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☆ Boeing cargo plane lands without front nose gear in Istanbul; investigation launched
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A general view of a FedEx Airlines Boeing 767 BA.N cargo plane, that landed at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday without deploying its front landing gear but managed to stay on the runway and avoid casualties, on a runway in Istanbul, Turkey, May 8, 2024. An investigation is underway after a FedEx Airlines Boeing 767 cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing without its front landing gear at Istanbul Airport, after the aircraft's nose gear failed to deploy. The plane managed to stay on the runway, and there were no casualties, according to Turkey's Ministry of Transport. The ministry said that the cargo jet, flying from Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, alerted the Istanbul Airport control tower that its landing gear was not opening and was able to land with guidance from the tower, according to reporting from Reuters. The ministry also said that its teams were carrying out examinations at the scene, while the U.S. National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) announced it will send its own investigators to Istanbul.

Persons: Charles de Gaulle Organizations: FedEx Airlines Boeing, Istanbul Airport, Turkey's Ministry of Transport, Reuters, U.S . National Transport Safety Board Locations: Istanbul, Turkey, Paris, U.S

☆ Malaysia Open to Extending China-Led Rail Project to Thai Border
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's government has said it would consider extending a $10 billion China-led rail project to its border with Thailand to boost economic ties between the Southeast Asian neighbours. Part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, the 665-kilometre (413-mile), 50.27 billion ringgit ($10.63 billion) railway is on track to connect the east and west coasts of peninsular Malaysia by the end of 2026. Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Wednesday the government was open to proposals to extend the track to the border with Thailand, for further integration into existing railway networks or future infrastructure developments. Thailand also has plans to invest in a massive land bridge project in the country's south to boost growth and global trade. The bridge would bypass the congested Strait of Malacca, a narrow sea lane between Malaysia and Indonesia.

Persons: Anthony Loke, Loke, Danial Azhar, Panu, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Reuters, Initiative, Malaysia's, Malaysia's Senate, Malaysian, China Communications Construction Co Locations: KUALA LUMPUR, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Malacca, Indonesia, Bangkok

☆ MH370: Malaysia may renew search for missing plane nearly 10 years after it disappeared
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Ally Barnard | Manveena Suri | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Malaysia may renew the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the country’s transport minister said Sunday, as the 10th anniversary of its disappearance nears. The US-based seabed exploration firm Ocean Infinity had made a “credible” new search proposal, Loke said, without providing details. “The Ministry of Transport are ready to invite Ocean Infinity to Malaysia to discuss the proposal of a no-find, no-fee proposal. He said he would do “everything possible” to get Cabinet approval for a new contract with Ocean Infinity. Ocean Infinity last attempted to find the missing plane in 2018, with Malaysia offering up to $70 million if the firm had found it.

Persons: MH370, Anthony Loke, ” Loke, Loke, Richard Wainwright, ” Organizations: CNN, Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines Flight, Boeing, Ministry, Transport, Ocean, Getty Locations: Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Malaysia, AFP, Tanzania, Mauritius, Reunion Island

☆ China issues safety guidelines for autonomous public transport vehicles
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Baidu's Apollo car with an autonomous driving system, which serves for self-driving taxi services, is seen at the Shougang Industry Park in Beijing, China July 30, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Dec 5 (Reuters) - China on Tuesday issued safety guidelines for the use of autonomous vehicles in public transport, the latest in a series of measures preparing for the increased use of driverless cars. The guidelines apply to autonomous vehicles for passengers including taxis as well as for freight transportation, the Ministry of Transport said in a statement. They also require companies using autonomous vehicles for public transport to be qualified and licensed and state that companies can work together with automakers on such operations. In October, it issued guidelines for highway engineering facilities to support autonomous driving technology.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Albee Zhang, Zoey Zhang, Brenda Goh, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Ministry of Transport, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING

☆ Private jets of Russian oligarchs keep flying but not to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Gleb Stolyarov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

A view shows the Boeing 737-700 BBJ (plane number RA-73890) private aircraft on the tarmac of the Pulkovo International Airport in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 14, 2023. The Boeing linked to Yevtushenkov was among at least 50 private jets re-registered under the Russian flag since the February 2022 invasion, according to previously unreported national aircraft registry data up to early August reviewed by Reuters. Several of the repatriated private jets were associated with prominent politicians and business figures, according to two senior Russian aviation industry sources, who were not authorised to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. Because of sanctions, Russian planes are prohibited from entering the 27-country European Union, where Russia's oligarchs previously flew frequently for business and leisure and where many private jets linked to them were registered before the war, tail numbers show. VEB, Uralkali and Mazepin did not respond to requests for comment on the registration of the jets in Russia.

Persons: Luba, Vladimir Yevtushenkov, Yevtushenkov, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Mazepin, Putin, Igor Shuvalov, Mazepin, Gleb Stolyarov, Mike Collett, White, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Boeing, Pulkovo, REUTERS, Soviet, Reuters, Sistema, Ministry, Transport, JETS, Russian, Union, Bombardier Challenger, Uralkali, Bombardier, VEB.RF, VEB, EU, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Riviera, Belarus, oligarch, Ukraine, Turkey, Dubai, China, Russian, Maldives, Seychelles, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Yevtushenkov, United Kingdom, Aruba, of, Uralkali, UAE, Prague, Bishkek, States, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Latvia, Britain, Oman, Soviet

☆ Russian manufacturer test-flies prototype widebody passenger airplane
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Barry Neild | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Russia’s leading aircraft manufacturer says it’s completed a successful test flight of a new widebody passenger airplane that it claims could replace Western aircraft in the country’s skies. UAC, which oversees Russian aviation brands including Tupolev, Ilyushin and Sukhoi, said the plane will be capable of carrying up to 370 passengers, a capacity that would put it alongside the likes of Airbus’ A340 or Boeing’s 777. As of 2022, only 144 active Russian airline planes were built in Russia, according to data provided by aviation analytics firm Cirium. “Although Moscow won’t admit it, the sanctions that followed the Ukraine invasion have really damaged Russian aviation,” Murdo Morrison, head of strategic content at FlightGlobal, tells CNN. Addressing concerns, Russia’s Ministry of Transport said at the time that flight safety on Russia-operated aircraft meets international standards.

Persons: CNN —, it’s, ”, Denis Manturov, Vladimir Putin, Murdo Morrison, ‘, Yuri Slyusar, FlightGlobal’s Morrison Organizations: CNN, CNN — Russia’s, United Aircraft Corporation, UAC, Russian, Tupolev, Sukhoi, Airbus, Russia, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, Moscow, ”, Ural Airlines, International Civil Aviation Organization, Russia’s Ministry of Transport Locations: Ukraine, Russia, “, Russia’s Novosibirsk, Bhutan, Congo, Liberia, Moscow

The second largest contributor to real gross domestic product growth in the third quarter came from business inventories (1.3 percentage points). South Korea's KOSPI-100 equity index, which is usually a good proxy for global trade given its heavy weighting towards export-oriented firms, rebounded strongly through the end of July. But the index has since weakened, consistent with the renewed downturn in volumes shown in the global trade index. UNCERTAINTYUncertainty about the economic outlook and ambiguous data are usually greatest around turning points in the business cycle. Related columns:- Persistent U.S. services inflation dampens oil outlook (October 13, 2023)- U.S. manufacturing rebound will stretch diesel supplies (October 5, 2023)- Global container freight stuck in doldrums (June 23, 2023)- Global freight shows signs of bottoming out (April 27, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

Persons: Stringer, Korea's, John Kemp, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Global, Economic, Service, Real, Ministry of Transport, Treasury, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Qingdao, Shandong province, China, United States, Netherlands, CHINA, ASIA, Singapore, Asia, Europe, Japan, Narita, EUROPE Europe, Ukraine, Germany, doldrums

☆ China PMI, bumper 'Golden Week' travel give glimmers of hope for economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

PMI data released by Caixin Media and S&P Global showed both manufacturing and services losing some momentum. “We see increasing evidence of a near-term growth stabilization,” Nomura analysts said in a research note on Saturday, thanks partly to the raft of policy measures unveiled since late July, they added. While domestic travel for the Golden Week holiday appears strong, Chinese consumers are leaving the mainland in fewer numbers. Preliminary statistics from ForwardKeys, a global travel data provider, last week showed that Chinese travel within Asia was down 33% on pre-pandemic levels. On the first day of the Golden Week holiday, the number of mainland Chinese tourists entering Hong Kong was still less than half of 2018’s level, the city’s government said over the weekend.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Stringer, “, ” Nomura, Julie Kozack, Xu Jiayin, Xu Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Bureau, Statistics, PMI, Caixin Media, P Global, Getty, China State Railway Group, Ministry, Transport, Ministry of Culture, Tourism, NBS, ” Citi, International Monetary Fund, Bank, Golden, Evergrande Group Locations: Hong Kong, Nantong, China's Jiangsu, AFP, China, Hangzhou, China's, Zhejiang, Beijing, Asia

☆ Typhoon Haikui expected to make landfall in Taiwan Sunday afternoon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Typhoon Haikui is expected to make landfall in Taiwan near the southeastern city of Taitung around 5 p.m. local time Sunday, according to the island’s Central Weather Bureau. Haikui will be the first typhoon in four years to directly hit the island. Seven counties and cities in southern and eastern Taiwan have suspended school and work for Sunday, according to the respective local governments. In addition, Yunlin county and the outlying Penghu county will suspend school and work from Sunday noon. The typhoon has led to the cancellation of 222 domestic flights and 37 international flights departing from Taiwan, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

Persons: Haikui Organizations: CNN, Weather Bureau, island’s Ministry, Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation, Communications Locations: Taiwan, Taitung, Hualien, Seven, Yunlin county

☆ Southeast Asia's first high-speed train – a boon or bust for Indonesia's economy?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Nyshka Chandran | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

While it could improve overall economic and business productivity, those benefits may be overrun by Jakarta's soaring debt burden as project costs continue to mount. The 142-kilometre train linking Indonesia's capital to Bandung is expected to move at 350 kilometers per hour, driven by electricity with no direct carbon emissions expected during operations. However, escalating costs of the project could push up Indonesia's government debt and overshadow any short-term economic gains. Initially, the train was to be financed by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China — a consortium of companies from China and Indonesia tasked with building the rail project. In that scenario, money spent on the train would have been better spent on alternative investments like irrigation projects, he said.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Arief Anshory Yusuf, Jokowi, Sri Lanka's, Mao Ning, Mao, Yusuf Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Initiative, Indonesian, Bandung's Padjadjaran University, Australian National University, PT Kereta, Indonesia China —, KCIC, China Development Bank, Reuters, of Economic, Law Studies, Nurphoto, CNBC Locations: Indonesia, Jakarta, Bandung, Southeast Asia, Indonesian, Surabaya, Japan, Indonesia China, China, Entebbe, Beijing, IDR

☆ In a rare win, a migrant worker sued his bosses in Singapore. And won
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

In July, 26 men were taken to hospitals after three lorries, two ferrying migrant workers, collided on a major highway. Migrant workers sit in the back of a lorry in Singapore on May 15, 2020. Suhaimi Abdullah/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesSingapore is home to about 1.4 million migrant workers, nearly a quarter of its population. “Recent tragic incidents have highlighted the continued grave risks posed by transporting migrant workers on lorries,” the statement read. Still, victories for migrant workers are rare, said local civil rights activist Jolovan Wham and a worker taking on his powerful employer was almost unheard of.

Persons: Murugan, Muhamad Ashraf Syed Ansarai, “, ” Ansarai, ”, – Toffazal Hossain, Sugunan, Edgar Su, Transport Amy Khor, ” Khor, Khor, Tan May Tee, ” Tan, ” “, Suhaimi Abdullah, Jolovan, Wham, ” Murugan, “ He’s, It’s Organizations: CNN, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Labor, ”, State, Ministry, Transport, “ Employers, Rigel Marine Services, Reuters, Getty, Singapore, Workers, Ministry of Transport, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport Locations: India, Singapore, Tamil Nadu, Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, ”, alighting

CNN —At least 10 people have died after a charter plane crashed onto an expressway north of Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. “First contact made by the aircraft with Subang Air Traffic Control Tower was at 2.47 p.m. [local time (2.47 a.m. At 2.51 p.m. local time, the “Control Tower observed smoke originating from the crash site but no mayday call was made by the aircraft,” the statement added. Eight people on board the plane were killed in the crash. Vincent Thian/APThe plane crashed into a car and a motorcycle, each carrying one individual, reported state newspaper Berita Harian, citing Selangor Police Head Hussein Omar Khan.

Persons: Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah, Vincent Thian, Harian, Hussein Omar Khan, Tengku Ampuan, ” Khan Organizations: CNN, Langkawi International Airport, Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Civil Aviation Authority, Subang Air Traffic, Selangor Police, Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Ministry, Transport, Malaysian Locations: Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Malaysia, Klang

☆ A passenger plane flew into Ukrainian airspace trying to avoid a storm, but made it through the warzone OK
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Turkish passenger plane flew through Ukrainian airspace on July 25 for several hours. The airline — a new Turkish company called BBN — said the pilots were avoiding a storm. The plane, an Airbus A320-200 operated by Turkish company BBN Airlines, was flying from Oslo, Norway to Antalya, Turkey on July 25. Ukraine closed its airspace when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, forbidding civilian aircraft to enter. The area the plane flew has not seen heavy fighting, which has been concentrated hundreds of miles to the east.

Persons: — Organizations: Civilian, Service, Airbus, BBN Airlines, New, Russian, Freebird Airlines, NRK, Ukraine's Ministry, Transport Locations: Turkish, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine's, Oslo, Norway, Antalya, Turkey, Chernivtsi, Russia, Norwegian, Romania

Analysts see this more than 7 percent increase in the number of drivers as a manifestation of the subdued job market. At least four others have issued warnings of overcapacity, with some saying drivers get fewer than 10 orders a day as a result. Cai said he earns 200-300 yuan a day, driving for Didi Global - China's answer to Uber - from 8.00 am until close to midnight. Up until recently, he made 400 yuan a day plus bonuses, going home before 8.00 pm. Shanghai driver Li Weimin's rationale for working underscores the shrinking job market.

Persons: Zhu Zhimin, Zhu, Wang Ke, James Cai, Cai, Didi, Wang, Nanxun Li, It's, Li, Casey Hall, Xihao Jiang, Marius Zaharia Organizations: Transport, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, Shanghai, China, Cities, Sanya, Changsha, Haikou, Hainan, Analysys, Beijing

☆ Escaped bear delays flight in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Celine Alkhaldi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —A bear being transported on an Iraqi Airways flight from Baghdad to Dubai Friday caused delays after it escaped from a crate in the cargo hold. The bear was sedated by a specialist team in Dubai and taken off the plane, Iraqi Airways said in a statement shared with CNN. The airline issued an apology on Saturday, saying the bear had escaped the crate “upon arrival to Dubai Airport.”“The company apologizes to the passengers on the flight from Baghdad International Airport to Dubai Airport for reasons beyond the control of the company,” it said. “Upon arrival to Dubai Airport, the animal escaped the crate specified for its shipment,” the airline said, adding that it was being transported in line with international animal welfare guidelines. “Two small, endangered bears were shipped from Baghdad, and when the flight arrived in Dubai, one of the bears broke his cage, forcing health and environment authorities at Dubai airport to sedate it,” the statement said.

Persons: Mohammed Shia Organizations: Abu Dhabi CNN, Iraqi Airways, ”, CNN, Dubai Airport, United Arab Locations: Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Kerch Strait Bridge that links the Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia, in March. Russian officials blamed Ukraine for the attack on the Kerch Strait Bridge. Ukrainian officials offered no comment on the incident. Video and photographs verified by The Times showed damage to both sides of the road bridge, with the most significant being along a span of the bridge heading into Russia. The attack came as Ukrainian forces were engaged in an ambitious and grinding counteroffensive aimed at driving Russian forces from southern Ukraine.

Persons: Yusov, ”, Vladimir Rogov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Aksyonov, —, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Aksyonov, Mazaeva, Ivan Nechepurenko Organizations: The Times, Ministry, Transport, Russian Federation, Ukrainian, Crimean Locations: Kerch, Crimean, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Crimea, Sevastopol, Belgorod

☆ China Dragon Boat Festival trips down 22.8% from pre-Covid levels, state broadcaster says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Participants compete in a dragon boat race at a water sports training base in Xinghua, China on June 23, 2023. A total of 140.47 million trips were made in China during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival, up 89.1% from a year earlier but down 22.8% from the pre-Covid levels of 2019, official broadcaster CCTV said on its website. The number of railway trips jumped 150.2% from a year earlier to 43.26 million, CCTV reported, citing the Ministry of Transport. Road travel rose 64.4% year-on-year to 89.34 million, but was down 33.3% from the same period in pre-Covid 2019. Airborne trips totaled 5.34 million, surging 287% from a year earlier, but up just 3% from 2019, according to CCTV.

Organizations: Ministry of Transport Locations: Xinghua, China, Beijing, That's

☆ China Dragon Boat Festival trips down 22.8% from pre-COVID levels -CCTV
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHANGHAI, June 24 (Reuters) - A total of 140.47 million trips were made in China during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival, up 89.1% from a year earlier but down 22.8% from the pre-COVID levels of 2019, official broadcaster CCTV said on its website. The number of railway trips jumped 150.2% from a year earlier to 43.26 million, CCTV reported, citing the Ministry of Transport. Road travel rose 64.4% year-on-year to 89.34 million, but was down 33.3% from the same period in pre-COVID 2019. Trips using ships also fell sharply from 2019, down 43.6% to 2.53 million, though nearly doubling from a year ago. Airborne trips totalled 5.34 million, surging 287% from a year earlier, but up just 3% from 2019, according to CCTV.

Persons: Tom Hogue Organizations: Ministry of Transport, Shanghai, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China, Beijing, That's

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Global trade remained in the doldrums during the second quarter as China’s post-lockdown rebound proved slower than expected and was offset by continued weakness in North America and Europe. Chartbook: Global container tradeChina’s freight movements have rebounded as the country emerged from lockdowns and the exit wave of the epidemic, though not as fast as anticipated at the start of the year. At Japan’s Narita airport, international air cargo was down 25% in the first five months of 2023 compared with a year ago. The most optimistic interpretation is that freight volumes have stabilised, after declining sharply in the second half of 2022, but there is no sign yet of a recovery outside China. Related columns:- Global freight cycle may have reached lowest point (May 25, 2023)- Global freight shows signs of bottoming out (April 27, 2023)- Global freight slump deepens at the start of 2023 (March 21, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

Persons: John Kemp, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Global, of, European Union, Ministry of Transport, Traffic, Association of American Railroads, American Trucking Association, Thomson, Reuters Locations: North America, Europe, Netherlands, China, Asia, United States, Japan, United Kingdom, lockdowns, Singapore, East Asia, Los Angeles, Long Beach , Oakland, Houston, Charleston, Savannah, Virginia, Seattle, New York, U.S, Narita, Heathrow

☆ Saddam's rusting yacht serves as picnic spot for Iraqi fishermen
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I can’t believe that this belonged to Saddam and now I'm the one moving around it," he said. But it was targeted by U.S.-led forces, and later capsized in the Shatt al-Arab waterway as it fell into decay. In the turmoil that followed Saddam’s downfall, the yacht was stripped bare and looted, with everything from its chandeliers and furniture to parts of its metal structure removed. One of three yachts owned by Saddam, the yacht could accommodate up to 200 guests and was equipped with a helipad. U.S. officials estimated in 2003 that Saddam and his family may have amassed up to $40 billion in ill-gotten funds.

The airport was being used to deliver aid to victims of last month's earthquake that killed thousands. U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that, while he could not "speak to attribution" for Tuesday's air strike, Washington would worry about any lengthy halt to the flow of humanitarian aid. He said all U.N. Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flights from Aleppo had been suspended, adding that those flights transport aid workers and life-saving supplies and must resume without delay. The Israeli military declined to comment on the Syrian state media accusation that it was behind the air strike. Foreign donors including the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Algeria have flown aid into Aleppo airport since the Feb. 6 earthquake, Syrian state media has reported.

☆ Colombia's Viva Air grounds fleet after Avianca merger hold-up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Viva Air said it has temporarily suspended operations as the indebted low-cost carrier awaited a ruling by Colombia's civil aviation authority on its proposed merger with Avianca (AVT_p.CN). Viva Air said late on Monday it had halted ticket sales and grounded its entire fleet after the regulator allowed five other airlines including Aerolineas Argentinas and JetSMART to take part in the merger process. Low-cost carrier JetSMART and regional giant LATAM Airlines have both expressed an interest in buying Viva Air. LATAM, Avianca and local airline Satena will offer alternatives to stranded passengers on some routes at no additional cost, the civil aviation authority said. Colombia's superintendency of transportation will open an investigation against Viva Air, which could result in possible sanctions, it said.

☆ Madagascar suspends schools as cyclone Freddy approaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Lovasoa Rabary | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANTANANARIVO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Madagascar's government on Tuesday suspended schools and transport in the path of tropical cyclone Freddy, which was likely to make landfall in the southeast of the country by evening. The cyclone is expected to hit Mananjary district, about 270 km from the capital Antananarivo, with winds of nearly 155 km per hour, Madagascar's meteorological services said. All traffic in cyclone Freddy's projected path was suspended overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, the country's ministry of transport and meteorology said. Cyclone Freddy is expected to make landfall nearly a month after storm Cheneso battered the island nation of 29 million, killing 33 people and forcing thousands from their homes. "It is expected to cause locally devastating winds and a very dangerous sea state near the impact zone in Madagascar," UNOCHA said on Monday.

☆ Some Taliban fighters are sick of the 9 to 5 grind, complaining they've been sucked into urban life by working desk jobs to run Afghanistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Five young Taliban fighters described how their lives are now consumed by work and Twitter. In this picture taken on November 23, 2021, Taliban fighters ride on bumper cars. Last year, it was tolerable but in the last few months, it's become more and more congested," he told Samim. Now, if we complain, or don't come to work, or disobey the rules, they cut our salary," he told Samim. Salam, along with several other Taliban fighters interviewed, felt the public had also stopped respecting them.

☆ Western tankers ramp up Russian oil shipments under price cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Group of Seven nations (G7), Australia and the 27 European Union countries placed a price limit on Russian crude oil of $60 per barrel on Dec. 5. The cap allows non-EU countries to import seaborne Russian crude oil, but prohibits Western shipping and insurance companies from handling cargoes of the crude unless it is sold at or below that price. Russia has said it will not accept an oil price cap. GREEK RELIEFGreek-owned ships run by Greek management firms handled at least 21 voyages of Russian crude in January to a range of destinations. NGM said its tanker, the Ace, had discharged crude oil in Bulgaria.

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