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Unions withdraw their threat to strike New York Rail Agency
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Monday that the unions have backed down from their threat to strike at Long Island Rail Road later this week, which serves more than 300,000 daily passengers. At a press event, a group of unions announced that they had requested President Donald Trump appoint a board to act as a mediator after threatening to strike the commuter railroad in New York. This action does not mean that a strike will never happen. Gil Lang, the general chairman of BLET's LIRR Engineers, said that it is unlikely to happen in the near future. The union leaders stated that the White House Board would be appointed and a 120-day period would begin during which it would make its recommendation. During this time, no work stoppages could take place. The White House can name a second panel with a cooling off period up to May 2026 if no agreement is reached. The LIRR is the largest commuter railway in the United States. Jim Louis, vice president of national affairs for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said that the five unions had decided to act like adults and ask President Trump to create a presidential board of emergency. The MTA criticised the unions. If these unions were truly interested in putting riders first, then they would have settled or agreed to binding arbitration. This cynical delaying serves no one. The White House didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. New York Governor Kathy Hochul asked the White House to mediate directly. She said, "There's a fair deal on the table and I've told the MTA that they should be prepared to negotiate anywhere, anytime." Both sides must continue to negotiate and work around the clock to resolve this." (Reporting and editing by Chris Reese, Edmund Klamann, and David Shepardson)
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Woodside Energy anticipates that demand for LNG will grow by 50% in the next decade
Woodside is bullish about LNG demand, despite TotalEnergies’ market glut warning Louisiana LNG is the largest foreign investment ever made in a state. Starting in 2029, exports will target Europe and Asia. Arathy S. Somasekhar, Curtis Williams HOUSTON, September 15 - Woodside Energy CEO Meg O'Neill announced on Monday that the global demand for LNG will grow by 50% in the next decade. She was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Australian company's Louisiana export facility. This dispelled concerns about the rapid expansion of U.S. LNG supply. The complex was the largest foreign investment ever made in Louisiana and the first U.S. gas project to receive financial approval after President Donald Trump took office in January. He had promised to unleash U.S. power on the world. The exports will begin in 2029, and they will be aimed at Europe and Asia. The market is already there. However, many nations are unable to take part in the market because of their price-sensitive nature. O'Neill, who spoke at an event in Calcasieu Parish Parish, Louisiana, said that she was "very bullish" on LNG demand over the long-term. O'Neill told reporters that she took the recent comments of TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne who warned about a possible market glut as a result of the new capacity being built in the U.S. with "a pinch of salt." Woodside has a large amount of experience in Australia. However, the Louisiana facility marks its first venture into owning and running a U.S. LNG Export facility. The first phase will cost approximately $17.5 billion, and is expected to produce 16,5 million metric tonnes of supercooled gas per year. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said that the U.S. Energy Policy was aimed at stabilizing world markets. Markus Hatzelmann was also present and stated that the European nation will receive a significant share of the gas produced by the facility. He said: "It is a tangible expression of the strong energy transatlantic partnership between Germany, the United States and Canada."
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Sources say that Russia's Primorsk Oil Port partially resumes loading after drone attacks
Two sources familiar with this matter reported that the Baltic Sea port Primorsk - a major outlet of Russian oil exports - partially resumed its operations on Saturday after being disrupted and damaged by Ukrainian drone attacks. The sources stated that Primorsk's capacity to load 1 million barrels per day is likely to be reduced due to damage. The sources added that they expect the loading schedule to be delayed several days. Sources said that only a few vessels loaded oil on the weekend. It was unclear if all berths are operational. Transneft Pipeline Operator, which manages this port, has not responded to our request for comments. According to LSEG, the tankers Kusto, Cai Yun and other vessels that were damaged during the attack of Friday remain at anchor in the vicinity of the port. Jan Harvey (Editing and Reporting)
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Nigerian conservationists are fighting to protect sea turtles in Nigeria from pollution and poaching
Conservationists fighting to save the turtles say that plastic pollution, fishing nets left behind and coastal development have taken a toll. "We are seeing a dramatic decline," said Chinedu Mogbo. The founder of Greenfingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative has treated and released over 70 turtles in the past five years. Mogbo stated that at least five threatened or endangered sea turtle species live in Nigerian waters. However, the exact number is unknown and monitoring resources are inadequate. Mogbo's team has saved Olive Ridley turtles, Hawksbill turtles and Leatherbacks. Mogbo’s group, which is mostly self-funded and works with local fisherman to save animals, has worked with them since its inception. "Fishers are in need of income." "We offer net repair kit in exchange for turtles or nests that have been rescued," he said at the turtle sanctuary of the group in Lagos, Nigeria's capital. Mogbo, a conservationist, said that the lack of marine protected areas, and the shrinking nesting sites, have made the coast a trap for turtles. He called on state authorities to take more action to protect these animals. The Nigerian environmental agency has not responded to any requests for comments. In Nigeria, the demand for sea turtle meat, eggs, and shells is high, for both consumption and for traditional rituals. "We eat the eggs, and give them sometimes to village elders as voodoo," says Morifat Hassan who sells seafood in the coastal region of Folu near Lagos. Hassan says sea turtles can fetch as much as 90,000 Naira ($60). Rescuers rescued a large green turtle that had been injured by a fishing net in July. He was named Moruf. Mogbo, after negotiating with the fisherman who discovered Moruf was able to deter people from trying to purchase the injured turtle. Mogbo, who was standing on the shore, said, "Normally, a turtle like this would be butchered, or sold. But we intervened, and will make sure it's returned to the sea safely."
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US natgas at Waha hub, Texas, falls into negative territory
The U.S. Natural Gas Prices for Monday in West Texas' Permian Shale Basin turned negative due to the fall pipeline maintenance. The financial company LSEG reported that the average gas production in the Lower 48 States has fallen to 107.6 bcfd so far in September. This is down from a monthly record of 108.3 bcfd set in August. The Waha Hub spot gas price has been boosted by traders who have noticed that the Permian Basin is flooded with gas due to the maintenance of the pipeline. The price of British thermal units (mmBtu), which was 6 cents on Friday, fell by 2,350% to a 17 week low of minus 1,26 dollars on Monday. This was the sixth time that Waha prices averaged less than zero in 2025. The previous averages were $1.66/mmBtu for 2025, 77c in 2024, and $2.91 in the five years prior (2019-2023). In 2019, the Waha price average was first below zero. This happened 17 times between 2019 and 2020, six times each in 2021, once in 2023, and 49 times on record in 2024. Analysts said that low prices are a sign that the Permian needs more gas pipelines. Some pipes are under construction including Kinder Morgan's Gulf Coast Express, Blackcomb, and Energy Transfer's Hugh Brinson. However, they will not be in service before 2026. The Permian Basin in West Texas, and Eastern New Mexico, is the largest and fastest growing oil producing shale region of the United States. With the oil, a lot of gas is also released. Energy companies are willing to accept some gas losses, even though U.S. Crude Futures have fallen about 12% in 2025. They can still compensate for the oil profits. Some energy companies are planning to cut back on the capital they spend this year on new oil drilling, as oil prices are expected to fall for a third consecutive year in 2025. This could eventually lead to less oil and gas coming out of the Permian. According to the federal outlook, U.S. oil production is expected to hit record levels in 2025, before declining in 2026. Scott DiSavino (Reporting) and David Goodman (Editing)
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Data shows that a ship carrying Russian oil with Adani banned switches to an Indian port
Ship tracking data revealed that the blacklisted vessel Noble Walker, carrying Russian oil, has changed its course and is now heading to India's Vadinar Port after Adani Group in India banned entry into Mundra port for ships on the sanctions list. According to data and shipping reports from LSEG, the Noble Walker was headed for Mundra until Friday, with about a half-million barrels of Russian crude oil bound for Indian refiner HPCL Mittal Energy Ltd. The European Union and Britain have blacklisted the vessel for violating sanctions by transporting Russian oil. HMEL didn't respond to an email seeking a comment. According to LSEG, Mancera Shipping, which owns Noble Walker has no contact information. Adani has issued an order to bar vessels sanctioned by Britain, the EU and the United States from entering its 14 ports, including Mundra, in western India. The port is used by Indian refiners HMEL, Indian Oil Corp and others to import oil from Russia. After the Western sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, India is now the largest buyer of Russian oil by sea. India has tightened its surveillance on vessels and transactions that involve Russian supplies. The majority of Russian oil is shipped by the so-called "shadow fleet" after the United States and EU imposed sanctions on vessels, traders, and companies to reduce Moscow's oil revenues, which are its lifeline. Spartan, another sanctioned tanker carrying 1,000,000 barrels of Russian crude oil, was anchored Monday near Mundra port. Kpler data indicated that the vessel was to discharge its crude oil at the port Monday. Reporting by Nidhi verma. Beijing Bureau contributed additional reporting. Editing by Florence Tan, Mark Potter and Mark Potter
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Alaska Air's third-quarter profits are expected to be at the low end of forecasts on fuel costs
Alaska Air said that it expects to earn a profit at the lower end of its forecast due to high fuel prices and operational challenges. Fuel prices have risen due to refinery shutdowns on the U.S. West Coast. Alaska expects to spend up to $2.55 a gallon, compared to its previous projections of around $2.45. Alaska also highlighted weather and air traffic management issues that are driving costs up, such as compensation for passengers and crew overtime expenses. Storms and an overstretched air traffic control system have led to costly disruptions in the U.S. aviation industry this year. Alaska also suffered a major IT failure in July, which disrupted hundreds and thousands of flights during the busy summer travel season. Later, the airline attributed the outage to an erroneous software update. Alaska expects to achieve its adjusted third-quarter profit per share between $1 and $1.40, which was the previous forecast. However, the airline pointed out that revenue trends were improving due to a strong premium demand as well as a rebound of corporate bookings. It said that unit revenue, which is a key indicator of pricing power was moving toward the upper limit of its previous forecast. (Reporting and editing by Sahal Muhammad in Bengaluru, with Shivansh Tiwary from Bengaluru)
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US and Europe trade billions of dollars with Russia despite sanctions
U.S. president Donald Trump stated on Saturday that he was willing to impose new energy sanctions against Russia, provided all NATO countries stopped purchasing Russian oil. The U.S., and the European Union, import Russian energy and commodities worth billions of Euros, from liquefied gas to enriched Uranium. The main commercial ties between the EU and U.S. with Russia and their evolution in the last four-years are listed below: EU TRADE WITH RUSSIA According to Eurostat's latest data, the EU has placed various import and export restrictions upon several products. This resulted in a 61% drop in exports to Russia, and an 89% decline in imports into Russia, between the first and second quarters of 2025. In the second quarter 2025, EU imports from Russia decreased while exports increased. This resulted in a trade surplus of 0.8 billion euro. The EU continues to buy oil, nickel and natural gas from Russia, as well as fertilizer, iron, steel, and iron ore. The EU ban on the maritime import of Russian crude oil has reduced the share of Russia to just 2.01% by 2025, down from 28.74% at the end of 2021. The share of oil imports from Russia dropped from 29% in 2021's first quarter to only 2% in 2025's second quarter. NATURAL GAS The share of Russian natural gas imported by the EU in 2025 dropped from 48 percent in 2021 to 12 percent in 2025's second quarter. Algeria (+2%), the EU's biggest partner, now accounts for 27%, of its natural gas imports. TurkStream, a Turkish-built undersea pipeline that supplies gas to Russia, still reaches some EU countries like Hungary and Bulgaria. As prices rose sharply, the value of EU imports from Russia of liquefied gas increased significantly between the first and second quarters of 2022. The share of LNG imported by the EU from Russia has decreased to just 14%, down from 22% during the first quarter 2021. In the second quarter of 2010, the United States had a share of 54% of the frozen gas that was shipped to Europe. IRON AND STAINLESS STEEL In the second quarter 2025, Russia's share of non-EU imports of iron and steel dropped to 6% from 18% in 2004. FERTILIZERS As of the second quarter 2025, Russia was still the largest fertilizer exporter to the EU of 27 nations, and the share of its market increased from 28% in the previous four years to 34%. The European Parliament voted to impose prohibitive duties on Russian fertilizer exports in May. However, these tariffs will be implemented in phases. It is still too early to determine their impact on the market. U.S. Imports FROM RUSSIA According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. imports of Russian goods fell from $14.14 to $2.50 billion during the first half of 2025. Since January 2022 the United States imported $24.51billion of Russian goods. FERTILIZERS In 2017, the U.S. imported approximately $1.27 billion worth of Russian fertilizers. This is up from $1.14 in 2021. URANIUM, PLUTONIUM In 2024, the U.S. will import enriched uranium (plutonium) and uranium from Russia for around $624 millions. This is down from $646 in 2021. PALLADIUM In 2024, Russia will export palladium worth $878 million to the United States. This is down from $1.59 Billion in 2021.
Uber, Lyft drivers utilize Teslas as makeshift robotaxis, raising security issues
A selfdriving Tesla carrying a. guest for Uber rammed into an SUV at an. crossway in rural Las Vegas in April, an accident that. triggered brand-new concerns that a growing stable of selfstyled. robotaxis is making use of a regulative gray location in U.S. cities,. putting lives at risk.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk intends to show off plans for a. robotaxi, or self-driving cars and truck used for ride-hailing services, on. Oct. 10, and he has actually long considered a Tesla-run taxi network. of autonomous vehicles owned by individuals.
Diy variations, however, are currently multiplying,. according to 11 ride-hail chauffeurs who use Tesla's Complete. Self-Driving (FSD) software application. Many say the software, which costs. $ 99 monthly, has limitations, but that they utilize it because it. helps in reducing chauffeurs' stress and for that reason permits them to work. longer hours and make more money.
Reuters is very first to report about the Las Vegas mishap and. a related questions by federal safety officials, and of the broad. use by ride-hail drivers of Tesla autonomous software.
While test versions of self-driving taxis with human backup. drivers from robotaxi operators such as Alphabet's. Waymo and General Motors' Cruise are heavily regulated,. state and federal authorities say Tesla chauffeurs alone are. responsible for their automobiles, whether or not they utilize. driver-assist software application. Waymo and Cruise utilize test versions of. software application categorized as totally self-governing while Tesla FSD is. classified as a level needing motorist oversight.
The other driver in the April 10 Las Vegas mishap, who was. required to the medical facility, was faulted for failing to yield the. right-of-way, according to the cops report. The Las Vegas. Tesla driver, Justin Yoon, stated on YouTube the Tesla software. stopped working to slow his vehicle even after the SUV emerged from a. blind area produced by another automobile.
Yoon, who publishes YouTube videos under the banner Task. Robotaxi, remained in the motorist's seat of his Tesla, hands off the. wheel, when it got in the intersection in a rural part of. Las Vegas, according to footage from inside the vehicle. The Tesla. on FSD browsed the vehicle at 46 miles per hour (74 kph) and did not. initially sign up a sport-utility automobile crossing the road in. front of Yoon. At the last moment, Yoon took control and turned. the cars and truck into a deflected hit, the footage shows.
It's not perfect, it'll make errors, it will most likely. continue to make errors, Yoon stated in a post-crash video. Yoon and his passenger suffered small injuries and the car was. amounted to, he stated.
Yoon discussed using FSD with Reuters before he openly. published videos of the mishap but did not respond to requests. for remark afterward.
Tesla did not respond to ask for comment. Reuters was. not able to reach the Uber passenger and other chauffeur for. comment.
Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft responded to. questions about FSD by saying chauffeurs are accountable for. security.
Uber, which said it was in touch with the motorist and. guest in the Las Vegas accident, cited its community. guidelines: Drivers are expected to preserve an environment. that makes riders feel safe; even if driving practices don't. breach the law.
Uber also mentioned guidelines by Tesla which alert chauffeurs. who use FSD to have their hands on the wheel and be all set to. take over at any moment.
Lyft said: Chauffeurs concur that they will not participate in. reckless behavior.
GRAND AMBITIONS. Musk has grand prepare for self-driving software based upon the FSD. item. The innovation will act as the structure of the. robotaxi product software, and Musk envisions developing a. Tesla-run autonomous trip service using automobiles owned by his. clients when they are not otherwise in use.
But the motorists who spoke to Reuters likewise described crucial. drawbacks with the innovation, including unexpected unexplained. acceleration and braking. Some have actually quit utilizing it in complex. scenarios such as airport pickups, navigating parking lots and. construction zones.
I do utilize it, however I'm not completely comfy with it,. stated Sergio Avedian, a ride-hail driver in Los Angeles and a. senior factor on The Rideshare Guy YouTube channel, an. online community of ride-hailing chauffeurs with almost 200,000. customers. Avedian avoids using FSD while carrying guests. Based upon his discussions with fellow chauffeurs on the channel,. however, he estimates that 30% to 40% of Tesla ride-hail chauffeurs. throughout the U.S. usage FSD routinely. FSD is categorized by the federal government as a kind of. partial automation that needs the driver to be completely engaged. and attentive while the system carries out steering, velocity. and braking. It has come under increased regulatory and legal. examination with a minimum of two fatal accidents including the. innovation. But utilizing it for ride-hail is not against the law.
Ride-share services enable making use of these partial. automation systems in business settings, and that is something. that should be dealing with substantial scrutiny, Guidehouse Insights. analyst Jake Foose said.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Security Administration stated. it was aware of Yoon's crash and had reached out to Tesla for. extra information, however did not respond to specific. questions on additional policies or guidelines.
Authorities in California, Nevada and Arizona, which manage. operations of ride-hail business and robotaxi companies, stated. they do not manage the practice as FSD and other such systems. fall out of the purview of robotaxi or AV regulation. They did. not comment on the crash.
Uber just recently allowed its software application to send guest. location information to Tesla's control panel navigation system - a. move that helps FSD users, composed Omar Qazi, an X user with. 515,000 fans who posts using the deal with @WholeMarsBlog and. frequently gets public replies from Musk on the platform.
This will make it even simpler to do Uber trips on FSD,. Qazi stated in an X post.
Tesla, Uber and Lyft do not have methods to inform that a motorist. is both working for a ride-hailing company and utilizing FSD,. industry professionals stated.
While practically all major car manufacturers have a variation of partial. automation technology, most are limited in their capabilities. and limited for use on highways. On the other hand, Tesla. says FSD helps the car drive itself nearly anywhere with. active chauffeur supervision however very little intervention.
I'm thankful that Tesla is doing it and able to pull it off,. stated David Kidd, a senior research study scientist at the Insurance coverage. Institute for Highway Security. But from a security standpoint, it. raised a lot of hairs.
Rather of new regulations, Kidd said NHTSA ought to think about. supplying fundamental, nonbinding guidelines to avoid misuse of such. innovations.
Any federal oversight would need a formal investigation. into how ride-hail chauffeurs use all driver-assistance innovation,. not simply FSD, stated Missy Cummings, director of the George Mason. University Autonomy and Robotics center and a former consultant to. NHTSA.
If Uber and Lyft were smart, they 'd get ahead of it and. they would prohibit that, she stated.
Meanwhile, ride-hail chauffeurs desire more from Tesla. Kaz. Barnes, who has actually made more than 2,000 trips utilizing FSD with. passengers considering that 2022, informed Reuters he was anticipating. the day when he might leave the vehicle and let Musk's network. send it to work.
You would simply kind of take off the training wheels, he. said. I wish to have the ability to do that with this vehicle one day..
(source: Reuters)