AMSTERDAM: Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport was temporarily closed early on Sunday as a large power outage hit all operations at one of Europe’s busiest airports.
Authorities closed off roads to Schiphol and stopped train traffic to the airport around 0300 GMT to “ensure the safety of travelers,” the airport said, as check-in procedures had become impossible and the airport’s main halls overflowed with waiting passengers.
Roads to the airport were reopend around 0430 GMT, as power was restored, but the disruption of services would have “severe consequences for air traffic during the day,” airport spokesman Jacco Bartels said.
This would also affect flights to Amsterdam at other airports, as Schiphol would only be able to handle ten arriving planes per hour on Sunday morning as priority was given to the large number of flights waiting to leave the airport, Bartels said.
Schiphol is the third-busiest airport in Europe in numbers of travelers, after London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Power outage disrupts Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport
Power outage disrupts Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport
- Authorities closed off roads to Schiphol and stopped train traffic to the airport
- Schiphol is the third-busiest airport in Europe in numbers of travelers, after London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle
Shooting at Israeli company in Sweden, no injuries: police, media
- No injuries had been reported and that a young suspect had been arrested
Police told AFP that they had responded to a shooting “against an Israeli object in Kalleback” in Gothenburg, a coastal city in southwestern Sweden.
They added that no injuries had been reported and that a young suspect had been arrested.
Newspaper Aftonbladet said the suspect was under the age of 15.
An investigation has been opened into “attempted murder” and an “aggravated weapons crime,” police spokesman Fredrik Svedemyr said.
Svedemyr said police had sent several patrols and a helicopter to the scene.
Elbit Systems said in an email to AFP that they “currently had no comment.”
In early June, police said they had found a “suspected explosive object” outside the offices of the military technology firm, known for its unmanned aerial systems.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, there have been several incidents apparently targeting Israeli interests in Sweden.
In February, police found a grenade on the grounds of the Israeli embassy compound, which the ambassador said was an attempted attack.
In mid-May, gunshots were fired outside the Israeli embassy, which prompted the country to boost security measures around Israeli interests and Jewish community institutions.
The Scandinavian country’s intelligence agency Sapo said in late May that Iran was recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs to commit “acts of violence” against Israeli and other interests in Sweden — a claim Iran denied.
Last week, police said once again that it was stepping up security around Israeli and Jewish interests in response to a second shooting at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm and twin blasts, suspected to be caused by hand grenades, outside the Israeli embassy in neighboring Denmark.
Ukraine’s Zelensky arrives in London for talks with UK’s Starmer, NATO’s Rutte
- Zelensky and Starmer have both said the war with Russia is at a critical point
- Ukrainian leader is keen for the West to deliver long-range missiles to change the balance on the battlefield
LONDON: President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London for talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO chief Mark Rutte on Thursday, a boost for Ukraine after a summit of its main backers was canceled at a difficult moment in its fight against Russia.
Zelensky and Starmer have both said the war with Russia is at a critical point, and the Ukrainian leader is keen for the West to deliver long-range missiles and other support to try to change the balance on the battlefield.
The Ukrainian president had been due to present a “victory plan” for the war to allies in Germany this week, but the summit was postponed after US President Joe Biden canceled his visit to focus on Hurricane Milton.
Starmer said at the start of his meeting with Zelensky in Downing Street that it was “very important we are able to show our continued commitment to support Ukraine” and it was a chance to “go through the plan, to talk in more detail.”
NATO’s new secretary-general, Mark Rutte, was also due to meet Starmer and Zelensky in Downing Street later on Thursday.
Zelensky is traveling in Europe to meet allies this week. He was in Croatia on Wednesday and will meet Pope Francis on Friday.
Ukraine’s arms donors had been set to convene at the Ramstein Air Base for their highest-level meeting on the sidelines of a Biden state visit to Germany.
But the White House said Biden needed to oversee preparations for Hurricane Milton and relief efforts after another hurricane last month killed more than 200 people.
Toll from Russian strike on Odesa rises to seven
- Russia has targeted Ukraine’s coastal Odesa region throughout the war, hitting boats and grain silos
- Ukraine was one of the largest exporters of grain in the world before Russia’s invasion in February 2022
KYIV: The toll from a Russian ballistic missile strike on port infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region rose to seven dead and 10 wounded, authorities said Thursday.
The attack on Wednesday struck a civilian container ship flying the flag of Panama, according to the region’s governor Oleg Kiper.
“Unfortunately, the death toll as a result of yesterday’s Russian missile attack has risen to seven,” Kiper wrote on social media Thursday.
“This morning, a 46-year-old port worker died in hospital. Medics did their best but his injuries were too severe,” he added.
Kiper had earlier said that the attack on the Black Sea port city was the third on a civilian vessel in four days.
Russia has targeted Ukraine’s coastal Odesa region throughout the war, hitting boats and grain silos in what Kyiv says is an illegal attempt to destroy its export capacity.
Ukraine was one of the largest exporters of grain in the world before Russia’s invasion in February 2022, but repeated attacks on its port and storage facilities have severely curbed its output.
The attack comes two days after a Russian missile hit a Palau-flagged ship in the port of Odesa, killing one person aboard, according to local authorities.
Hundreds gather to pay last respects to India’s iconic business tycoon Ratan Tata
- Although in recent years Tata was not as active in the day-to-day running of the group, he was consulted on big decisions by the Tata Sons leadership, a senior company executive told Reuters
NEW DELHI: Hundreds of people, including corporate leaders, politicians and celebrities, gathered in Mumbai on Thursday to pay their last respects to one of India’s most respected business tycoons, Ratan Tata, who died aged 86.
Known for his exemplary business acumen and philanthropic nature, as chairman he led various companies under the Tata conglomerate for more than 20 years, which had revenue of $165 billion in 2023-24.
Although in recent years Tata was not as active in the day-to-day running of the group, he was consulted on big decisions by the Tata Sons leadership, a senior company executive told Reuters.
Tata had been in a Mumbai hospital since Monday, but the cause of his death was not immediately made public.
After his death, tributes poured in from around the world, underlining his popularity that transcended boundaries and generations.
“India and the world have lost a giant with a giant heart,” US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said on X.
“He ... was instrumental in mentoring and developing the modern business leadership in India. He deeply cared about making India better,” Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said.
Draped in the Indian national flag, Ratan Tata’s body was kept at a cultural center in Mumbai, and his funeral will be conducted later in the day with full state honors.
India’s central bank governor Shaktikanta Das, Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran and Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla were among early visitors to pay their last respects to the Padma Vibhushan awardee — India’s second-highest civilian honor.
A licensed pilot who would occasionally fly the company plane, Tata never married and was known for his quiet demeanour, relatively modest lifestyle and philanthropic work.
“We will remember his legacy of transformative giving to Cornell,” his alma mater Cornell University said on X, calling Tata their most generous international donor.
Taiwan celebrates its National Day holiday against background of Chinese threats
- The celebration marks the establishment of the Republic of China, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911
- Taiwan was run under martial law until transitioning to full democracy in the 1980s and 1990s
TAIPEI: Taiwan celebrated its National Day holiday Thursday against the background of threats from China, which claims the self-governing island republic as its own territory.
The celebration marks the establishment of the Republic of China, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and fled to Taiwan as Mao Zedong’s Communists swept to power on the mainland during a civil war in 1949. Taiwan was run under martial law until transitioning to full democracy in the 1980s and 1990s but maintains the original constitution brought from China and the ROC flag.
President Lai Ching-te took office in May, continuing the eight-year rule of the Democratic Progressive Party that rejects China’s demand that it recognize Taiwan is a part of China. The Nationalists adhere to a unification stance that recognizes both sides of the Taiwan Strait as a single nation.
In a speech marking the holiday, Lai spoke of Taiwan’s technology achievements such as those driving the computer chips industry, calling it a “global force for prosperity and development.” He also praised athletes such as boxer Lin Yu-ting, who won gold at the Paris Olympics, and young people who have won prizes in international technical competitions.
Thursday’s commemorations included military displays, but no heavy military equipment as seen in years past. And it included performances with music and flag and athletic feats like flips and other stunts.
Addressing the threat from China, Lai took a firm but measured line while offering cooperation on areas from fighting infectious diseases to maintaining “regional peace and stability.”
“We hope that China will live up to the expectations of the international community, that it will apply its influence and work with other countries toward ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and end conflicts in the Middle East,” Lai said.
“And we hope that (China) will take up its international responsibilities and, along with Taiwan, contribute to the peace, security and prosperity of the region and the globe,” the president said.
Maintaining its military pressure on Taiwan, China’s People’s Liberation Army sent 15 planes across the median line in the Taiwan Strait, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets, dispatch ships and activate missile systems.
In response to such threats, Taiwan has ordered billions of dollars in fighter jets, tanks, missiles and various upgrades to existing gear from the US, while revitalizing its own defense industry with the production of submarines and other equipment aimed at deterring or fending off a Chinese attack.
At the same time, Taiwan faces economic threats from China ranging from a possible blockade of the trade-dependent island to an undermining of its financial system. China routinely states that Taiwan independence is a “dead end” and that annexation by Beijing is a historical inevitability.
Lai appeared to address such issues in his address, saying: “Finally, we must strengthen resilience throughout Taiwan in national defense, economic livelihoods, disaster prevention and democracy.”
