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WORLD NEWS Friday 21 december 2018
Holiday chaos as drones shut London's Gatwick Airport

By GREGORY KATZ could get sucked into a jet
Associated Press engine or crash through a
LONDON (AP) — Drones windshield, incapacitating
buzzing over the runway the pilot.
forced the shutdown of The crisis at Gatwick had a
London's Gatwick Airport ripple effect on air travel in
on Thursday during one Britain, continental Europe
of the busiest times of the and beyond as incoming
year, stranding or delay- flights were sent to other lo-
ing tens of thousands of cations and outgoing ones
Christmas-season travelers were grounded. British au-
and setting off a hunt for thorities said they would lift
the operator of the intrud- some night-flight noise re-
ing aircraft. strictions at other airports to
The prospect of a deadly ease the congestion.
collision between what po- Travelers described freez-
lice described as industrial- ing conditions overnight
grade drones and an air- at Gatwick as hundreds
liner led authorities to stop slept on benches and
all flights in and out. floors, and passengers and
Police said they had no People wait in the departures area at Gatwick airport, as the airport remains closed after drones their families complained
doubt the intrusion was a were spotted over the airfield last night and this morning, in Gatwick, England, Thursday, Dec. 20, they weren't being kept
2018.
deliberate attempt to dis- Associated Press informed about re-routed
rupt operations at the air- flights. "We understand it's
port during a peak period, shoot down the two drones newer-generation drones details. an emergency situation,
but there were "absolutely — stray bullets might kill are bigger and have more With drones booming in but the lack of informa-
no indications to suggest someone. range, making it harder for popularity and becoming tion is really surprising," said
this is terror-related." "Each time we believe we police to locate the person increasingly affordable, Vanessa Avila, an Ameri-
About 20 police units from get close to the opera- controlling the device. aviation authorities have can based in Britain who
two forces tried to zero in tor, the drone disappears. Defense Secretary Gavin been warning in recent works for the U.S. military.
on the drone operator after When we look to reopen Williamson said the military years about the risk of a Her mother was on a flight
the first sighting over Gat- the airfield, the drone re- would be deployed to help catastrophic collision with from Florida to Gatwick
wick on Wednesday eve- appears," said Sussex Po- police. He said the armed an airliner, and Britain — that ended up landing in
ning. Police told airport offi- lice Superintendent Justin forces would bring "unique and the U.S. — have tight- the northern English city of
cials it was too risky to try to Burtenshaw. He said the capabilities" but gave no ened restrictions. Drones Manchester.q

Israel, Greece, Cyprus to ink natural gas pipeline deal

By ISABEL DEBRE ect. Italy is also a partner rael."
JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime in the pipeline's planning. Israel has been develop-
Minister Benjamin Netan- Cyprus President Nicos An- ing natural gas fields off
yahu on Thursday said that astasiades said the project its Mediterranean coast
Israel, Greece and Cyprus is waiting for a green light for the past decade. Its
will sign an agreement from the European Union to "Tamar" field already is op-
early next year to build a move forward. erational, while the larger
pipeline to carry natural "We're going to sign formal- "Leviathan" field is expect-
gas from the eastern Medi- ly, officially, this agreement ed to be operational next
terranean to Europe, while in a few months," he said. year. While most of its gas
the United States pledged In another boost for the is used domestically, it has
its support for the ambitious project, U.S. Ambassador signed export deals with
project. David Friedman hailed the Egypt and Jordan and has
The $7 billion project, ex- pipeline as integral to the its eyes on the larger Euro-
pected to take six or seven "stability and prosperity of pean market.
years to complete, prom- the Middle East and Eu- The proposed pipeline Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades speaks during the 5th tri-
ises to reshape the region rope," and urged all coun- would allow Israel and lateral summit with Israel, Greece and Cyprus in the southern
as an energy provider and tries in the region to ensure Cyprus to export their re- Israeli city of Beersheba, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018.
dent Russia's dominance its success. cently discovered offshore Associated Press
over the European energy Washington is eyeing the reserves to Italy and even-
market. It also could cur- east Mediterranean with tually to the rest of Europe. reduce its dependence At Thursday's summit, the
tail Iranian ambitions to use renewed interest. In a Greece, which would act on Russia. Developing the leaders offered no details
Syria as a gateway to the meeting with the Greek as a conduit for the gas to region's hydrocarbon re- of a construction time-
eastern Mediterranean. foreign minister earlier this the continent, could also serves would also serve to line. The countries also
Speaking at a summit with month, U.S. Secretary of use the pipeline to convey curb Teheran's bid to "open pledged to cooperate in
the Greek and Cypriot State Mike Pompeio called any hydrocarbons poten- a window" to the east Med- cyber security, while Israel
leaders in southern Israel, the region "an important tially found in its own wa- iterranean through Syria, and Cyprus signed a pre-
Netanyahu said the three strategic frontier" for Wash- ters. Assistant Secretary of State liminary deal on technical
nations reaffirmed their ington, which is working to This would potentially trans- Wess Mitchell told Greek cooperation and Israel and
commitment to the pipe- strengthen its relations with form the countries' econo- language newspaper Greece reached a frame-
line and discussed "impor- "democratic allies there like mies while also diversifying Kathimerini in an interview work agreement on satel-
tant aspects" of the proj- Greece and Cyprus and Is- Europe's gas supply and published this week. lite technology.q