Western Europe

Uber and Lyft have teamed up with Chinese technology company Baidu in order to test self driving taxis in the UK by 2026. They are the latest ride hailing platforms to team up with self-driving car firms. Robotaxis is expected to become a safer form of transportation that reduces operational costs through reducing the reliance on drivers, and by optimizing routes using real-time data. Robotaxi services are being tested in several cities and countries, including robotic food delivery, daily travel and last-mile logistics. Here are some of the most significant robotaxi trials, tests and operations worldwide: UBER, LYFT, AND BAIDU...

Three sources have confirmed that the Russian government has ordered Russian Railways to dispose of a central Moscow skyscraper with 62 floors to help pay down some of the $50 billion debt owed by this railway monopoly. Last month, it was reported that the?government? is discussing ways to support Russia's largest commercial employer. The state-owned Russian Railways employs 700,000 workers and has seen its revenues fall amid the sharp slowdown of Russia's wartime economy. Meanwhile, debt costs are on the rise, driven by interest rates that have reached their highest levels in 20 years. A government meeting held last week...

The shares of medical supply company Medline rose by 41% over their initial offer price on their highly anticipated New York debut, completing a successful year for U.S. Initial Public Offerings. Volumes reached their highest level since 2021. After nearly three years with sluggish activity, new listings made a strong return in 2025. This was boosted by hopes of rate cuts and a more favorable dealmaking environment. The first-day performances of heavyweights like Circle and Figma, who blew everyone away with their performance, also lifted the mood. Dealogic data shows that IPOs have raised $75.3 billion in the U.S. so...

Aena, the Spanish airport operator, announced?on Friday that it had agreed to buy a 51% share in a holding company in the UK that controls Leeds Bradford Airport as well as a part of Newcastle Airport for 270 million pounds ($360.88). Aena is aiming to have overseas operations represent 15% of EBITDA by 2026, after its CEO said that the company planned to grow via asset purchases. InfraBridge retains the remaining 49% of the holding. "This is a significant step for Aena - in countries with high potential, such as the UK - where we have a long history," said...

Documents from the European Public Prosecutor's Office on Thursday showed that they had'requested' the dismissal of a case involving Webuild CEO Pietro Salini, and three others?for alleged misappropriation of funds. The investigation focused on a contract estimated at 1.3 billion euro ($1.5 billion) awarded by a consortium headed by Webuild to build a dam near the harbour in the city of Genoa, located in the northwestern part of Italy. 900 million euro of that cost came from European and national public funds. Salini's inclusion in the investigation and the dismissal request were not reported previously. The?document reviewed by, the delegated...

Aena, the airport operator in Spain, announced on Thursday that it had 'agreed' to purchase a 51% stake in a new holding company in the UK which owns Leeds Bradford Airport as well as a part of Newcastle Airport for 270 millions pounds ($360.88). The acquisition 'aligns' with Aena’s drive to expand internationally, since the group aims to have overseas operations account for 15 percent of EBITDA by 2026. This is after the company’s?chief executive stated that the company plans to grow through asset purchases. Aena now owns Leeds Bradford, and has a 49% share in Newcastle. InfraBridge retains the...

The?U.S. The?U.S. The U.S. Lobito Corridor is a high-profile project that will link copper and cobalt mining to the Atlantic Coast. It's part of Washington’s global push for access to strategic metals, and its efforts against Chinese influence in Africa. The DFC, under the agreement signed in Washington at a ceremony, will provide funding to the Lobito?Atlantic Railway consortium, which includes Portugal's Mota Engil and commodities trading firms Trafigura, as well as rail firm Vecturis SA. The deal was announced last year, but only finalised now. The DFC released a statement that said the agreement "underscores United States commitment to...

Michael Hoellerer, the former Chief Financial officer of Raiffeisen Bank International, was announced as the new CEO for Austrian lender Raiffeisen Bank International on Wednesday. Hoellerer replaces Johann Strobl who will continue managing the business until then as CEO and will step down from the board of management at the end his mandate in February 2027, according to a bank statement. Strobl has been the CEO of RBI since March 2017. In October, RBI undertook It is reorganizing its board in order to sell off its Russian business to a local buyer, in the hopes that the Russian government will...

Marsa Maroc, Morocco's largest port operator, announced a deal on Tuesday to purchase a 45% stake in Spain's Boluda Maritime Terminals, a subsidiary of Boluda Corporacion Maritima, for 80 million euro ($94.01million). The company stated that the deal was?approved by Marsa Maroc’s board and is subject to regulatory approval. BMT will handle more than one million?containers by 2024, through its nine terminals located in mainland Spain and Canary Islands. It added that the acquisition would allow Marsa Maroc International Logistics, the group's expansion on the international front, to strengthen their?positioning along the Spain-Morocco Corridor. Marsa Maroc operates 25 terminals in...

Fraport, a German airport operator, said that it expected a "significant" decline in its net earnings by 2026. It said that this was due to a higher depreciation amounting to approximately 140 million euros ($164 millions) as well as higher interest expenses of about 90 million euros. It expects to have a positive free cash flow in 2026 and will pay a dividend of 1 euro per share. This would be the first dividend paid by the company after the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic. In November, It would most likely meet its?requirements, including ending cash outflows from investments in...

The federal government of Brazil plans to auction off the massive Tecon '10 container terminal at Santos Port in the first half of March, said Minister of Ports and airports Silvio Costa Filho on Friday. He said that more than 10 bidders have expressed interest in the auction, including the Philippines-based ICTSI, JBS, JSL and unnamed 'Arab investors. The Minister said that the minimum bid price will be below?6.4 billion (about $1.19 billion), the amount of money the winning bidder must invest to build and run the terminal. Roberto Lopes confirmed that the Rio Brasil Terminal, controlled by ICTSI will...

Heathrow Airport in London appointed Philip 'Jansen, WPP Chairman and former BT Group CEO as its new chairperson on Thursday to guide?the _airport? through a critical period of growth. Media reports said that Jansen was widely expected to become the next chairman of 'Europe's busiest Airport. Heathrow will 'undergo a expansion worth 49 billion pounds ($64 billion), which includes the addition of a third runway. The UK government chose to support this project to boost the UK's economic growth and to end the uncertainty surrounding the future of the airport. Jansen stated in a press release that he was "fully...

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal has not confirmed these stories and does not guarantee their accuracy. BP is close to selling a majority of its Castrol lubricants division to Stonepeak, valuing the entire business at $10 billion (including debt). ServiceNow, a leading enterprise software company, has announced that it will buy cybersecurity startup Armis for $7.75 billion cash. The move is part of an effort to attract new customers in the face of increasing cyberattack risks. General?Motors, the federal auto safety regulators and other agencies are investigating an airbag that...

The Polish company announced on Tuesday that Poland's oil pipe operator PERN had signed an agreement with Kaztransoil regarding technical cooperation in relation to shipments of Kazakh oil? to Germany. PERN stated in a press release that the agreement includes delivery scheduling, information exchange, inspections, and certification of meters used during the handling process. Since the suspension of Russian shipments?after Moscow invaded Ukraine, PERN has been supplying?oil from Kazakhstan to Germany's PCK Schwedt Refinery. The refinery also relies on seaborne supplies via Gdansk. The state-controlled Russian energy firm Rosneft holds a majority stake of PCK which supplies much of Berlin's...

The Spanish competition watchdog approved rules that set the financial return on power?grid activity at 6.58% over the next six years. It said it was trying to balance the needs of network?investment with the protection of consumers. The massive blackout which hit Spain and Portugal in April has reignited the debate on investment and return on investments. Power companies invest in grids for a guaranteed return, and consumers pay this rate via their electricity bills. The CNMC said in a late-night statement that the financial remuneration 'rate for electricity transmission system operation and distribution 'would increase by 100 % from...

Market sources reported that the differential between Urals crude and CPC Blend remained unchanged on Monday. However, export volumes of CPC Blend remained uncertain due to?repairs continuing on single-point mooring units (SPMs)?at CPC Terminal. CPC is loading oil into SPM-1. SPM-2 has been taken out of service due to a drone attack by Ukraine, and SPM-3 undergoes scheduled maintenance. Oil prices rose on Monday, after the U.S. Coast Guard attempted to intercept an oil-tanker in international waters near Venezuela, a day earlier. Ukraine also damaged two vessels in Russia and their piers, increasing the risk of disruptions in oil supplies....

Sources familiar with data said that Russia's natural gas exports to China will have increased by 25% this year, as Moscow increases its sales to Asia. Calculations showed that this would not compensate for the revenue loss due to the loss of European gas markets. Since the beginning of the Ukraine war in 2022, Russia has diverted most of its oil towards India and China as Moscow and Europe, once its primary commodity export market and revenue source, severed their ties. The 'diversion of gas flows to the east has proven to be more difficult and painstaking discussions to bring...

Iraq's State Oil Marketer SOMO announced?on Sunday that international producers in Kurdistan are still obligated to send their crude oil under a September Export agreement After DNO, the Norwegian government said that it would not be taking part in this agreement. SOMO's statement is in response to an article in September that cited DNO, which said it would sell to the Kurdish region directly and did not have immediate plans to ship through the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline. In the September agreement between Iraq's Oil Ministry, Kurdistan’s Ministry of Natural Resources and production companies, SOMO agreed to?export crude oil from Kurdish oilfields...

Calculations showed that discounts for Russian Urals oil reached a record high in the state's port - despite weaker demand from Asia and high freight costs - due to western sanctions. The European Union (EU) imposed sanctions Thursday on 41 additional ships of the shadow fleet of Russia, bringing the total to nearly 600. As part of its efforts to increase pressure on Moscow, Britain sanctioned more Russian oil companies and Murtaza Lakhani, a Canadian-Pakistani millionaire. Estimates place the discount on Urals cargoes delivered to Indian ports as about $21.50 a barrel, free-on-board from Russia's Baltic port of Primorsk or...

Regional?police in Spain said that on Thursday, they searched a state funded laboratory near Barcelona as part of a?investigation?into an outbreak of African swine fever in the same region. The court-ordered search was ordered after concerns were raised in the past month that a lab leak could have caused an outbreak of African swine?fever. The strain was similar to those used in research and vaccine development, but different from cases elsewhere in Europe. African swine fever can be deadly to wild boars and pigs but is not harmful to humans. It spreads quickly. Spain is Europe's biggest pork producer and...

Lukoil abandons Ghasha Project, gives ADNOC 10% stake Demand from Asian lenders including Chinese banks The first gas production is expected by the end of this decade Yousef SABA DUBAI, December '18 - Abu Dhabi National Oil Company secured $11 billion of structured financing to monetize future gas production at its Hail and Ghasha project, the?state company announced on Thursday. This was after Russia's Lukoil pulled out of the project. This deal was signed with Eni and PTTEP and involves 20 global and local banks. The deal uses a pre-export financing model, backed by future throughput of gas, to provide...

The Norwegian energy regulator NVE proposed on Wednesday new rules that would govern the 'preparedness' of grid companies in the event of an act of sabotage. This was in response to a heightened threat level as notified by security agencies. The Norwegian security agencies warned that the war in Ukraine, and increased geopolitical tensions, pose a greater threat of sabotage to Norway. NVE stated that a recent study had revealed that the current regime for repairing Norwegian electricity infrastructure was primarily designed to deal with storms and technical problems, rather than'simultaneous attacks on power infrastructure. Kjetil Lind, Director General of...

The government relaxed rules for mixing biofuels with petrol and diesel in Sweden, according to data released on Tuesday. This reversed a downward trend in recent years. Swedish Environmental Protection Agency stated that the increase in emissions would make it more difficult for Sweden to meet its EU-mandated goals on climate change. Since 1990, Sweden's CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gas emissions have declined. However, the right-of-centre government reversed many of the measures taken in the fight against climate change. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) reported that emissions from domestic transport rose by 24% between 2024 and 2030, while...

Yerlan Akenzhenov, Kazakhstan's Minister of Energy, announced on Monday that the?delivery of two new moorings points to Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s Black Sea Terminal has been pushed back to January. CPC exports were curtailed following a drone strike by Ukraine that?damaged a part of their loading infrastructure, one of three single-point-moorings on November 29. CPC had long planned to replace the equipment. The strike forced Kazakhstan to divert oil to other routes including China. CPC exports account for 1% of the global crude oil supply. The pipeline's shareholders are Russian, Kazakh, and U.S. entities. WIND COMPLICATES MAINTENANCE CPC's 1,500 km pipeline...