Iran and US hit tankers in biggest wave of attacks on shipping since war began

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By Enas Alashray, Idrees Ali and Jana Choukeir Reuters Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest wave of attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month-old war. The attacks sent the price of ‌oil surging, with benchmark Brent crude futures breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July. At least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed and another listed as missing. The ‌incidents follow a month of relative calm, during which the U.S. has sought to pressure Iran through economic means. Iran said it had fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Jordan. Jordan said it intercepted 18 missiles, with the remaining two ​falling harmlessly in unpopulated areas. A U.S. official said all American troops were accounted for. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it would sharply escalate its response to any further attacks, and said I...
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Major flight disruptions hit Munich and Hamburg airports as union strike begins

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Germany’s Munich and Hamburg airports were hit by strikes by public sector union Verdi on Thursday and Friday, with airlines cancelling about 80% of flights in Munich.

Munich, Germany’s second-largest hub, said in a statement on its website that there was a risk that even more flights could be cancelled and that passengers planning to travel through Munich should contact their airlines.

Verdi has staged several walk-outs in Germany since wage negotiations kicked off in January.

The union said that staff at Hamburg airport’s operator, as well as at services including at maintenance, IT, security and baggage handling would not work during the two days.

German airport association ADV said that the strikes, as well as similar airport walk-outs in Duesseldorf and Cologne earlier this week, were disrupting travel plans of almost 300,000 passengers.

“Two-day strikes that cut off German metropolitan regions from international air travel go far beyond what could qualify as token strikes,” ADV said.

SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/luknjZJ

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