Latest News
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Saluda Medical shares plummet on Australian market debut
Saluda Medical shares listed on the Australian Securities Exchange fell nearly 45% in their debut at the Australian Securities Exchange on Friday after raising A$231,000,000 ($152.67,000,000) through its initial public offer. Saluda is a U.S. medical device company that develops neuromodulation treatments to treat chronic neurological conditions. The company sold 87.1 new CHESS depositary interests at A$2.65, which valued the company at approximately A$775 millions at listing. In the first few trading minutes, the stock fell almost half its value to A$1.48. Saluda was founded in Sydney, Australia in 2010. The FDA-approved Evoke Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) System is a closed-loop system that uses neural biomarkers to measure and adapt therapy in real-time. Saluda made its debut after GemLife Communities Group IPO of A$750 Million in early July. This was the largest 2025 listing in Australia and surpassed Virgin Australia's A$685 Million offering at the end of June. (1 Australian dollar = 1.5131 dollars) (Reporting and editing by Alan Barona in Bengaluru)
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Irish media reported that drones were spotted near Zelenskiy's flight path from Dublin.
Local media reported that an Irish navy ship saw up to five drones near the flight path for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as he arrived in Ireland on Monday to make a state visit. Irish Times reported that the sighting caused a major alert due to fears of an attempted interference with the flight path. The Irish Times cited unnamed sources who said that the aircraft was not in danger, despite its arrival a little early. The Ukrainian delegation arrived on Monday late and left late the following day, as part of an effort to drum up support for Kyiv in Europe as Russia continues its war against Ukraine. Ukrainian media reported that Dmytro Litvyn was an adviser to Zelenskiy. He said that Ukrainian officials had been informed of the drones but took no action. Lytvyn is quoted as saying "The host country is responsible for the security." According to their data there were drones. However, this did not impact the visit. There was no need to change the visit. Recent drone flights originating from unknown origins have disrupted airspace operations across Europe. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has called these incursions hybrid warfare. The Journal website first reported that drones were spotted at Dublin Airport. They said they arrived at the exact location where Zelenskiy’s plane had been expected to be, at the exact time it was due to pass. The authorities said they were conducting investigations to determine if the drones had taken off from a ship or landed on land. Both news outlets reported that they were first seen northeast of Dublin at a distance of around 20 km (12miles) from the airport. Ireland's Defence Forces stated that it could not comment on any specifics about any alleged incident for operational security purposes. A spokesperson stated that "However, Defence Forces Support to the Security Operation, led by An Garda Siochana, was successfully deployed through multiple means, ultimately leading to a successful and safe visit," (Reporting and editing by Timothy Heritage Ron Popeski Stephen Coates).
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CANADA CRUDE-Western Canada Select trades at steepest discounts ever since March
The difference between the West Texas Intermediate benchmark futures and Western Canada Select futures, which is North American benchmark, has narrowed slightly on Thursday. However, it remains larger than ever before. CalRock reported that WCS for Hardisty, Alberta delivery in January settled at $12.85 per barrel, which is lower than the U.S. benchmark WTI. This compares to $13 Wednesday. The WCS discount on increased Canadian oil production has recently increased after spending most of the year in historically tight levels. This is largely due to the Trans Mountain expansion pipeline which has provided additional export capacity for Canadian oil producers. According to government statistics, the oil-producing province Alberta has set a record for production in 2024 with an average of 3.98 million barrels per day. The first 10 months of the year 2025 have been 3.8% higher than the same period of last year. * Oil prices fell globally on Thursday as investors waited for the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut. Meanwhile, the stalled Ukraine talks dampened expectations that a deal would be reached to restore Russian oil supplies. (Reporting from Amanda Stephenson, Calgary; Editing done by Maju Sam)
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Brazil 2026 Budget Sponsor proposes $1.9 Billion Exclusion for State-run Firms' Fiscal Target
Gervasio maia, the Brazilian congressman who sponsored the bill on budget guidelines for 2026, proposed to exclude up to 10 billion reals ($1.9 billion) of next year's fiscal goal for state-owned enterprises. According to Maia’s amendment, this amount will cover the expenses of companies that have an active and approved economic-financial plan. The proposal gives President Luiz inacio Lula da Silveira fiscal flexibility. It comes at a time when the postal service Correios is facing a cash crisis. Last month, it approved a restructuring program as its losses soared this year. This raised doubts over the viability of state-run Correios. The company reported a loss for the year to date of 6 billion reals ($1.13 billion), nearly three times the amount reported a year ago. The government has to compensate state-owned companies when they exceed their fiscal targets. This often means freezing federal spending. This is what happened with this year's Budget, when the government in November approved it. It was necessary to offset the 3 billion reais deficit that had been expected at state-owned firms due to Correios’ troubles. Maia removed from her proposal a clause on compensation. This effectively prevents the government from implementing it in the event that state-owned companies miss their targets next year. After the bill was passed, the change to the budget proposal for 2026 was announced ahead of the joint session of the Congress on Thursday. Committee approval is expected to be made on Wednesday. Correios stated earlier this week that the Treasury Blockage It was prevented from taking out a loan of 20 billion reais (3.67 billion dollars) from a bank consortium with a guarantee from the government because the interest rates exceeded the limit for deals backed by the state. ($1 = 5.3048 reales) ($1= 5.3133 reales) (Reporting and editing by Diane Craft; Marcela Ayres)
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Irish media reported that drones were spotted near Zelenskiy's flight path from Dublin.
Local media reported that an Irish navy ship saw up to five drones near the flight path for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as he arrived in Ireland on Monday to make a state visit. Irish Times reported that the sighting caused a major alert due to fears of an attempted interference with the flight path. The Irish Times cited unnamed sources who said that the aircraft was not in danger, despite its arrival a little early. The Ukrainian delegation arrived on Monday late and left late the following day, as part of an effort to drum up support for Kyiv in Europe as Russia continues its war against Ukraine. Recent drone flights in Europe have disrupted airspace operations. Their origin is mostly unknown. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has called these incursions hybrid warfare. The Journal website first reported that drones were spotted at Dublin Airport. They said they arrived at the exact location where Zelenskiy’s plane had been expected to be, at the exact time it was due to pass. The authorities said they were conducting investigations to determine if the drones had taken off from a ship or landed on land. Both news outlets reported that they were first seen northeast of Dublin at a distance of around 20 km (12miles) from the airport. Ireland's Defence Forces stated that it could not comment on any specifics about any alleged incident for operational security purposes. A spokesperson stated that "however, the Defence Forces' support to An Garda Siochana's (police) security operation was successfully deployed by multiple means, ultimately leading to a successful and safe visit,"
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US investigations report that Waymo's self-driving car illegally passed 19 school buses in Texas
The U.S. government said Thursday that it had asked Waymo for more information after Texas officials claimed that Alphabet's self-driving cars had passed school buses illegally 19 times since the beginning of the school year. In October, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation after an incident that occurred in Georgia. A Waymo was not stationary as it approached a school bus while its red lights were flashing and its stop arm was deployed. The Austin Independent School District posted a letter on November 20, 2018 by the NHTSA. In the letter, they stated that five incidents had occurred in November following the announcement from Waymo that it had updated its software to fix the problem. They asked the company not to operate around schools at pick-up or drop-off hours until it was able to ensure the vehicles wouldn't violate the law. Waymo didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. A lawyer for the district wrote: "We cannot let Waymo continue to endanger our students as it tries to fix the problem." Citing an incident in which a Waymo was "recorded" driving past a school bus that had stopped only moments after the student who crossed in front, while still on the road, had been in front of the vehicle. A spokesperson for the school district did not respond immediately to whether Waymo had met this request. NHTSA was prompted by the letter to ask Waymo if it would comply to the request that self-driving vehicles cease operations during pick-up or drop-off hours for students. They also asked: "Was a software fix developed or implemented to mitigate this concern?" If so, will Waymo file a recall to fix the problem? In a letter sent to Waymo by the NHTSA on Wednesday, it demanded answers to questions about school bus incidents and software updates that address safety concerns. David Shepardson is reporting.
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US investigations report that Waymo's self-driving car illegally passed 19 school buses in Texas
The U.S. government said on Thursday that it had asked Waymo for more information after Texas officials claimed that Alphabet's self-driving cars had passed school buses illegally 19 times since the beginning of the school year. In October, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation after a Georgia incident where a Waymo failed to remain stationary as it approached a school bus that had its red lights flashing with a stop arm deployed. In a letter published by NHTSA on Nov. 20, the Austin Independent Schools District stated that five incidents had occurred in November, after Waymo claimed to have made software updates to fix the problem. The district asked the company to stop operations near schools at pick-up or drop-off hours until it could be ensured the vehicles wouldn't violate the law. Waymo didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment. David Shepardson reports.
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Sources: Deutsche Bahn will return to profitability this year and next.
According to sources close the company, Deutsche Bahn will return to profitability this year and next, despite its underinvestment in trains and delays. After more than a decade underinvestment by the state-owned Deutsche Bahn, it has begun upgrading its tracks and overhead lines, as well as cutting administrative costs. This has led to major delays and cancellations across the country. Positive outlook is also a result of CEO Evelyn Palla's task to turn the company around. She took over on October 1. Palla will present her restructuring plan for the company at a meeting of the supervisory board scheduled to take place on Wednesday. Significant job cuts are expected. Deutsche Bahn has declined to comment. Sources said that the company expects a slightly positive profit before interest and tax (EBIT) in 2025 after a loss last year of 388 million euros. EBIT is expected to reach 500 million euros by 2026. The German Bahn also aims at reducing its net loss from 820 million euros to 180 million next year. Revenues are expected to stay stable, around 28 billion euro next year.
Underwater sabotage suspected in Baltic Sea
A Finnish court denied a release request of an oil tanker that police suspected of damaging four telecommunications cable and an underwater power line in the Baltic Sea.
This was not the first time that underwater critical infrastructure in Baltic Sea has been damaged in a suspicious manner. NATO and the Baltic Sea nations have stepped up their presence in this area.
A number of police investigations are underway, but no suspects were brought to court.
DEC 2024 - POWER AND INTERNET CABLING
On December 25, four telephone lines and the Estlink 2 underwater power cable, which connects Finland to Estonia, were damaged.
Finland has launched a sabotage probe and on December 26th seized a Russian oil tanker on suspicion that it had caused damage by dragging the anchor.
The Cook Islands Eagle S, registered in Finland, was part of an "shadow fleet" that circumvented sanctions against Russian oil exports. The European Union condemned any deliberate destruction to Europe's infrastructure.
NATO announced on December 27 that it would increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea Region. The Kremlin stated the same day that it was not concerned about the seizure of the ship, and Russia had previously denied any involvement in such an incident.
On December 29, the Finnish police reported that they found tracks in the water where they suspect Eagle S to have damaged the cables.
On December 30, the owner of the Eagle S - Caravella LLC FZ based in the United Arab Emirates - filed a petition with the Helsinki District Court requesting the release of ship. The request was denied on January 3, 2025.
BALTIC TELECOM CABLES AVAILABLE NOV 2024
On November 17 and 18 two undersea fiber-optic communication cables, located at a distance of more than 200 km (over 100 nautical miles), were cut in the Baltic Sea. This raised suspicions about sabotage.
According to Lithuanian Telia Lietuva (part of Swedish Telia Company), a 218-km (135 mile) internet connection between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island went out of service around 0800 GMT on November 17.
Cinia, the Finnish cyber security and telecommunications company controlled by the Finnish government, said that a 1,200-km cable linking Helsinki to Rostock in Germany stopped working at around 0200 GMT November 18, 2018.
Investigators from the countries involved focused on the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 which left the Russian Port of Ust-Luga in Nov. 15. An analysis of MarineTraffic showed that the coordinates of the ship matched the time and location of the breaches.
After a diplomatic standoff lasting a whole month, during which the ship was parked in the Danish shipping lanes, China finally allowed investigators and representatives from Germany as well as Sweden, Finland, and Denmark to board the Yi Peng 3 on December 21.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard stated on December 23 that China had refused to heed the Swedish government’s request to have a prosecutor conduct the preliminary inquiry on board.
OCT 2023 - BALTICCONNECTOR PIPE AND FILTERS FOR GAS
The Balticconnector subsea pipeline that links Finland and Estonia beneath the Baltic Sea was cut by the Chinese container ship NewNew Polar Bear, according to Finnish investigators, when it dragged its anchor early in the morning of Oct. 8, 2023.
The Estonian Police suspects that the ship also damaged telecoms cables linking Estonia with Finland and Sweden between Oct. 7 and 8, before striking the gas pipeline while on its way to St Petersburg, Russia.
Estonian authorities claim that China did not fulfill its promise to Finland and Estonia regarding the investigation.
Investigators in Finland and Estonia have been unable determine whether damage was caused by the Hong Kong flagged vessel accidentally or intentionally. They have yet to provide their conclusions.
SEPT 2022 : NORD STREAM BLASTS
On September 26, 2022, Nord Stream 1 & 2 were damaged. They are two pipelines built by Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom across the Baltic Sea to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany.
Swedish seismologists recorded several subsea explosions that occurred 17 hours apart off the Danish Island of Bornholm. These blasts ruptured three of the four Nord Stream pipelines and released methane in the atmosphere.
Sweden's investigation found explosive residue on several recovered objects, confirming that it was an intentional act. However, Sweden and Denmark ended their investigations in 2024 without naming any suspects.
No one has accepted responsibility.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has dismissed some Western officials' claims that Moscow blew its own pipelines.
Russia blames the United States of America, Britain, and Ukraine for these explosions that have largely isolated Russian gas from the European Market. These countries denied any involvement.
In August 2024 Germany requested that Poland arrest a Ukrainian diver instructor who was accused of being a member of a team which blew up Nord Stream Pipelines. Poland claimed that the man fled the country before being detained. Reporting by Anne Kauranen, in Helsinki; Nerijus Adomiaitis, in Oslo; Johan Ahlander, in Gothenburg; Stine Jacobsen, in Copenhagen; Andrius Sytas, in Vilnius, and Anna Ringstrom, in Stockholm. Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, and Timothy Heritage.
(source: Reuters)