Europe

Anarchists claimed Monday responsibility for the disruption of train traffic and the destruction of rail infrastructure on Saturday in northern Italy, on the first day of Winter Olympic Games. Three separate incidents were reported by the police at different locations on Saturday morning, causing delays of up 2-1/2 hours in high-speed services and regional trains. This was particularly true around Bologna. There were no injuries and no damage to the trains. Anarchists said in a statement that the progressive crackdown by Prime Minister Giorgia?Meloni on protests had rendered confrontations on the street "ineffective", and they were forced to find alternative...

Spanish carrier Air Europa said that it will resume flights to Caracas from Madrid in this month. The service was suspended last November due to rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela. The airline has scheduled flights between Madrid and Caracas for the 17th, 20th and 22nd of February but has not said when it will resume its regular five-weekly flights. Air Europa was among a list of airlines who halted flights?towards and from Venezuela, after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning of a "potentially dangerous situation" while flying over 'the country. This warning came long before...

The Kremlin stated on Monday that Cuba's fuel situation is critical. Cuba has?unveiled a plan that will protect essential services and?ration fuel. Cuba outlined its plans for navigating the crisis on Friday, as the communist government dug its heels to defy a U.S. attempt to cut off the?oil supplies to the Caribbean Island after declaring Cuba an "unusual and?extraordinary" threat to U.S. security. "The situation in Cuba has indeed become critical." We are aware of it. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, told reporters that the Kremlin maintains intensive contact with its Cuban friends via diplomatic channels and other means. Russia is...

The company, along with Spain's transport minister, announced on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had ordered 20 high-speed trains. Talgo announced in a?statement that the deal added 1.33 billion euro ($1.57 billion), bringing its backlog to nearly?6billion euros, which is a record. The contract also covers maintenance of the trains. The agreement will 'boost the reputation of Spanish rail, which suffered a heavy blow after a fatal train crash near Cordoba in last month. The accident raised concerns about whether the investment in maintaining the network keeps pace with a soaring passenger demand. In a X.com post, Transport Minister Oscar Puente...

Giorgia Melons, the Italian prime minister, called anti-Olympics demonstrators "enemies" of Italy after violence on the fringes a protest in Milan Saturday night and sabotage of the national rail system. The International Olympic Committee (IOC)?also??joined the criticism by saying that violence has no place in the Games. The incidents occurred on the first day of competition at the Winter Games, which Milan, Italy's capital of finance, and the Alpine town Cortina D'Ampezzo are hosting. Meloni thanked the thousands of Italians working to ensure the Games ran smoothly and presented a positive image of Italy. "There are also those who are...

Transport Ministry: Saboteurs damaged rail infrastructure near the northern Italian city Bologna Saturday morning, disrupting train travel on the first day of the Winter Olympic Games. Three separate incidents were reported by the police at three different locations. These caused delays up to two and a half hours for regional, high-speed, and Intercity services. The Ministry called it "serious" sabotage, adding that it was reminiscent of the opening day for the Summer Olympics in Paris 2024, when saboteurs attacked France's TGV high-speed train network, causing chaos. The ministry headed by Matteo Salvini, the Deputy Prime Minister, said that "these?actions... of...

Acciona announced on Friday that a consortium including the Australian units from?Spanish companies Acciona and ACS had won a?contract worth?5.75 billion Australian 'dollars ($4 billion) - for rail construction work on a major railroad connecting Logan to the Gold Coast, Australia. The contract was awarded 'to the ActivUs Consortium, which includes Acciona and ACS CPB Contractors, UGL as well as SMEC and WSP. Acciona stated in a statement that the project is aimed at meeting the high demand for travel between Brisbane, Australia and the Gold Coast, ahead of the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2032. The company added...

Executives and suppliers claim that even years after the pandemic the aviation industry still struggles to recover from supply disruptions. These have been made worse by the record passenger demand, and geopolitical issues. Airbus and Boeing have had to delay some deliveries because they are juggling the competing demands of new plane assembly, maintenance and repair for existing fleets. Jeffrey Lam, chief operating officer and President of ST Engineering, the largest provider of airframe maintenance and repairs in the world, said that prolonged supply delays and bottlenecks have become "the new norm". "We fear that this new standard will remain,...

China's military and aviation might was on display at the Singapore Airshow this week, attracting the attention of regional delegations. Beijing is stepping up its efforts to gain influence in Southeast Asia. The?U.S. The?U.S. military has shown its power in the past year with the precise extraction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, and a "major" naval buildup around Iran. Trump, however, has been vocal about his criticisms of certain U.S. Allies and imposed tariffs against them. This created an opening for China. While China's commercial and fighter aircraft are still far from being adopted by the international market on a...

'Airbus's main aircraft?production goal hangs in balance, as the planemaker is still without a deal with engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. Industry sources confirmed this. They are stuck in a dispute about the allocation of engines to Airbus production lines versus?maintenance shops that service airlines. And they have not yet reached a vital engine supply agreement for 2026 and 2027. Airbus stated last month that engines from RTX owned Pratt & Whitney were "very,'very late". It had not yet reached an agreement with Pratt & Whitney for this year or next. Rick Deurloo said at the Singapore Airshow on Wednesday...

Tim Clark, Emirates' president, said that the airline would consider ordering a bigger version of the A350 if Airbus?moved forward with a new wide-body model. He reiterated calls for manufacturers and aircraft makers to make larger planes. Airbus announced in November that it was studying a so-called A350 2000 after Boeing agreed to examine a larger version its largest aircraft in production, the 777X as part of an agreement to secure?65 in new orders for the delayed plane. A larger A350 could potentially overtake the A350-1000 – currently the largest model Airbus’ portfolio – which Emirates has refused to purchase...

The Vietnamese budget airline Vietjet entered into a 'contract with Pratt & Whitney (a subsidiary of RTX) to?supply GTF engine for 44 Airbus planes, bringing its total GTF powered fleet orders to 137. The deal was announced at the Singapore Airshow and includes 24 A321neo planes and 20 'A321XLR aircraft. Deliveries will begin in July. In a joint press release, the companies said that it also included a 12-year maintenance agreement. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Vietjet has deployed its first A321neo aircraft in 2018. It currently operates 42 GTF-powered aircraft, and plans to equip the...

Spain's major unions of rail workers have called off their?three-day national strike that began earlier on Monday after the authorities agreed to?boost investment and reinforce staffing in response to a series of high-profile accidents. In the last?month?, several consecutive derailments, crashes, and deaths left dozens of people dead. This sparked public concern about the state of Spain’s rail infrastructure. A high-speed train crash on January 18 in southern Andalusia left 46 dead, while a derailment in northeastern Catalonia two days later killed a driver. In a recent statement, the Spanish Transport Ministry announced that it would invest 1.8 billion euro...

The White House announced that President Donald Trump will unveil "TrumpRx.gov" on Thursday night. This website is intended to give consumers discounted access to prescription drugs and to be a key part of his efforts to reduce drug prices in the U.S. Sixteen of the biggest drug manufacturers in the world have joined forces to create a new global alliance. Deals with "most-favorable nation" In exchange for exemptions from U.S. Tariffs,?the Trump Administration will lower drug prices in the United States. These agreements will lower the?prices for Medicaid and cash-paying customers via TrumpRX. Those deals include Agreements with obesity drug...

Available copper inventories The London Metal Exchange has seen its trading volume increase by 11 months, as traders from the U.S.A. and Asia have increasingly turned to the exchange for metal storage. After more than 20,000 tonnes of copper were delivered to New Orleans and Baltimore over the last three weeks as well as similar inflows into South Korea and Taiwan, the amount of copper available in LME warehouses reached 160,625 tons on Wednesday. This is the highest since late February of last year. Copper was shipped in large volumes to the United States before possible import tariffs. Higher?prices at...

Kumba Iron Ore, South Africa, said Thursday that it expected its full-year profits to increase by up to 23% due to higher mineral prices and sales volumes. Kumba, an Anglo American unit, expects to earn between $1,39 billion and $15,33 billion ($862,55 million-$951,29 million) in the year ending December 2025. This compares with the 12.5 billion rand earned the year before. Africa's largest iron ore producer said that the increase in earnings was due to the higher average free-onboard export iron ore prices of $95 per metric tonne in 2025. This is up from $92 a metric tonne the previous...

Western Balkans truckers' protests against restrictive EU entry laws have led to fuel shortages and losses of business as they blockaded cargo terminals at the borders of EU countries. Truckers in?Bosnia and Herzegovina?, Serbia?, Montenegro? and North Macedonia?launched protests against the EU’s new stricter entry/exit system, under which they could face detention and expulsion for exceeding Schengen's visit limits. The Montenegro energy ministry warned on Tuesday night that the country may face fuel shortages as a result of a blockade in the Adriatic port?of Bar. This is the main entry for fuel imports from overseas into Montenegro. Montenegro does not...

Montenegro may face fuel shortages as a result of regional protests and the blockade by truck drivers?of Bar's Adriatic port over restrictive EU entry laws?that could lead to their deportation if they exceed Schengen visit limitations. Montenegro has no own oil refinery and so the port of Bar is a major entry point for fuel imported from abroad. The port of Bar is also home to the largest fuel?depots in the country. The blockade of border crossings that began Monday in Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro, and North Macedonia has halted transportation along a crucial road corridor connecting?the EU to Turkey...

United Parcel Service, the largest package delivery company in the world, announced on Tuesday that it will close 24 additional facilities and eliminate up to 30,000 positions by 2026. This is due to its ongoing shift towards a'more profitable business. In midday trading, shares of the company rose 4%. The company also announced fourth quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations and forecasted a surprise increase in annual revenue. FedEx shares gained 2.6%. Carol Tome, CEO of the company, said in a conference with analysts that the company plans to reduce Amazon deliveries. "We are now in the last six...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. Ageas SA: Belgian and Dutch insurance group Ageas reported that its reinsurance unit Ageas Re had achieved inflows at a rate of 379 millions euros on 'January 1, 2026 compared with 206 million euro a year before. Its partnership activity in-force books now stand at 435million euros after the renewal campaign. ARGAN SA - French real estate firm Argan reported a full-year rental revenue of 212 millions euros, and recurring net profit of 154.8million euros. Its end-December Portfolio was valued...

Data from the London Metal Exchange showed that the share of China-made Copper among the available London Metal Exchange stock fell in December. This was due to the outflows?of the inventory in the LME registered?warehouses?in Asia. The percentage of copper stocks that are available - or those on warrant The data revealed that 79% of the - in LME's warehouses were of Chinese origin at the end last month. This was down from 85%?in November. A LME warrant is an ownership document. The absolute number of Chinese copper stock on the LME dropped to 87,475 tons by the end last...

PlusAI, the self-driving vehicle startup, announced on Monday that it would launch Southern Europe's very first program to test heavy-duty autonomous vehicles. It will also expand its partnership with Iveco Group and brand IVECO. Two IVECO S-Way truck equipped with PlusAI’s Level 4 autonomous driving.system will be tested on a 300-km route between.Madrid.and Zaragoza in 2026. A safety operator will also be onboard. Trials will be conducted with Spanish logistics operator Sese, and the regional government of Aragon. PlusAI in Silicon Valley, with offices in Europe and America, has been working with Iveco on joint research and tests for many...

Senalia, a grain export terminal operator, expects volumes to double in 2025/26 compared to last year due to a rebound in French harvest production and a brisk barley demand. Rouen, on the Seine River in Normandy, is France's main grain export hub. Rain-stricken 2024 reduced its export surplus, and port terminals were idle for part the season. Senalia, the cooperative-owned cereal exporter, has forecast that Senalia will load 3.8 millions metric tons in the current July-June period, up from just 1.8 million in 2020/25. This is exactly what it did two years ago. He said that 1.7 million tonnes of...

The Turkish distributor of China's Dongfeng Motor said that the company is in discussions with an investor to produce passenger cars in Turkey. Turkey is a large market with an annual sales volume of 1.4m vehicles. It also has a customs-free trade agreement with the EU. Chinese imports of cars to Turkey are subject to additional taxes, and Chinese automakers including Chery are seeking to set up production in Turkey with local partners. In a LinkedIn statement, Yavuz Cirak said, "We're working hard to begin production this year." Cirak is the CEO of Dongfeng’s local distributor,?Marcar, and was a part...