Transport Infrastructure

The top U.S. Diplomat for Africa dismissed Tuesday allegations of unfair U.S. Trade Practices and said that delays in funding would not derail an important railway project connecting Angola with Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. African Union officials questioned on Monday how Africa could strengthen trade ties with America under what they called abusive tariff proposals and tightening of visa conditions that primarily target travellers from Africa. "There is not a visitation ban," said Ambassador Troy Fitrell during a Luanda Business Summit press conference. He stated that the U.S. Consulates continue to issue visas, though some have shorter...

The operations at the two busiest airports on the planet, Doha and Dubai, slowed down to a crawl Tuesday. Thousands of passengers faced long delays and cancellations due to the temporary closure of the airspace the day before. Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait closed their airspace on Monday night after Iran struck a U.S. base in Doha, the capital of Qatar. This forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights or reroute them, creating a queue of passengers stranded. Dubai airports in the United Arab Emirates temporarily halted their operations. U.S. president Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached between...

The estates of the three people who died in September last year when their 2024 Model S equipped Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Features crashed on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway, Tesla was sued by the estates on Monday. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Camden in New Jersey, blamed the deaths of David Dryerman (54), his wife Michele (54), and their daughter Brooke (17) on the "defective design and unreasonable danger" of the vehicle. Max Dryerman is Brooke's elder brother. He was not in that car and is also a defendant. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory...

Louis Dreyfus Company, based in Rotterdam, announced on Monday that it will reopen an abandoned U.S. grain terminal in Burns Harbor Indiana, at the southern end of Lake Michigan, in early 2026. This will provide the global commodities trader with export market access through the Great Lakes Seaway and St. Lawrence Seaway. The facility, built in 1979 by Cargill, a rival grain merchant, has been closed since 2023 when it ceased operating there because of difficult market conditions. Privately-held Dreyfus is the "D" in the ABCD quartet of global grains trading giants, along with Cargill, Archer-Daniels-Midland and Bunge Global. The...

A government memo revealed that ten officials from India's aviation watchdog would visit Air India headquarters for an audit on Tuesday. This comes as the airline faces intense scrutiny following a plane crash which killed 271 people. Air India is not being audited because of the crash, but it has received warnings from the aviation safety watchdog for lapses. It has also cut its routes citing the need for "operational security" after the deadly June 12 crash in India's Ahmedabad. During the visit, officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation will examine documents related to Air India's operations, audit...

One small company, located just 15 minutes from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (O'Hare), helped import millions in vapes made by Chinese manufacturers last year, and was a vital link in the supply chains that feed U.S. demand. In just over four years, a customs broker named Jay Kim became the go-to agent for the Chinese vape market. According to an analysis, the firm handled 60% of the vapes and parts shipped from China to the U.S. by 2024. Kim, in an April interview at his office, said that "a lot of them" had FDA approval. He was referring to the...

Federal Aviation Administration announced on Friday that Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center, located in Florida, is experiencing a communication issue which has led to a loss in radar, frequencies and automation equipment. According to the agency's statement, the center is still operating. It also added that the redundant equipment and telecommunications have not resulted in any loss of vital air traffic services. The FAA stated that L3Harris, the local exchange providers and other agencies have been contacted and initially identified the cause of the outage to be a cut fiber in Florida. The company said that the local exchange...

A federal judge blocked the administration of President Donald Trump from forcing 20 Democratic states to comply with immigration enforcement to receive billions in grant funding for transportation. John McConnell, Chief U.S. district judge in Providence (Rhode Island), ruled that U.S. Department of Transportation lacked the authority to demand that states cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for transportation funding and the condition was a violation of the U.S. Constitution. McConnell stated that the administration did not provide any plausible link between the cooperation with immigration enforcement and what Congress intended the funding for, which was to support highways...

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's attempt to force 20 Democratic-led state to cooperate with immigration enforcement to receive billions in grant funding for transportation. John McConnell, Chief U.S. district judge in Providence, Rhode Island, granted the request of the states for an injunction to bar the Department of Transportation policy. He said that the states would likely succeed in some or all of the claims they made. The Trump administration didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. The ruling was made in response to a lawsuit brought by a group Democratic state attorneys general, who claimed that...

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's attempt to force 20 Democratic-led state to cooperate with immigration enforcement to receive billions in grant funding for transportation. John McConnell, Chief U.S. district judge in Providence, Rhode Island, granted the request of the states for an injunction to bar the Department of Transportation policy. He said that the states would likely succeed in some or all of the claims they made. The Trump administration didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. The ruling was made in response to a lawsuit brought by a group Democratic state attorneys general, who claimed that...

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's attempt to force 20 Democratic-led state to cooperate with immigration enforcement to receive billions in grant funding for transportation. John McConnell, Chief U.S. district judge in Providence, Rhode Island, granted the request of the states for an injunction to bar the Department of Transportation policy. He said that the states would likely succeed in some or all of the claims they made. The Trump administration didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. The ruling was made in response to a lawsuit brought by a group Democratic state attorneys general, who claimed that...

Macquarie Group, Australia's largest financial services company, announced on Wednesday that it had acquired from Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan stakes in the airports of Bristol City, Birmingham City and London City for an undisclosed sum. The investment bank has purchased a 55% share in Bristol Airport, 26.5% in Birmingham Airport, and 25% in London City Airport. Sky News broke the story of this deal, which is for London City Airport - the fifth largest airport in London - earlier this month. Macquarie said that through the investment it is committed to support the airports which serve more than 25 million...

Iranian TV reported on Sunday that the top security authority in Iran must decide whether or not to close the Strait of Hormuz. The measure was reportedly approved by parliament as a response to U.S. attacks on Tehran's nuclear facilities. Iran has threatened to close the Strait in the past, but never taken action. This would have restricted trade and affected global oil prices. Here are some details on the Strait. What is the STRAIT of HORMUZ? The Strait is located between Oman, Iran and the Gulf of Oman. It connects the Gulf of Oman in the north with the...

Maersk, a container shipping company, announced on Friday that it has temporarily suspended vessel calls to Israel's Haifa Port due to the country's escalated conflict with Iran. The Danish company stated that it has not encountered any other disruptions in its planned operations in the area. Haifa Port, which will be privatized by India's Adani Ports in 2022, has 70% of its ownership held by Adani Ports, while 30% belongs to Israel's Gadot Group. Adani Ports, the port-operating arm of Adani Group led by billionaire Gautam Adani, is part of Adani Group. The company has four ports, including Haifa Port....

Shipping sources reported on Wednesday that commercial ships were sailing near Oman, and maritime agencies are advising them to avoid Iran's water around the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict between Israel, and Iran is at risk of escalating. Iran has threatened in the past to close down the Strait of Hormuz in response to Western pressure. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz could affect trade and global oil prices. Ships sailing to Hormuz have taken the latest precaution to reduce risks. They are now sailing near the coast of Oman for most of their journey. The Gulf of Oman...

On Wednesday, Iran and Israel both accused one another of endangering the commercial activity around the Gulf and Red Sea in the UN's Shipping Agency as their military conflict escalated. Iran's delegation said at a meeting of the International Maritime Organization security committee that Israel has recently extended its "unlawful attack" to include petrochemicals and gas infrastructures in Asalouyeh, along Iran's Gulf Coast. Iran's livestreamed statement to delegates of the IMO said that "These actions directly threaten international maritime security as well as the global energy supply chains." If the international community does not take immediate and concrete steps to...

Pasifik Eurasia Lojistik announced that it had signed a railway transportation agreement with a subsidiary China Railway for the launch of cargo train services on a corridor connecting China to Europe via Turkey, bypassing Russia. The initial plan is to operate 10 train services, and eventually 1,000. It is anticipated that the Middle Corridor will see a significant increase in freight volume thanks to the partnership with China's state-owned railway logistics company. The Middle Corridor, a China-Europe freight route that is promoted by the West, includes Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as Turkey. Fatih Erdogan, Chairman of Pasifik Holding's...

Israel's Airlines said Tuesday that the government had given them permission to begin flights to bring people back who were stranded overseas during the conflict with Iran. Israel's airspace is closed after Israel and Iran started trading attacks on Friday. Tens of thousands were stranded when their flights to Tel Aviv cancelled. El Al Airlines, Israel’s flag carrier, announced that it will operate flights from Larnaca to Israel on Wednesday, as well as to Athens, Rome and Milan. It added that there would be no more passenger flights departing Israel. El Al has canceled all scheduled flights until June 23....

Israel launched attacks against Iran on 13 June, claiming that it was the beginning of a long-term operation to stop Tehran from developing an atomic bomb. Iran has threatened in the past to close the Strait of Hormuz to traffic as a retaliation for Western pressure. Experts say that a closure of the Strait of Hormuz could impact on global oil prices and restrict trade. Here are some details on the Strait. The Strait is located between Oman, Iran and the Gulf of Oman. It connects the Gulf of Oman in the north with the Arabian Sea to the south....

Israeli Army Radio reported on Tuesday that the Israeli Navy carried out attacks against Yemen's Red Sea Port of Hodeidah in a campaign that is usually airstrikes. Al Masirah TV, a Houthi-run channel, said that Israel had struck the docks at Al Hodeidah Port with two strikes. No immediate reports have been made of any casualties. After the Israeli military called for the evacuation of Houthi-controlled port cities of Ras Isa and Hodeidah on Monday, the strikes came. The Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, have been firing at Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023....

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, openly questioned on Wednesday the purpose of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. He accused Kyiv of ordering terrorist attacks in Russia on bridges that resulted in seven deaths and 115 injuries. Russian investigators have said that Ukraine detonated a bridge on a railroad on Saturday, just as 388 passengers were on a train. The attacks occurred ahead of Monday's peace talks in Turkey. Putin claimed that the attack on the Bryansk bridge and the one in Kursk were clearly directed against civilians and that these attacks are evidence that Kyiv's government is "degenerating into...

Panama's Maritime Authority said that it has removed more than 650 ships from its registry since 2019, as part of a campaign to comply with U.S. sanction and enforce stricter regulations for the vessels it flags. The authority said that since last year, 214 ships have been removed from Panama's register, which is among the largest in the world with over 8,500 vessels. Once removed from the registry, ships cannot sail under Panamanian flag. Panama has responded to criticism from non-governmental group United Against Nuclear Iran. UANI, which said last week that Panama had taken insufficient action against sanction violations...

Transport Minister Kamel al Wazir stated on Sunday that Egypt is working towards integrating the country into an international railway network. However, a long-planned link between Saudi Arabia and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which was to connect them, has not yet been finalised. He said that Egypt is expanding its railways on seven different axes. Three high-speed railways would link Sokhna Port, on the Red Sea, with Alexandria and the Mediterranean in the north as well as Aswan in far southern Egypt. Israel and Iraq are also investing billions in rail lines to tap the east-west market. All plans include loading...

Celebi of Turkey, which is a provider of airport ground handling services in India, has filed a lawsuit against New Delhi for its decision to revoke the clearance. Celebi argues that New Delhi cited "vague" concerns about national security without any reasoning. In the interest of "national security", the Indian government revoked Celebi’s security clearance on Thursday, amid growing anger among Indians over Turkey's position on Pakistan during the India-Pakistan Conflict. Celebi Airport Services India asked the Delhi High Court, in a filing dated May 16, to overturn the decision. The company argued that it would have a negative impact...