Day: July 1, 2023

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(C) Reuters. Students of the school for drone pilots Dronarium Academy practice during a lesson, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location, Ukraine, June 30, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
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By Olena Harmash

(Reuters) – Ukraine has been publicly cautious in counting gains in a counteroffensive it launched this month to reclaim territory occupied by Russian forces, and on Friday its president and a U.S. general acknowledged that progress is measured in blood.

The top U.S. military officer, Army General Mark Milley, told an audience at the National Press Club in Washington that the counteroffensive was “advancing steadily, deliberately working its way through very difficult minefields … 500 meters a day, 1,000 meters a day, 2,000 meters a day, that kind of thing.”

He said he was unsurprised progress was slower than some people and computers might have predicted.

“War on paper and real war are different. In real war, real people die. Real people are on those front lines and real people are in those vehicles. Real bodies are being shredded by high explosives.”

He added, “What I had said was this is going to take six, eight, 10 weeks, it’s going to be very difficult. It’s going to be very long, and it’s going to be very, very bloody. And no one should have any illusions about any of that.”

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the counteroffensive was “slower than desired”, without getting too specific. Ukraine says it has recaptured a cluster of villages in operations that liberated 130 square km (50 square miles) in the south, but this is a small percentage of the total territory held by Russia.

On Friday, Zelenskiy said his forces advanced “in all directions of our active operations,” while Hanna Maliar, deputy defense minister, said the military assessed progress as “going according to plan,” and that the counteroffensive should be evaluated by “a lot of different military tasks.”

Reuters was unable to verify the situation on the battlefield. Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022 has not acknowledged the Ukrainian gains and has said Ukraine’s forces are suffering heavy casualties.

SLOWING DOWN TO SAVE LIVES

Zelenskiy was quoted as saying Ukraine wanted to show results before a July 11 NATO gathering in Lithuania, at which Kyiv is hoping for an invitation to begin the process of joining the U.S.-led military alliance – but not at any cost.

“Before the summit we have to show results,” Spanish national broadcaster RTVE quoted him as telling Spanish media in Kyiv, based on a translation of his remarks. “But every kilometer costs lives.”

Zelenskiy acknowledged plans for the counteroffensive had slowed in recent months. “We stopped because we could not advance,” he said. “Advancing meant losing people and we had no artillery.”

RTVE of Spain quoted him as saying Ukraine was “very cautious in this regard” and that he would choose to take longer if it meant losing fewer people. “Between time and human beings, people are the most important,” RTVE quoted him as saying.

Zelenskiy was speaking on a day when he ordered top military commanders to strengthen the northern military sector following the arrival of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in Belarus, under a deal negotiated by President Alexander Lukashenko that ended his mercenaries’ mutiny in Russia.

Prigozhin’s Wagner Group could set up a new base at a vacant military base near the town of Asipovichi, about 90 km (50 miles) from the Belarusian capital, Minsk, Russian media reported.

After pushing Russian forces out of northern regions last year, Ukraine took steps to tighten the defense of its border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia.

Zelenskiy said the situation in other frontline areas, supplies of artillery and shells, and advances by Ukrainian troops against Russian forces were discussed at a meeting with military commanders on Friday.

“Ukraine is fighting for their life,” Milley said in Washington. “We are giving them as much help as humanly possible. But at the end of the day, Ukrainian soldiers are assaulting through minefields and into trenches” against Russia’s much larger army.

(C) Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Car chargers at a Tesla Super Charging station are shown in Carlsbad, California, U.S. Sept. 14, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

By Abhirup Roy

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -A group of EV charger makers and operators is pushing back against Texas’ plan to mandate the inclusion of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) technology in charging stations, saying it is “premature,” according to a document seen by Reuters and a source aware of the matter.

Reuters reported last week that Texas would require charging companies to include both Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) as well as the nationally recognized rival Combined Charging Standard (CCS) technology to be eligible for a state program to electrify highways using federal dollars.

Washington followed suit, and standards organization SAE International has said it aims to make an industry standard configuration of Tesla’s charging connector in six months or less, adding momentum to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s hope of making NACS the national charging technology.

But five electric vehicle charging companies, including operator ChargePoint Holdings and manufacturer ABB, and a clean energy association have written to the Texas Transportation Commission, calling for more time to re-engineer and test Tesla’s connectors.

Texas’ plan “risks the successful deployment” of the first phase of federal funds being rolled out, they said in the letter sent to the chairman of the commission on Thursday, which was seen by Reuters.

“Time is needed to properly standardize, test, and certify the safety and interoperability of Tesla connectors across the industry,” they said.

The source directly aware of the matter told Reuters that some of these organizations are planning to reach out to the federal government with the issue soon.

The Texas Department of Transportation, ChargePoint, ABB and other signatories FreeWire, EVBox and FLO did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

Another signatory, Americans for Affordable Clean Energy, an association of truck stops and convenience stores, could not be reached immediately.

Tesla, the dominant EV maker in the United States, has scored a string of victories for its charging technology in recent weeks, starting with Ford Motor (NYSE:F) saying it would adopt NACS. General Motors (NYSE:GM), Rivian Automotive and a raft of auto and charging companies did the same, on concerns of losing out on customers if they offer only CCS.

Tesla’s Superchargers account for about 60% of the total number of fast chargers in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and the deals will allow non-Tesla users to use the company’s large charging network.

But concerns remain about how smoothly the two charging standards would talk to each other and whether having both standards in the market would raise costs for vendors and customers.

Charging companies have to re-work several aspects of NACS connectors, including extending the cable length and ensuring adequate temperature ranges, as well as get certifications for specific parts, the companies said in the letter.

The companies also highlighted the need for a strong supply chain of NACS cables and connectors that comply with the requirements.

(C) Reuters. FILE PHOTO: An American Airlines plane sits at a gate at Logan Airport ahead of the July 4th holiday in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., June 28, 2023. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

By Doyinsola Oladipo and Rajesh Kumar Singh

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The number of people traveling by air in the United States for the Fourth of July holiday is expected to surpass pre-COVID levels for the first time in four years, but recent flight disruptions raise fresh questions about airlines’ readiness to handle the summer travel rush.

In anticipation of a busy summer, U.S. airlines have taken measures like trimming schedules and beefing up staffing to prevent large-scale flight disruptions, though inclement weather in some regions presents a risk to travelers during the period.

Despite signs of slowing consumer spending, about 51 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home between Friday, June 30 and Tuesday, July 4, according to travel group AAA. This is about a 4% increase from 2019 levels, the current record year for July 4th travel.

The AAA estimates do not include Thursday, June 29, which the Federal Aviation Administration expects to be the busiest day of air travel during the holiday weekend.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said it screened 2.7 million passengers on Thursday, up 32% from 2019.

Last weekend, thunderstorms and failing equipment at an FAA facility in the Washington area created significant delays for air travelers on the U.S. East Coast.

About 43,000 flights were delayed and over 7,700 were canceled between Saturday, June 24, and Thursday, June 29, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.

United Airlines bore the brunt of the disruptions, with about 19% of its scheduled flights canceled and about 47% delayed.

The Chicago-based carrier said its operations were beginning to see improvement. While the cancellations on Thursday were fewer than those in previous days in the week, United still scrapped 18% of its flights, data from FlightAware showed.

The disruptions have left passengers fuming, with many United customers venting frustration on social media about long lines, delays in rebooking flights and misplaced luggage.

The carrier has been apologizing to customers on Twitter for delays in responding to complaints, citing high call volumes.

“It’s all-hands-on-deck as our pilots get aircraft moving, contact center teams work overtime to take care of our customers, and our airport customer service staff works tirelessly to deliver bags and board flights,” United said in a statement.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has called the summer travel season a “stress test” for airline operations.

“Nobody can control the weather, but it is important for airlines to create enough cushion in resilience in the system,” Buttigieg told CNN.

United CEO Scott Kirby (NYSE:KEX), however, has blamed the Federal Aviation Administration for making the situation worse. In a staff memo, he said over 150,000 United customers were affected last weekend because of FAA staffing issues and its impact on managing traffic.

Still, the airline has said it would be “on track” to restore operations for the holiday weekend when it expects 5 million people to fly with it. Its bookings are up about 12% from last year and have nearly rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) expects nearly 3 million customers from Friday, June 30, through Tuesday, July 4, across more than 26,000 scheduled flights.

Travel spending has held up nationwide, and air carriers expect strong results through 2023, which comes against a backdrop of U.S. consumer confidence rising in June to its highest level in nearly 1-1/2 years.

AAA expects 43 million people will drive to their destinations, a 4% increase from 2019 levels.

Other modes of travel still have not reached pre-pandemic levels. The travel group expects about 3 million people will travel by bus, cruise liner, or train over the long weekend, up 24% from last year but 5% lower than 2019 levels.

(C) Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Members of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America walk the picket line outside Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 7, 2023 REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Hollywood’s actors union and major Hollywood studios agreed on Friday to keep negotiating through mid-July, staving off the immediate threat of a second labor strike in the entertainment business this summer.

The SAG-AFTRA union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said they would extend their current contract, which had been set to expire at midnight, through July 12.

The agreement gives the two sides more time to work out a deal and prevent a work stoppage that would have added to ongoing labor strife in Hollywood. Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) walked off the job on May 2, forcing many film and TV productions to shut down.

A-list stars including Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep, in a letter to union leadership this week, said they were ready to walk off the job if negotiators failed to reach a “transformative deal” on higher base pay and safeguards around use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The letter came days after union negotiators issued a video saying their talks had been “extremely productive,” a possible sign that a deal was within reach.

In a message to members on Friday, SAG-AFTRA’s negotiators they had unanimously agreed to the contract extension “in order to exhaust every opportunity to achieve the righteous contract we all demand and deserve.”

“No one should mistake this extension for weakness,” they said.

SAG-AFTRA voted in early June to give its leaders the authority to call a work stoppage if talks were to break down.

Negotiations were taking place during a difficult time for Hollywood studios. Conglomerates are under pressure from Wall Street to make their streaming services profitable after pumping billions of dollars into programming to attract subscribers.

The rise of streaming has eroded television ad revenue as traditional TV audiences shrink.

The walkout by 11,500 writers has shut down a wide swath of TV production and delayed the filming of movies including Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” and “Blade.” Any ongoing filming would have to halt if actors also strike.

Leaders of SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 actors, and the WGA say the entertainment industry has changed dramatically with the rise of streaming television and the emergence of technology such as generative AI, which they fear could be used to write scripts or create digital actors.

The AMPTP, which negotiates on behalf of the studios, has declined to comment about its talks with SAG-AFTRA. The two sides have agreed to keep negotiating without discussing the talks with the media, according to a joint statement on Friday.

With the writers, the AMPTP said it had offered “generous” pay increases but could not agree to all of the writers’ demands. The studios and the WGA have not held talks since the writers’ strike began on May 2.

The WGA walkout is hitting caterers, prop suppliers and other small businesses that generate a large portion of their income from Hollywood productions. The last writers’ strike in 2007 and 2008 cost the California economy an estimated $2.1 billion.