Logistics News

Rubio: US stops worker visas for truck drivers

On Thursday, Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state announced that all visas for truck drivers would be suspended immediately. Rubio wrote in a blog post on X that "the increasing number of drivers from abroad operating large tractor-trailer truck on U.S. highways is putting American lives at risk and undermining the livelihoods of American trucks." The Trump administration has taken several steps to address concerns regarding foreign truck drivers that do not speak English. In April, Trump signed an executive directive requiring that commercial drivers in the U.S. meet English proficiency standards. Sean Duffy, the Transportation Secretary, announced earlier
Asia

Netanyahu: Israel will begin Gaza ceasefire negotiation to end the war and release hostages
What do we know about the Nord Stream explosions?

Italian police has German prosecutors announced on Thursday that they have arrested a Ukrainian suspected of coordinating attacks on Nord Stream's gas pipelines. The arrest marks the first major breakthrough in the investigation into mysterious underwater explosions which occurred in September 2022 on the Baltic Sea. What we know about blasts What is NORD STREAM? Nord Stream System consists of two double pipes, Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, built by Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom, to deliver up 110 billion cubic meters (bcm), of gas per year across the Baltic Sea, to Germany. Four concrete-coated steel pipes of approximately 1,200
Transportation

JPMorgan hires 2 investment bankers to boost services to energy companies
Last swing on the LME Aluminium Stocks Roundabout? Andy Home

In the last six months, 156,000 metric tonnes of aluminium metal have been deposited in London Metal Exchange's warehouses. It's beginning to look as if the stock battle that has characterized LME aluminium trade for more than a year is coming to an end. The volume of metal is decreasing. This has led to a battle between financiers, traders and warehouses. Almost all of the aluminium that was just delivered on LME warrant came from the existing LME offwarrant stock in the same Malaysian facility. The Port Klang stock shuffle had little effect on the overall inventory picture. The total
Europe

Polish Minister: Netherlands will send Patriot air defense systems to Poland

The Netherlands will deploy two Patriot air defense systems and approximately 300 personnel in Poland, a NATO ally, to guard a center for military aid to Ukraine. A Russian drone crashed in a field east of Poland earlier this week. This heightened concern about airspace violations in the Ukraine war. Wladyslaw KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ, who spoke at a press conference to welcome the Dutch decision, said: "Due the current events in Ukraine and the ongoing conflict and Poland's logistical role in securing the transfer of (...), to Ukraine, the Netherlands has announced support for systems that secure our airspace and air defense
Greece's tourism sector enjoys a 6 billion euro profit in the first half of 2025

Poland and Baltics look to protect energy assets after undersea cable cuts

The Baltic states are working with Poland to protect the energy facilities they need as they decouple their power grids from Russia, Lithuania's energy minister told Reuters, following damage to undersea cable televisions in the area. Polish and baltic state-run power grid operators are working on an arrangement to guarantee the smooth running of the decoupled system, and how to repair it if needed, Zygimantas Vaiciunas said in an interview...

Transport Infrastructure

New rules slow down shipments from major Russian grain port

Sources in the industry said that new requirements for ship entry and inspection have significantly hindered Russian grain exports through Kavkaz on the Black Sea. These exports accounted almost a quarter (24%) of all seaborne imports during last season. According to a presidential decree issued in July, foreign vessels must have permission from the port authorities to enter Russian ports and receive approval from the FSB security services. One of six sources said that since the beginning of August around 350,000 tons of grain has been shipped through Kavkaz. This compares to 1.5 million to two million tons per month...

Gupta lawyers do not appear at Trafigura fraud hearing

A London court heard that lawyers representing Indian businessman Prateek gupta failed to attend a hearing Monday due to funding problems in a longstanding fraud case brought by commodity traders Trafigura regarding nickel cargoes. Trafigura of Geneva, a major industrial metals trader and oil company, sued Gupta for $60 million in fraud in February 2023. It claimed that it was the victim in a $600-million nickel cargo scam masterminded by Gupta. Gupta said that Trafigura employees designed the scheme in the middle of the case, which substituted low-grade materials like scrap with high-grade Nickel. Trafigura, its employees and the company...

Exporters' association reports that Ivory Coast cocoa fell 31.2% in July compared to the same period last year.

The Ivory Coast cocoa grinding fell 31.2% on an annual basis in July, to 39,301 metric tonnes, according to data released by the exporters' association GEPEX. Grinders cited poor bean quality and low quantities of the mid-crop. From the beginning of the season 2024/25 in October to the end of July, the total grind of cocoa beans was 515,055 tonnes, a 4% decrease from the same period the previous season. The director of a San Pedro-based international grinding company said that the "quality of the beans" was the main reason for the dramatic drop in July's grinding this year. They...

Gulf shares fluctuate on Fed rate cuts uncertainty

Gulf stocks had a mixed start to the trading session on Monday, as investors grew cautious in anticipation of this week's Jackson Hole Symposium for clues about the next U.S. Federal Reserve policy move. The U.S. released data on July retail sales on Friday. Although the results were as expected, a weaker consumer sentiment and a softer factory production suggested that tariffs are weighing down on certain parts of the U.S. economy. This clouded the Fed's interest rate path. The traders are pricing in an 85% probability of a 25 basis-point rate cut on September 17 and further easing at...

Firefly Aerospace to launch rockets in Japan for Asia

Firefly Aerospace, the U.S. rocket manufacturer expanding its satellite launch services worldwide, is looking at the option of launching its Alpha rocket in Japan. A Japanese company that operates a spaceport on the northern island of Hokkaido confirmed this Monday. Firefly's Texas-based competitor to Elon Musk’s market leader SpaceX is planning an Alpha launch for Sweden. SpaceX made its Nasdaq debut this month. Space Cotan (the operator of Hokkaido Spaceport, located approximately 820 km 510 mi northeast of Tokyo) and Firefly have signed a preliminary contract to examine the feasibility of launching Alpha, a small-lift rocket, from the spaceport. Adam...

Namibian Port Authority cancels Luderitz Energy Support Project

Namibian Ports Authority's (Namport) Facebook page revealed on Friday that it had cancelled the pre-qualification bid for a new base of oil and gas supplies at Luderitz, just days after its launch and without any explanation. The cancellation of the contract is a major blow to the government's efforts to speed up the development of the Luderitz Port, one the two commercial ports that are located in Southern Africa and is an important centre for energy services. Namibia is a hotspot for exploration following the discoveries of Shell, TotalEnergies and Rhino Resources offshore. The country aims to produce its first...

Passenger Transportation Services

Wall Street Journal, August 21,

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. McDonald's has reached an agreement with its franchisees to reduce the price of combo meals by 15%. They will also launch value deals between $5 and $8. The aim is to regain their affordability image among inflation-weary customers. Hertz is selling used cars on Amazon's automotive market, increasing retail access while boosting margins. This move is part of an overall push to sell vehicles directly to customers. Meta has frozen its hiring in its AI division, amid...