KAZUNO, Japan — Japan’s military deployed troops to the country’s mountainous north on Wednesday to help trap bears after an urgent request from local authorities struggling to cope with a wave of attacks.

The operation began in the town of Kazuno, where residents for weeks have been told to avoid the thick forests that surround it, stay home after dark and carry bells to deter bears that might forage near their homes for food.

There have been more than 100 bear attacks with a record 12 people killed across Japan in the year since April, according to the environment ministry. Two-thirds of those deaths were in Akita prefecture, where Kazuno is located, and nearby Iwate.

“As bears continue to enter populated areas in many regions and injuries from bear attacks increase daily, we absolutely cannot afford to put off bear countermeasures,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato told a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Authorities in Akita say bear sightings have jumped six-fold this year to more than 8,000, prompting the prefecture’s governor to request help from Japan’s Self-Defense Forces last week.

An army truck, several jeeps, and more than a dozen soldiers, some carrying body armor, gathered on Wednesday morning in Kazuno, a town of around 30,000 people known for its hot springs, dramatic landscapes and variety of sweet apples.

The troops will help transport, set and inspect the box traps used to capture the bears, but the culling will be left to trained hunters with weapons more suited to that purpose.

ATTACKS IN SUPERMARKET, HOT SPRING RESORT
Rising bear numbers, climate change-driven shifts in natural food sources and depopulation of rural areas are increasingly bringing people into contact with bears in Japan. An ageing band of hunters that authorities once relied on is overwhelmed.

In recent months, bears have attacked customers inside a supermarket, jumped a tourist waiting at a bus stop near a UNESCO World Heritage site and mutilated a worker cleaning out a bath at a hot spring resort.

Japanese black bears, common across most of the country, can weigh up to 130 kg (287 pounds). Brown bears on the northern island of Hokkaido can weigh as much as 400 kg.

Japan previously deployed the military to assist in wildlife control around a decade ago when they provided aerial surveillance for hunts of wild deer. Elsewhere, the British army provided logistical support in the mass culling of animals infected with foot-and-mouth disease in 2001. — Reuters

ABU DHABI — Western sanctions on Russia and Iran are creating record volumes of oil stored onboard vessels, preventing a supply glut from forming in global markets, Gunvor Group’s CEO said on Wednesday.

The European Union, United Kingdom and the United States have imposed a raft of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, with the latest US embargo targeting Russia’s two top oil producers Rosneft and Lukoil last month.

Surplus oil supply has cushioned the impact of trade disruptions caused by the sanctions, keeping markets stable and reducing price volatility, Torbjorn Tornqvist, CEO of Swiss-based commodities trader Gunvor Group told the ADIPEC energy conference in Abu Dhabi.

However, the sanctions have also led to an “enormous amount” of oil that is dislocated and some of that is being held on tankers, he added.

“This is unprecedented, the size of that. Therefore, obviously, if all sanctions would disappear, this market would clearly be quite oversupplied,” Mr. Tornqvist said.

Global oil prices fell in October for a third month on fears of oversupply as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies are increasing output while production from non-OPEC producers is growing.

Oil supply could exceed demand by 2 million barrels per day next year, Mercuria’s CEO and co-founder Marco Dunand said at the conference, but added that Western sanctions remain a wild card in curbing supply.

“That probably means that from a 2 million barrels a day surplus we move more into the 1 million barrels a day surplus,” Mr. Dunand said.

“It is true that the (global oil) inventories are low. It is also true that oil on the water is high, so the (supply) glut is forming slowly and probably going to hit the market in the next few months.” — Reuters

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO — US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Tuesday he could be forced to close some of the national airspace to air traffic if the federal government shutdown extends for another week, warning of travel chaos and sparking a selloff in airline shares.

The shutdown entered its 35th day due to a political stalemate over government funding, forcing air traffic controllers and airport security screeners to work without pay. The standoff is amplifying staffing shortages, causing widespread flight delays and longer security wait times.

An airline industry group estimates that over 3.2 million passengers have been affected by flight delays or cancellations due to a spike in air traffic controller absences since the shutdown began October 1. Airlines have been raising concerns with lawmakers about the impact on operations.

‘MASS CHAOS’ AHEAD: DUFFY
“If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it,” Mr. Duffy said at a press conference. “We will restrict the airspace when we feel it’s unsafe.”

The comments represented the Trump administration’s most dire warnings of impending impacts from rising air traffic controller absences.

Shares of Southwest, Delta, United, and American Airlines closed down 3% to 5% after the comments.

Mr. Duffy did not provide details on how the government would structure such a move. Industry experts warn that because the air traffic control system is an intertwined network, even a partial closure of the airspace would have nationwide consequences.

“You can’t simply close one sector without it affecting the rest of the country,” said Sheldon Jacobson, a professor at the University of Illinois.

The last time the United States fully closed its airspace for domestic air traffic was on September 11, 2001, in response to terrorist attacks.

THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS DELAYED
Airlines say the shutdown has not significantly affected their business, but have warned bookings could drop if it drags on.

Tens of thousands of flights have been delayed over the last month. On Tuesday alone, more than 2,900 flights were delayed as the FAA imposed delays in Phoenix and Houston after seeing staffing issues in Denver, Detroit, and elsewhere.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said on Fox Business’ “Varney & Co” that 20% to 40% of controllers at the agency’s 30 largest airports are failing to show up for work.

Democrats blame Republicans for not negotiating with them to reopen the government. The shutdown has exacerbated staffing shortages, forcing 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers to work without pay, leading many of them to call in sick or absent.

In 2019, widespread disruptions in air travel pressured lawmakers into ending a 35-day government shutdown during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.— Reuters