All posts tagged: Ports

EU countries prepare repatriation of hantavirus ship passengers – POLITICO

EU countries prepare repatriation of hantavirus ship passengers – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Hantavirus is a disease typically spread by infected rats. As of Friday, there were a total of six confirmed cases of a hantavirus variant — named the “Andes” subtype — linked to the cruise ship and two probable cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The Andes subtype is the only variant known to spread among humans. The WHO has sought to calm fears that the outbreak could trigger a global health emergency on the scale of Covid-19. The Spanish government’s plans to let the cruise ship, the MV Hondius, arrive in Tenerife have provoked controversy, including among Canary Islands leaders. The ship will anchor off Tenerife without docking. Passengers will then be ferried to the industrial port of Granadilla and transported in “sealed, guarded vehicles, through a completely cordoned-off corridor” before being repatriated directly to their home countries, according to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Ghebreyesus is set to travel to Tenerife with Spain’s interior and health ministers to coordinate the arrival of the cruise ship. Ghebreyesus addressed the people of Tenerife directly via …

US strikes Iranian oil tankers while awaiting Tehran response on peace plan – POLITICO

US strikes Iranian oil tankers while awaiting Tehran response on peace plan – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Recent days have seen the U.S. and Iran exchange fire, despite a monthlong ceasefire which U.S. President Donald Trump maintains is “still in effect.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was anticipating an answer from Iran on a peace proposal. “We’re expecting a response from them today at some point,” Rubio told reporters on Friday. “I hope it’s a serious offer, I really do. … The hope is it’s something that can put us into a serious process of negotiation,” he said. Trump has warned the U.S. would “knock [Iran] out a lot harder, and a lot more violently,” if Tehran does not accept a peace deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday accused the U.S. of opting for a “reckless military adventure” every time a “diplomatic solution is on the table.” “Is it a crude pressure tactic? Or the result of a spoiler once again duping POTUS into another quagmire?” he wrote on X. “Whatever the causes, outcome is the same: Iranians never bow to pressure.” Source link

Blink’s 56k EV ports to get plug-and-charge access through Emobi

Blink’s 56k EV ports to get plug-and-charge access through Emobi

Published by skeptic

Image: Blink Charging Blink and Emobi are teaming up to make EV charging work more seamlessly across apps, networks, and vehicles. Blink Charging announced that it’s teaming up with Emobi to connect Blink’s EV chargers into Emobi’s roaming and JustPlug digital infrastructure. The move is designed to let drivers access Blink chargers through automaker apps, fleet platforms, and other charging apps they already use. The partnership also opens the door to more automated charging experiences, where drivers can simply plug in and charge without having to deal with separate authentication or payment steps. Blink says it manages more than 56,000 networked EV charging ports across multifamily housing, workplaces, campuses, fleet depots, and public charging locations. Advertisement – scroll for more content Fewer apps, easier charging One of the biggest frustrations for EV drivers is still the fragmented charging experience. Depending on where you charge, you often need different apps, accounts, and payment systems. By integrating Blink’s chargers into Emobi’s roaming platform, drivers are expected to be able to use a wider range of apps and …

US Navy acting ‘like pirates’ in Iran, Trump brags – POLITICO

US Navy acting ‘like pirates’ in Iran, Trump brags – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. Navy behaved “like pirates” in its blockade of Iranian ports and seizure of an Iranian vessel earlier this week. “We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump said at an event in Florida on Friday. “We’re like pirates. We’re sort of like pirates, but we are not playing games.” Tension between Washington and Tehran is ratcheting higher amid unsuccessful negotiations to permanently end the war started by the U.S. and Israel in late February. A senior Iranian military official said on Saturday that a return to war was “likely,” according to the semi-official Iranian news agency Fars. “U.S. officials’ actions and statements are largely media-oriented, aimed first at preventing a drop in oil prices and second at escaping the predicament they have created for themselves,” Mohammad Jafar Asadi said. The remarks came as the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying tolls to Iran to safely pass …

US Navy acting ‘like pirates’ in Iran, Trump brags – POLITICO

US Navy acting ‘like pirates’ in Iran, Trump brags – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. Navy behaved “like pirates” in its blockade of Iranian ports and seizure of an Iranian vessel earlier this week. “We took over the ship, we took over the cargo, we took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business,” Trump said at an event in Florida on Friday. “We’re like pirates. We’re sort of like pirates, but we are not playing games.” Tension between Washington and Tehran is ratcheting higher amid unsuccessful negotiations to permanently end the war started by the U.S. and Israel in late February. A senior Iranian military official said on Saturday that a return to war was “likely,” according to the semi-official Iranian news agency Fars. “U.S. officials’ actions and statements are largely media-oriented, aimed first at preventing a drop in oil prices and second at escaping the predicament they have created for themselves,” Mohammad Jafar Asadi said. The remarks came as the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying tolls to Iran to safely pass …

5 ways the Iran war shows NATO is not ready to fight Russia – POLITICO

5 ways the Iran war shows NATO is not ready to fight Russia – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

That creates an “urgent requirement for more affordable air-to-air interceptors,” he added, arguing NATO should focus on cheaper alternatives to the Patriot like the AGR-20 laser-guided missile — and build out passive defenses like hardened concrete aircraft shelters. The alliance’s munitions shortages will now feature heavily at July’s summit of NATO leaders, according to one person familiar with the matter. 2. Air inferiority Iran’s ability to continue pummeling neighboring Gulf states with over 5,000 missile and drone attacks despite the U.S. aerial campaign shows the “clear limits to the expectation that you can bomb a country into submission” with conventional aircraft, said Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The HMS Dragon is pictured in Portsmouth, England on March 4, 2026. | Peter Nicholls/Getty Images In response, NATO must rethink air dominance and look for creative solutions to deter Russia, like turbocharging investment in long-range precision strike weapons capable of targeting Moscow’s drone production and military sites deep inside the country, said Bronk. “If we can get air superiority over …

Paris and Athens exchange mutual defense pledges amid geopolitical turmoil – POLITICO

Paris and Athens exchange mutual defense pledges amid geopolitical turmoil – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“France is Greece’s true ally,” Mitsotakis said, adding that “the highlight of the Greece-France agreements is the commitments to mutual assistance.” On top of a broader “enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership,” the two governments signed agreements in areas from education to scientific research to nuclear energy. During the visit, French defense giant MBDA also signed a contract to continue support for the Greek army’s Mica missiles. In parallel, the two leaders insisted on the need to clarify how the EU’s mutual defense clause — Article 42.7 of the Treaty on the EU — would work in practice, while stressing that the clause should not be seen as a replacement for NATO’s Article 5 security guarantee. Earlier on Saturday, at the Piraeus port, Macron and Mitsotakis visited a Greek frigate built by France’s Naval Group with French Defense and Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin and the company’s CEO Pierre-Eric Pommelet. Source link

Russian oil exports slump as Ukraine hammers ports and refineries | Russia-Ukraine war News

Russian oil exports slump as Ukraine hammers ports and refineries | Russia-Ukraine war News

Published by Sam Flores

Ukraine has succeeded in depriving Russia of much of the windfall profits it would have made from oil exports during March and April, as the war in the Gulf sent prices soaring to above $100 a barrel, a series of sources suggest. Ukraine intensified a long-range strike campaign against Russian port and energy infrastructure on March 21 in a calculated bid to prevent Russia from offloading oil onto tankers and to counteract the suspension of US sanctions on Russian oil, which had been in place since 2022. “In March alone, Russia’s oil revenue losses from our long-range capabilities are estimated at no less than $2.3bn. In just one month. We continue this work in April,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address on Sunday, April 19. Russia’s oil transhipments in March fell by 300,000 barrels a day, and refined products by 200,000 barrels a day, Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service cited S&P Global Platts as saying. The US waived sanctions on Russian oil in early March after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to …

Don’t count on Starmer’s EU reset to bring down food prices – POLITICO

Don’t count on Starmer’s EU reset to bring down food prices – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

By pursuing an agreement, the government appears ready to adopt “unnecessarily stringent” EU SPS controls on imports from non-EU countries, said Jenney. This risks triggering “thousands of additional and unnecessary border delays, considerably more inspections, more paperwork and port congestion — every added layer acting as a compounding financial penalty on trade,” he warned.  Analysis conducted by the Fresh Produce Consortium — seen by POLITICO — suggests that a number of staples from the weekly shop could be negatively impacted as border checks for non-EU produce are ramped up — from Moroccan cucumbers and Indian mangoes to South African citrus fruits and U.S. sweet potatoes. This is expected to add a cost of around £400 million to the supply chain, the consortium estimates.  U.K. Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds leaves No. 10 Downing Street after a Cabinet meeting on March 24, 2026. | Leon Neal/Getty Images Beyond imports, firms have warned that the SPS deal risks imposing costly burdens on domestic growers, who are forced to impose EU standards even if they have no plan to …