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Residents say that gunmen have killed at least 18 people, in the state of Benue, Nigeria.
Residents and local officials reported that gunmen had killed at least 18 people in Nigeria's northern state of?Benue in a weekend assault. This prompted a protest march by angry locals, who blocked the roads to protest against the violence. Benue is a frequent site of conflict between farming communities, cattle?herders and armed groups. These conflicts are often fueled by competition for land and resources. Udeme Edet, Benue Police spokesperson, gave a lower toll of deaths for the attack that took place in the early hours of Sunday morning. He said: "Eight people were killed and five others wounded." Residents in Otukpo Nobi, a community within the Otukpo Local Government Area said that armed men who were suspected by the?locals as Fulani herders opened fire between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m. Maxwell Ogiri, the local government chair, 'linked the violence to the murder of the head of the herders association two weeks ago. The attack was not immediately claimed by any group. Women and youths protested in 'the town of Otukpo. Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi and Hamza Ibrahim; Writing by Chijioke Ahuocha; Editing Helen Popper
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There are some flights to the Middle East that have resumed but there is still disruption.
Some airlines have maintained their suspensions, while others are increasing the number of flights they offer to certain parts of the Middle East following the conflict caused by the U.S.-Israeli?strikes against Iran. Here is an alphabetical update on the status of flights. AEGEAN AIRLINES The largest airline in Greece has cancelled flights to Dubai and Erbil until August 31 and to Baghdad and Baghdad until September 30. AIRBALTIC The cancellation of flights to Dubai is effective until October 24. AIR CANADA Canadian Airlines has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv, Dubai and Abu Dhabi until October 24. AIR FRANCE-KLM Air France has suspended flights to Beirut until July 20. Air France resumed flights to Riyadh and Tel Aviv in June, but Dubai was not reopened until July 8. KLM has suspended flights from Riyadh to Dammam, Dubai and Dammam until July 15 CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong Airlines plans to resume flights to Dubai and Riyadh as of September 1. The U.S. carrier suspended service for the Atlanta-Tel Aviv routes through December 18, 2018. The airline plans to resume New York JFK-Tel Aviv flights starting September 6, but the launch of Boston-Tel Aviv, originally scheduled for late October, will be delayed. FINNAIR Finnair has cancelled all Doha flights until October 2 and continues to avoid airspace in Iraq, Iran Syria, and Israel. The airline will resume Dubai flights in October, which are only operated during the winter. IAG-owned, British Airways has 'delayed' the resumption to its flights from Doha to August 1, and from Riyadh to August 8. Flights from Dubai, Tel 'Aviv, Bahrain, and Amman will be paused until?the end of the summer and resumed on October 25. When the airline resumes its services, it plans to reduce flights to Dubai, Doha and Riyadh to just one flight per day, while dropping Jeddah from the list of destinations. JAPAN AIRLINES Japan Airlines has suspended its scheduled Tokyo-Doha and Doha-Tokyo flight until August 31, and Doha-Tokyo until September 1. The Polish airline will resume its operations in Beirut during the summer of 2027 and its winter route from Dubai. LUFTHANSA GROUP SWISS delayed the return of flights to Tel Aviv till August and Brussels Airlines suspended its operations until 24 October. The suspension of Dubai flights by SWISS and Lufthansa will continue until September 13th. Lufthansa has suspended all flights to Abu Dhabi and Amman until 24 October. Eurowings, a low-cost airline, expects to resume flights to the remaining Middle East destinations this autumn, after resuming Erbil, Beirut, and Tel Aviv. ITA Airways also extended its suspension of flights to Riyadh and Dubai until July 31. NORWEGIAN AIR Low-cost airline has delayed the launch of Tel Aviv and Beirut indefinitely. No new dates have been set. SINGAPORE Airlines In order to meet a higher demand, the carrier has extended its Singapore-Dubai suspension until August 2. It also added services on Singapore-London Gatwick as well as Singapore-Melbourne from late March through October 24. TURKISH AIRLINES SunExpress, Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa's joint venture, will resume the Antalya to Dubai route on July 15. The flights to Bahrain, Beirut, and Erbil have been cancelled until July 14. WIZZ AIR Low-cost carrier has suspended flights from Europe to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman until mid-September. (Compiled by Josephine Mason and Jamie Freed. Elviira Lioma, Tiago Branao, Agnieszka Olesska, Bernadette HOG, Boleslaw LaSocki, Alexander Klyve Gudbrandsen, Romolo Tosiani. Matt Scuffham and Louise Heavens edited the article.
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Houthis vow revenge after accusing Saudi Arabia of attacking Sanaa Airport
The Houthi movement, which is aligned with Iran and controls the northern part of Yemen, accused Saudi Arabia Monday of airstrikes on Sanaa's international airport. They also vowed retaliation. Yahya Saree, the Houthi's military spokesperson, called the attacks a "blatant act of aggression". He said that they ended a long-running period of deescalation. He stated that Saudi Arabia would be held accountable for the attacks and they would not go unanswered. The Saudi government's communications office did not immediately respond to these accusations. On Monday, Yemen's internationally recognized government claimed that its armed forces had?targeted the runway at Sanaa International Airport in order to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing. According to a spokesman from Yemen's army, the plane landed safely at Hodeidah Airport, which is controlled by the Houthis. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States support the government that operates out of the southern port city of?Aden. Yemen has been battling civil wars and proxy attacks from foreign powers since more than a century, when the Houthis took over the capital city and forced the internationally recognized government to move to the south. A 2022 truce that was agreed upon after years of fighting between the Houthis and a Saudi-led alliance that caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world has held despite the regional escalation linked to the Israel/Gaza conflict, which saw the Houthis attack Red Sea shipping as well as the Iran Conflict. Yemen's civil war, which has lasted for more than 20 years, flared last year when a United Arab Emirates-backed movement that swept through the south splintered the Saudi-led alliance created to combat the Houthi group. Moammar bin Muthahar Al-Eryan is the Information Minister in the internationally recognized government. He said that the Houthis had detained an aircraft belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross and were holding the pilot and copilot. On Monday, the defence minister of the government said that the government had exhausted all diplomatic efforts to convince Iran and the Houthis not to violate Yemeni airspace by Iranian aircraft. He stated that government forces will respond to any hostile aircraft invading Yemeni airspace by "all available means" and hold Iran accountable. Reporting by Tala Abouhassira and Eman Abohassira, Editing by Gareth Jones and Peter Graff and Sharon Singleton
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Trump: The US should control and pay for the Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump stated on Monday that it was likely the United States would take control of the Strait of Hormuz, and they should be compensated for the important waterway. We'll keep the strait and probably run it. We will become the guardian of?the strait. We could call it "the guardian angel" of the Strait. He said this in a Fox News "Fox & Friends'" phone interview. The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial route for oil supplies around the world and has been one of the major battlegrounds in the conflict. Iran's blockade has increased energy prices and raised concerns about inflation worldwide. "We will guard it." Trump said that we would be paid a large sum of money for protecting it. "We will be reimbursed because the other countries are wealthy." He said that they were on our side and we couldn't expect to pay for it. Tehran announced the?closure of the waterway on Saturday after what it called an "unauthorized transit". On Sunday, Tehran stated that the suspension of passage was still in place and permits would only be issued when there is "stability" and calm. "We had a deal. The deal was done, but then it was broken. They always break the deal. Trump said, "We've done 10 deals with them and we're going to hit them hard." Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that continued interference could lead to more incidents in the oil and gas industry. U.S. forces and Iranian forces traded heavy drone and missile attacks over the weekend and Monday. Tehran claimed it had attacked?the United States. The Iranian military closed the Strait of Hormuz and other Gulf facilities, which drove up oil prices. The latest exchanges have marked a dramatic increase in the pace and geographical reach of attacks over the last week. This has cast doubt on the interim U.S. and Iranian agreement signed last month, which was to reopen and cease hostilities during a 60-day period of negotiations. (Reporting and editing by Michelle Nichols.)
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Maersk Shipping Group resumes service in the Red Sea
Maersk, a Danish shipping company, announced 'on Monday that it will re-start sailing through the Red Sea to provide another of its services. This is part of the group’s gradual return of using the Suez Canal as a shortcut between Asia and Europe. In a press release, the company announced that it would resume its WAF6 service. This service is operated solely by Maersk and connects the Middle East, Mediterranean, and West Africa. Maersk stated that "this change marks another small step in the gradual return of trans-Suez traffic." After attacks by Yemen's Houthis in the Red Sea, most shipping companies abandoned the Asia to Europe trade corridor through the Suez Canal. This forced vessels to take the?much?longer route around Africa's Cape of Good Hope. Some carriers have recently started a 'gradual return' to the corridor. Maersk, for example, announced on Thursday that it will re-establish its Middle East-to U.S. East Coast route through the Suez Canal. (Reporting and editing by Terje Solsvik, Louise Rasmussen)
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Chesapeake Utilities to build Florida gas pipeline worth $1.2 billion
Chesapeake Utilities announced on Monday that its subsidiary Peninsula Pipeline Company will 'develop, build and operate' a natural gas pipeline in Florida at a cost of about $1.2 billion. It said that the project would help increase natural gas transport capacity in order to alleviate regional supply shortages. Utilities are investing in new infrastructure for reliability and to support the?growing needs of residential, commercial, and power generation. Florida Energy?Pathway will be a 24-inch pipeline connecting Palm Beach?to Miami -Dade counties. It is supported by 250,000?dekatherms of?firm shipping agreements per day. Chesapeake Utilities said that the project is expected to be operational in 2030, subjected to final commissioning. It plans to partner up with one or two third parties, who could own as much as 49% of the project. The company stated that the project represents a long-term growth opportunity in a regulated environment and builds on its expanded presence in South Florida after it acquired Florida City Gas. Florida continues to be the leader in economic and population growth, driving an increase in energy demand. In the south Florida region, this has resulted in a'significant energy shortage' according to CEO Jeff Householder. (Reporting and editing by Katha Kaalia in Bengaluru, Leroy Leo, and Devika Syamanath).
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Hormuz traffic drops to a two-month low after renewed US and Iran strikes raise safety risks
Shipping data revealed that the number of tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz dropped to its lowest level in two months in the last day, after renewed strikes between Iran and the U.S.?and attacks against vessels raised safety concerns. Shipping industry sources say that vessels are increasingly turning off their public AIS?transponders. This makes it difficult to count the total number of ships on the waterway. According to Kpler's analysis, based on the data available, oil and gas tanker traffic has fallen to its lowest levels since May 25. In a recent report, ship broker Gibson stated that the world would be in a worse position if the renewed escalation of the strait led to another extended closure of Hormuz. The global inventory has been rapidly depleted over the past few months. This is a recipe that will lead to a much tighter market, higher prices, and heightened downside risks for tanker markets. According to LSEG's and MarineTraffic's?ship tracking data, the Sea Faith oil tanker had a destination of Sohar. In an advisory issued on Sunday, the Joint Maritime Information Center of the U.S. Navy (JMIC) reported that commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz had "continued to be reduced". The traffic patterns continue to reflect operator caution after recent attacks. Satellite imagery of July 11, reviewed by, shows that at least three pairs of tanks were involved in ship to ship transfers outside of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman. Transfers from ship to ship (STS), as the name suggests, involve oil being transferred from one vessel into another. Since the conflict began in February, STS transfers have allowed faster oil deliveries to?waiting ships who do not have to travel through Hormuz. One shipping official stated on Monday that "some ships are slipping into and out". The source stated that "this has to be seen as a managed war now, similar to the Houthis at the Red Sea," referring to Yemeni militias who paralysed the traffic through the Bab al Mandeb Waterway for almost two years, before calling a truce in 2026. TRUMP AND IRAN DIFFER ON STRAIT STATUS Central Command reported that U.S. Forces completed another round of strikes on Iran Sunday, hitting multiple targets in different locations with precision munitions. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that the Strait of Hormuz was open for commercial traffic on Sunday. Iran had earlier declared that the strait was closed after an Iranian vessel struck a ship that was travelling on a route that wasn't approved. The?Revolutionary Guards of Iran said Monday that two ships were stopped in the Strait of Hormuz by their navy last night after shutting down?their?systems. The?Revolutionary Guards did not name the ships. JMIC reported that an unknown projectile caused damage to a container ship on Sunday. The fire was started in the engine room. TRAFFIC SLOWDOWN Kpler data showed that six vessels crossed the strait Sunday, the lowest number for five weeks. The data revealed that the Very Large Crude Carrier Humanity was loaded with 2,000,000 barrels Iranian oil and another tanker called Capetan Andreas carried about 500,000 barrels Kuwaiti oil. Three empty tankers were also seen entering the Gulf to load oil. The data showed that most of the tankers turned off their transponders as they crossed the strait. Ship-tracking data shows that no liquefied?gas tanks entered the Strait of Gibraltar over the weekend. Kpler data indicated that between July 10th and 12th, one tanker owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co left the strait. The vessel was headed for Dahej in India. Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Florence Tan; Editing and editing by Lincoln Feast, Ros Russell, and Siyi Liu
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Lazard reports that solar costs have risen 18% but are still the lowest cost generation.
Solar power project costs in the United States have risen 18% since a year ago, as tariffs and high interest rates are taking hold. However, renewable energy sources remain the most cost-effective way to generate 'new' electricity, according to a report published on Monday by the financial advisory firm Lazard. The levelized cost energy of new combined-cycle gas plants, which is a measure for the average cost to generate electricity over the lifetime of a power station, has reached a 15-year-high. Lazard warns that costs may rise further due to equipment shortages and the booming demand for power. The record-breaking?demand for electricity in the United States, driven by the growth of data centers and the electrification sectors like transportation, has led to a need for new generating capacity, while increasing development costs. Lazard discovered that the levelized costs, or average cost to produce a unit of electricity over the life of a power station, for utility-scale solar increased from $38-$92 a year earlier. Samuel Scroggins said that levelized costs of solar and storage increased because of a variety of factors. Higher capital costs, higher interest rates, and inflationary pressures such as tariff pass through and repricing supply chains are all factors. Solar and onshore winds, which are relatively quick to deploy, will still account for the majority of new U.S. generation capacity in the near future. Solar and wind projects are still competitive even after calculating the cost of a backup system to guarantee?reliability'. This highlights?the important role that renewables will play in meeting increasing power demand. The levelized price of electricity generated by 'combined cycle natural gas plants', which use gas to power one turbine and steam to power a second, has risen to $51 to $129 per MWh. Utility companies and power developers were attracted to the generation source because of its constant output.
Italian judge rejects INWIT's bid to stop Telecom Italia from exiting tower contract
The company confirmed that an Italian judge rejected INWIT's urgent request to suspend Telecom Italia from withdrawing from a lease agreement. INWIT is Italy's largest tower operator and it has been embroiled in a dispute with two of its main customers, TIM &?Fastweb. Both have begun legal proceedings to terminate the contracts of their respective clients as part of an effort?to renegotiate these on more favourable conditions. INWIT's two main anchor tenants, TIM and Fastweb, account for almost 85% of the EUR1 billion in revenue. INWIT is not happy with the judge's decision, according to a spokesperson. The company also reserved the right?to challenge the ruling?and would fight to defend its stance when the case was finally heard in full. The suspension request was made as part of an expedited procedure. TIM declined comment. INWIT shares reversed gains made earlier and went negative following the news. At 1305 GMT, they were down by 1.63%. According to two sources who are familiar with the case, the court denied the request to halt the withdrawal process because it found that there was no imminent danger of irreparable damage to the company. Sources familiar with the matter said that a court decision on INWIT's separate request to stop Fastweb from terminating?its tower contract? is still pending. INWIT had previously stated that the?contract, following a change in control due to a shareholder reshuffle, was extended up until 2038 without a break option. Fastweb has disputed this interpretation. Fastweb believes that the current contracts could expire in 2028. This would give the company the option to?issue a withdrawal notification two years earlier. TIM stated that the termination would 'take effect' in 2030 when the contract expires, or 2028 if a judge upholds Fastweb’s interpretation.
(source: Reuters)