The statement referred to the suspect’s arrest in August 2024, the same month as three planned Swift concerts were cancelled at short notice after Austrian authorities said they had foiled an attack

International News via Reuters:

Austrian prosecutors have filed terrorism-related and other charges against a now 21-year-old suspect arrested shortly before a 2024 Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, who they said planned to carry out an Islamist militant attack.

The Vienna prosecutors’ office plans to bring a criminal case against the unnamed suspect in Wiener Neustadt, a town near Vienna, accusing him of producing a small amount of the explosive triacetone triperoxide and attempting to purchase weapons illegally, it said in a statement on Monday.

The statement referred to the suspect’s arrest in August 2024, the same month as three planned Swift concerts were cancelled at short notice after Austrian authorities said they had foiled an attack.

The statement from the prosecutors’ office did not name the suspect, but he was identified by Austrian media as Beran A and is the only one to have been arrested in connection with the planned attack. Beran A’s lawyer was not immediately available for comment but has previously disputed accusations made against his client.

The prosecutors’ statement said the suspect was a member of Islamic State and that he is accused of carrying out online research into a type of shrapnel bomb used by that group, and of spreading Islamic State “propaganda material” online.

If convicted he faces up to 20 years in prison, the statement added.

Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Alex Richardson and Sharon Singleton

The comments reflect support for the company’s strategy of stabilising the business first and only then looking at possible strategic options

International News via Reuters:

Three major Siemens Energy shareholders said the company should prioritise fixing its loss-making wind turbine division before considering a spin-off, responding to calls from an activist investor pressing for a break-up.

The comments reflect support for the company’s strategy of stabilising the business first and only then looking at possible strategic options.

U.S. activist shareholder Ananym Capital in December disclosed a stake in Siemens Energy, pushing for a spin-off of its wind business Siemens Gamesa, saying it could be worth $10 billion.

Group management has said the idea has merit, but it wants to restructure the business and is targeting breakeven this year following a 1.36 billion euro ($1.61 billion) loss in 2025.

SIEMENS ENERGY HIGH SHARE PRICE OFFERS COVER FOR MANAGEMENT 

Shareholders at the group’s annual general meeting on February 26 are expected to debate the future of Siemens Gamesa.

Tobias Klaholz, a fund manager at DWS, which according to LSEG data holds 1.84% in Siemens Energy, said meeting the short-term priority of stabilising the unit and significantly improving profitability was crucial.

“It therefore seems too early for a possible spin-off. In the medium term, however, a review of Siemens Gamesa definitely makes sense,” he said.

Ingo Speich of Deka Investment, which holds around 0.88% of the German power equipment manufacturer, also said the focus should be on Siemens Gamesa’s restructuring.

“However, if there are new significant burdens, this could quickly change. Then the future of the wind division would have to be reconsidered more broadly,” he said.

Charlie Penner, Ananym’s co-founder, also said Siemens Gamesa would have to be strengthened before it could be spun off.

“As that day gets closer and as Gamesa approaches profitability, the board should be prepared to act decisively,” he said in emailed comments.

Shareholders said Siemens Energy’s share price performance, boosted by demand for infrastructure to power artificial intelligence technology, had provided some shelter for management from Siemens Gamesa’s ongoing problems.

Union Investment fund manager Maria Mihaylova said Siemens Gamesa was an “important part of the turnaround story of Siemens Energy”, and that there was no need for a spin-off.

($1 = 0.8430 euros)

Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Joe Bavier and Barbara Lewis

The natural arch, part of the Sant’Andrea sea stacks near the town of Melendugno in the southern region of Puglia, had long been a popular backdrop for wedding proposals and tourist photos

International News via Reuters:

A famous rock structure on Italy’s Adriatic coast known as the “Lovers’ Arch” collapsed on Valentine’s Day after days of bad weather, prompting local officials to warn that other stretches of the fragile coastline could be at risk.

The natural arch, part of the Sant’Andrea sea stacks near the town of Melendugno in the southern region of Puglia, had long been a popular backdrop for wedding proposals and tourist photos.

“This is an unwanted Valentine’s Day gift,” Melendugno Mayor Maurizio Cisternino told the local Corriere Salentino newspaper, calling the collapse “a very hard blow” for the area’s image and for tourism.

Cisternino said days of heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas had battered the coastline and ultimately destroyed the arch. “Nature has taken back what it created,” he said.

Officials have warned that other parts of the rocky coastline could also collapse, with cracks visible along the cliff, underscoring the growing threat of coastal erosion.

Storms and heavy rain in recent days have also eaten away at long stretches of coastline on the Ionian Sea, from Ugento to the beaches of Gallipoli, damaging beach structures, causing small cliff falls and harming ports.

Weeks of terrible weather this year have also caused damage estimated at well over a billion euros in southern Italy, including a landslide that has forced more than 1,500 people to evacuate their homes in the Sicilian town of Niscemi.

Reporting by Crispian BalmerEditing by Ros Russell

Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington although cancellations were still widespread after airport authorities said most morning flights were disrupted

International News via Reuters:

Heavy rain and strong winds disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island on Monday, while snapping power links to tens of thousands.

Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancellations were still widespread after airport authorities said most morning flights were disrupted.

Air New Zealand said it hoped to resume services when conditions ease later on Monday, after it paused operations at Wellington, Napier and Palmerston North airports.

Online images showed flooded semi-rural neighbourhoods, inundated homes, trees fallen on vehicles and collapsed sections of road after waters receded.

The weather had been “absolutely terrifying”, Marilyn Bulford, who lives in the rural town of Bunnythorpe, about 160 km (100 miles) north of Wellington, told the New Zealand Herald newspaper.

“I’ve never seen huge trees blowing around this much,” she added. “It’s so bad. I haven’t seen anything like it.”

The Wellington region accounted for more than half the 852 emergency calls received overnight, said Ken Cooper, assistant national commander of the emergency services.

“We had a very busy night, and our firefighters are continuing to respond to calls,” he added.

More than 30,000 properties were without power, including about 10,000 customers in Wellington, said authorities, who have urged motorists to stay off roads, while several schools were closed as emergency crews tackled widespread damage.

The storm is forecast to bring heavy rains as it heads for the east coast of the South Island on Tuesday, the weather bureau said, with authorities warning of further disruption.

Raw sewage discharged after this month’s failure of Wellington’s main wastewater treatment plant in a storm was washed back onto the south coast by the weekend storm, in an incident some residents called a “poonami” on social media.

A low-pressure system east of the North Island has battered several regions since the weekend, bringing heavy rain and severe gales. A man was found dead on Saturday in a submerged vehicle on a highway.

The storm follows six deaths last month in a landslide triggered by heavy rains at Mount Maunganui on the North Island’s east coast, bringing down soil and rubble on a site crowded with families on summer holidays.

Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates and Clarence Fernandez