The revised business plan calls for a fleet of all Airbus A220-300 aircraft to be reduced from 54 to 36 by the end of 2026 and then gradually increased to 40 by 2030. In the previous plan, it was anticipated that the fleet would grow to 100 planes by 2030. The company expects that "more efficient operations" will generate EUR45 million per year. AirBaltic said that it plans to "recapitalise" EUR225 million in new debt financing, and EUR100 millions of?new equity. AirBaltic’s financial struggles highlight the structural problems that some airlines have faced since the U.S./Israeli war against Iran began. The company had planned to ask bondholders for short-term funding at an August 3 meeting. However, the meeting was postponed when bondholders did not show up. The Latvian public broadcaster LSM reported that a new meeting was scheduled for three days after the interest payment due August 14. Andris Kuulbergs, the Prime Minister of Latvia, said last month that the government was in negotiations with a strategic shareholder to put the company on a "sustainable footing". Fitch Ratings said last month that airBaltic’s capital structure was not sustainable. It included leased aircraft as well as a "very expensive bond", due in 2029. (Reporting and editing by Keith Weir in Vilnius)
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After Marine One's close call, the U.S. Transport secretary is working to fix telecom problems.
Sean Duffy, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, said that he is working to fix telecom issues raised?after? a military helicopter with President Donald Trump sped too close last week to a departing passenger jet at Reagan Washington National Airport. The incident raised serious concerns about why the passenger plane?was allowed?to depart while Marine One was near, at a time when commercial traffic is usually halted. After a crash in January 2025 between a military heli and a commercial plane that killed 67, the Federal Aviation Administration banned mixed helicopter and jet traffic around the airport. Duffy, a reporter at Newark Liberty International Airport, said that there had been "some telecom issues". He said that the FAA is now working on a fix for the White House. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford addressed the media at the New Jersey Airport for a?event that marked the installation of a surface?movement?radar?used to increase runway safety. After a series failures, including major outages affecting Newark and Washington traffic and an FAA radar surveillance system that failed in 2023 and forced a nationwide ground stop, the FAA will spend billions replacing outdated 'air traffic control telecom infrastructure' and radar.surveillance systems.
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Farmers union: Ukraine grain exports drop to meager levels in August
The?exports of Ukraine's wheat and?barley were very low?over the period August 1-10, after Russian attacks?effectively?shut?Black?Sea?ports, said?traders? at a major farmer's union on Tuesday. Both Ukraine and Russia have intensified their campaigns against logistic targets. E-commerce warehouses and Ukrainian petrol stations were targeted heavily this summer. In recent weeks, Russia has attacked Ukrainian Black Sea port terminals, vessels and export terminals almost every day. UAC's trading department, the largest farmers' union in the country, reported that Ukraine had exported a total of 122,000 metric tons (tonnages) of wheat, and 1,160 ton (tonnages) of barley between August 1-10. This is only 6% the total exports of wheat and barley for 'last August. In a report published every week, UAC said that "wheat and barley will be extremely difficult to export in August and Septembre." Ukraine exports significant volumes of barley, wheat and other grains in the first few months following harvest. 90% of Ukraine's agricultural exports are handled by the Odesa hub. The Agriculture Ministry?said?this month that losses to the agriculture sector could reach $3 billion. (Reporting and editing by David Goodman, Pavel Polityuk)
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What has been attacked by Ukraine in its attacks on Russian energy sites?
Ukrainian forces have intensified their strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, among other targets. Kyiv claims that this is part of an effort to deny Russia the resources it needs to fund its military. Here is a list of recent attacks and their impact, starting with the latest: ORSK On Tuesday, the Ukrainian military announced that it had attacked the Orsknefteorgsintez refinery located in Orsk. Orsk is the second largest city in Orenburg and an important industrial center. The refinery has a design capacity of around 6 million tons of oil per annum. ZapSibNeftekhim Ukraine’s special forces announced on August 10 that their drones hit the ZapSibNeftekhim plant in Russia’s Tyumen Region. Sibur Holding's ZapSibNeftekhim plant has a total design capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per year. TANECO The Ukrainian military attacked the TANECO oil refining plant owned by Tatneft, a Russian company. TANECO will process 17 million tons crude oil by 2024. ILSKY Following a drone attack by Ukraine, a fire broke out in the Ilsky oil refining plant and five people were injured in southern Krasnodar, the local authorities reported on August 8. The fire was then extinguished. Local officials reported on July 10 that the Ilsky refinery was set ablaze by a drone. The design capacity of the refinery is more than 6 million metric tonnes of oil per annum. YAROSLAVL The Yaroslavl Russian refinery, located about 250 km (160 mi) northeast of Moscow was on fire after a large Ukrainian drone attack on August 6, but emergency crews were able to extinguish it later, according to regional governor Mikhail Evrayev. On July 27, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Ukrainian forces had attacked Russian oil installations in Yaroslavl. The Yaroslavl refinery has a processing capacity of up to 15 million tons per annum. VOLGOGRAD A drone attack on the Volgograd refinery has caused a complete shutdown of crude oil processing, according to two sources in the industry. Five people were injured in the Volgograd area after a drone attacked an energy facility. Regional governor Andrei Bocharov did not provide further details about the damage. The Lukoil owned refinery will process 13.5 million tonnes of oil in 2024. SARATOV On August 2, the military in Kyiv reported that Ukrainian forces had attacked the Rosneft owned Saratov oil refining plant located in southwest Russia. Two sources claim that the Saratov oil refinery in Russia stopped processing oil on August 2, following this attack. The plant will process 5.8 million tons of oil in 2024. RYAZAN Russia’s Ryazan refinery, which is one of the largest in the country, halted crude processing on July 29, following a drone strike, and two industry sources said that it could close for up to two weeks. In 2024, the refinery will process 13.1 million tonnes of crude oil. Two industry sources said that a Ukrainian drone attack at Lukoil’s Perm refinery caused an fire which damaged and forced the closure of one of their crude distillation units. By 2024, it is expected that the refinery will process approximately 12.6 million tonnes of oil. TYUMEN On July 25, Russian authorities reported that a Ukrainian drone struck the Tyumen refinery, causing a fire. The fire was extinguished later. Sources said that the refinery stopped operations following the attack. The plant processes approximately 6 million tonnes of crude oil per year. Industry sources reported that the Salavat complex in Bashkortostan's Urals region halted its operations on 14 July following an attack by a Ukrainian drone. AFIPSKY A fire has broken out at the Afipsky refinery, located in southern Krasnodar Region of Russia. The cause was drone debris that fell from the sky. The refinery is capable of processing over 9 million tons of oil each year. SYZRAN According to industry sources, the Russian oil refinery Syzran on the Volga River in the Samara Region halted its operations on July 12 after a drone strike damaged a primary unit. The Rosneft refinery was also attacked by Ukrainian drones on May 21. After the attack, which damaged a primary unit of processing, the refinery stopped operations. The refinery had suspended operations after the attacks of April 18. The refinery can process 8.5 million tonnes per annum. OMSK On July 6, Ukrainian drones attacked the Omsk'refinery,' causing a fire. The Russian air defences destroyed the majority of drones, said Vitaly Khotsenko, the Governor. 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 is Russia's largest?producer? of gasoline. It can process up to 16 million metric tonnes?of oil each year. UFA Ukraine forces attacked an oil refinery a second-time on 1 July in Ufa near the Ural Mountains. The refinery is capable of processing more than 7,000,000 tons of oil annually. MOSCOW According to sources, the operations of the Moscow oil refinery were halted after an attack by a Ukrainian drone on June 16. On June 18, another 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. Ports/Oil Facilities Drone attacks on the Black Sea in July affected as much as one fifth of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's (CPC's) oil loadings, according to four sources who are familiar with the figures. The Russia-Ukraine conflict also impacted the sales of western and Kazakhstani oil majors. Kyiv’s security service reported on July?25 that Ukrainian drones had struck the Filanovsky platform owned by Russia's Lukoil LKOH.MM, in the Caspian Sea. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the President of Ukraine, said that Ukraine had struck two Russian oil storage depots located in Tver and Stavropol, which are both about 500 km away from the front lines. 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, but the gas supply was not affected. Kyiv reported on July 8 that Ukrainian drones had struck an oil pumping facility in Russia's Bashkortostan Region, which is more than 1,500km from the border. Authorities said that Ukrainian drone attacks in Sevastopol (home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet) and Vysotsk, both Baltic Sea ports, caused damage on July 6. Authorities reported on June 8 that a drone strike caused a fire to break out in a loading complex at the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk. (Reporting and Editing by Timothy Heritage).
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Phillips 66, Kinder Morgan, HF Sinclair approve $5 billion Western Gateway project
Phillips 66?Kinder Morgan & HF Sinclair announced on 'Tuesday that they had decided to move forward with the $5 bn Western Gateway Pipeline -system. They also finalized a joint venture agreement. Phillips 66, Kinder Morgan and HF Sinclair will each own 49.9%. Companies are racing to build an important new fuel pipeline for the U.S. West Coast ahead of planned refinery closings in California. This is a relatively 'isolated'?fuel market, with limited connections to major refining centers that leaves it?vulnerable? to supply disruptions and spikes in price. Western Gateway is proposed as a 1,300-mile refined product pipeline system with a capacity of 230,000 barrels a day. It would create a new fuel supply route between St. Louis Missouri, Gulf Coast origin points and Arizona and California. Phillips 66 Gold Pipeline which runs between Borger, Texas and St. Louis will be reversed in order to supply the proposed East-to-west'system', as well as Kinder Morgan's current pipeline between Colton California and Phoenix Arizona. Kinder Morgan will contribute its SFPP 'East Line' and SFPP - West Line assets to the joint venture after it completes a new pipeline connecting Borger with Phoenix. The value of these assets is estimated at $1.5 billion. Phillips 66 will provide nearly $2.5 billion as cash to the project, which is estimated to have a?enterprise worth of $5 billion. Kinder 'Morgan and HF Sinclair will each contribute approximately $250'million. They added that the new system was based on a 10-year take-or pay contract. (Reporting and editing by Jonathan Ananda in Bengaluru)
Alpha Compute says it will purchase Pennsylvania land and gas rights to build a $55 million datacenter campus in Pennsylvania.
Brittany Kaiser, CEO of Alpha Compute's AI infrastructure company, announced on Tuesday that the company had signed a "binding" agreement to purchase land in Pennsylvania and natural gas rights for $55,000,000 to build a campus with 200 megawatts of data centers. Data center developers are scrambling to find power sources in the United States due to the surge in demand for artificial intelligence. Pennsylvania, with its natural gas abundance from the Marcellus Shale Basin, existing power infrastructure, and proximity to major population centers on the East Coast has become one the most sought after locations in the United States for new data centres. Amazon announced last year that it would invest $20 billion into the state. Kaiser stated that Alpha Compute anticipates the northern Pennsylvania site to include gas-fired generation of power, and begin operation in the third quarter 2027. Kaiser said that the facility could be expanded in the future to produce one gigawatt of power. The project will 'combine data centers development with on-site natural gas production, a popular approach to connecting large AI facilities quickly to the grid. Kaiser stated that the deal includes undeveloped Marcellus rights covering approximately 1,800 mineral acres.
The agreement grants the British Virgin Islands company a sole option to purchase the assets. However, the transaction is still subject to due diligence and other agreements such as financing, permits, and final agreements. Kaiser stated that she expected to close the transaction after a diligence period of 60 days. The project's details have never been reported before.
This project will also require local approvals, at a moment when certain communities have tightened their restrictions on data centers due to their high 'electricity and water consumption. Kaiser stated that local communities have been open to the proposal. The exact location of the data center has not yet been revealed.
While Alpha ?Compute has traditionally provided confidential-computing services, it is a recent entrant to data center ?development. If the Pennsylvania project is approved, it would be Alpha?Compute's first US data center.
Kaiser stated that after the initial investment of $55 million, she expected the construction of the data center campus to cost a total amount of $500 million over several years. Kaiser stated that potential users were interested in secure computing solutions which use end-toend encryption. These services are used by government, military and increasingly private sector organizations to protect sensitive information.
(source: Reuters)