Latest News
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Airbus delivered 30 jets during the first half of December, according to sources
Airbus delivered 30 aircraft during the first half of December. This is a lower-than-average rate of delivery for a month, as airlines await details on a fix to a recent problem with fuselages, according to industry sources and analysts. Airbus delivered 657 jets from January to November, so more than 100?jets are still needed to meet the revised?target for 2025 of 790 - a new target. "If they have to deliver another 104 planes to reach the restated guidance around?790 at this point in the month, that seems to be a very steep task," said analyst Rob Morris, noting Cirium data which showed 29 deliveries as of last Friday. Airbus, which has a history of increasing its output during the last days of the calendar year, declined to comment on the mid-month figures. (Reporting and editing by Tomaszjanowski)
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Abu Dhabi Ports signs MoU with Kuwait to develop and operate Shuaiba Container Terminal
Kuwait Ports Authority said that it had signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi Ports Group to operate and develop the container terminal in Kuwait's Shuaiba Port under a concession. Kuwait's oldest harbor, Shuaiba, was established in?1960. According to KPA, it covers a total of 2.2 million sqare metres (543.63 acres), has 20 berths and a container terminal with a storage space of 318,000 sqare meters. The port is located 60 km (37 miles) south of the city and handles commercial cargoes, heavy equipment, raw material, and chemicals essential to many industries. KPA stated in a press release that the MoU is "the first preliminary step" towards concluding a contract of concession, but did not disclose the value.
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Phillips 66 increases its 2026 capital expenditure plan to focus on midstream and refining projects
Phillips 66 approved a $2.4billion capital budget for 2026. This is slightly more than its forecasted amount for 'this year'. The company will be shifting growth expenditures to expand?its midstream Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) network, and high-return refinery?projects. Mark Lashier, CEO of the U.S. refiner, said that the?spending plans, announced on Monday underscores its focus on shareholder return as it invests into assets to improve margins and cash flows across its integrated business. It is expected that the company's crude processing options will be increased by its acquisition in September of WRB Refining from Cenovus Energy, which operates major refining plants in Illinois and Texas. The capital budget of $1.1 billion for each of the midstream and refinery units compares to estimated expenditures of $975 million and $822 million respectively in 2025. Key investments in its midstream ?segment include the Iron Mesa ?gas processing plant, a 300-million-cubic-feet-per-day facility in the Permian Basin that is expected to start up in the first quarter of 2027. The Coastal Bend NGL Pipeline will also be expanded, increasing its capacity to 350,000 barrels a day by the 'fourth quarter of 2026. Phillips 66 plans to build a new fractionator at Corpus Christi, which would increase the fractionation capacity of NGL by 100,000?barrels a day. The final investment decision will be made in early 2026 with completion targeted by 2028. A fractionator separates NGL mixtures into different products, such as ethane and propane, which can be sold, transported or exported separately. (Reporting by Pooja Menon in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore and Shilpa Majumdar) The growth capital plan includes the Humber gasoline quality improvement project, which is expected to begin operations in the second quarter 2027. It also includes more than 100 smaller initiatives aimed at improving crude versatility, feedstock optimization, and clean product yields. (Reporting and editing by Vijay Kishore, Shilpa Majumdar, and Pooja Menon from Bengaluru)
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Venezuela's PDVSA claims cyber attacks have not affected its operations and blames the U.S.
The attack comes amid high tensions between the U.S. government and Venezuelan government, including a large-scale U.S. military buildup in the'southern Caribbean,' U.S. strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats that have killed?80 people, and comments from U.S. President Donald Trump that land operations may begin soon?in Venezuela. The attack occurs amid high tensions in relations between the U.S. government and Venezuelan government. This includes a massive U.S. build-up of military forces in the southern Caribbean, U.S. attacks on suspected drug trafficking vessels that have killed '80 people, and comments by U.S. president Donald Trump that he may soon begin land operations?in Venezuela. The U.S. has captured Venezuelan oil cargo for the first time since sanctions were implemented in 2019. This has led to a dramatic drop in Venezuelan exports. It also hit crisis-hit Cuba which faces daily power outages. PDVSA employees fought back against the "foreign interest in complicity" with domestic entities that were "seeking to destroy Venezuela's sovereign energy development," according to the statement. The statement also said the attack was part U.S. efforts aimed at controlling Venezuela's oil through "force and piratery." The statement did not provide any further details about the attack. Venezuela's government blames "problems" like blackouts on the opposition and foreign entities such as the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency without providing evidence. But sources said effects ?were ongoing. One company source stated that "there's no cargo delivery, all systems are down." Sources said that PDVSA had ordered administrative and operations workers to disconnect themselves from the company systems, and limited access to PDVSA facilities for indirect workers. Reporting by
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Data shows that Azerbaijani oil exports through the BTC pipeline fell 7.1% year-on-year between January and November.
Azerbaijani figures show that Azerbaijani oil exports through the Baku, Tbilisi, and Ceyhan pipelines fell by 7.1% between January and November, as a result of contaminated oil. Azerbaijani crude oil cargoes were found to contain organic chloride in July. This caused several days of delays in loadings at the?BTC Ceyhan Terminal in Turkey. The BTC pipeline that runs through Georgia - to Turkey - is used for?exporting oil from BP's Azeri, Chirag, and Guneshli fields. According to Azerbaijan’s statistics committee, the total amount of oil shipped through the BTC in the first 11 months of this year was 33.4 million tonnes, with 74.6% of that being transported via the BTC. Data showed that the volume of transit oil imported from other countries (such as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and others) via the BTC dropped to 3.707 millions tons between January-November, from 4.890 in 2024. (Reporting and editing by Kirovan Donovan. Nailia Bagirova)
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Russia considers extending gasoline, diesel exports ban until February, state media reports
State news agencies reported on Monday that Russia was considering extending the diesel and gasoline export restrictions until February. Anonymous sources were cited. On Monday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak presided over a meeting about the fuel market. The participants included officials from the Energy Ministry, the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAMS) and representatives of oil companies. After the meeting, the government stated that the fuel producers kept the supply balanced. There is a downward trend in the fuel price for small wholesalers. The government has confirmed that the required fuel volumes are being provided to agricultural producers. The Russian government has extended the gasoline export ban to the end of this year and imposed a partial export ban on diesel at the end of September. The ban on diesel exports included marine fuel and other gas oils. The ban only applied to distributors and not direct producers. At that time, there were gasoline shortages in several Russian regions including Nizhny Novgorod (east of Moscow) and the far east. Since then, no major disruptions have been reported. Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin, Olesya Astakhova and Andrew Osborn.
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Spain fines Airbnb $75 Million for unlicensed listings
The Consumer Rights Ministry announced on Monday that Spain fined Airbnb 64 million Euros ($75 million) for advertising unlicensed rental homes. Spain's leftist Government, along with city councils and some regional authorities, have been crackingdown on tourism rentals using sites such as Airbnb.com and Booking.com. Many in?Spain accuse these sites of creating excessive tourism and driving housing costs up by limiting the supply. Airbnb did not respond immediately to a request for comment after it'removed 65,000 listings in July that were deemed by the Ministry as violating its rules. The fine is a judicial penalty that can be appealed. The ministry issued a statement saying that the fine is equivalent to six-times the profit Airbnb made from the illegal listings. It was also the second highest fine the ministry had imposed in violation of consumer rights. Consumer Rights Minister, Pablo Bustinduy, told reporters. Ryanair received a 108 million euro fine in 2024 for charging an extra fee on cabin baggage. The European Commission stated earlier this year the fines levied by Spain on Ryanair, and other budget airlines, were in violation of regulations. The ministry stated that the fine for Airbnb was aimed at helping to tackle Spain's housing crisis. Bustinduy stated in a statement that "there are thousands of families who live on the edge due to housing costs, while?a few people get rich off business models which drive people away from their homes."
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Wisconsin Judge faces trial for stopping courtroom detention of migrant during Trump crackdown
A Wisconsin judge is scheduled to go on trial Monday for allegedly helping a migrant in her courtroom avoid an immigration arrest. This case will test President Donald Trump's attempts to punish those who allegedly obstructed his mass deportation campaign. Hannah Dugan is scheduled to make her opening statements on Monday. She faces federal charges that she hid a person and obstructed federal proceedings. Dugan has pleaded guilty to the charges brought by Trump's?Justice Department. The unusual trial of a judge in office reflects tensions about the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactic, which includes placing federal agents inside courthouses for arrests. The Justice Department has instructed prosecutors to conduct investigations into activists and officials that it believes are hindering immigration operations. The case against Dugan is based on an incident that occurred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 18, when a group from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and several other agencies were planning to arrest a Mexican migrant who was scheduled to appear before Dugan in his Milwaukee courtroom for domestic violence charges. ALLEGED DIVERSION OF Federal Agents Indictment: Dugan diverted agents from hallway where law enforcement was planning to arrest Eduardo Flores Ruiz after hearing. The indictment also claims that Dugan escorted Flores Ruiz and his lawyer out of the courtroom after they had privately discussed his case. Flores Ruiz was arrested after a short pursuit outside the courthouse. Dugan has been suspended by Wisconsin's highest court from his judicial duties while the case is being resolved. The prosecution must prove that Dugan corruptly acted to prevent Flores Ruiz from being arrested. In court filings they cited 'witnesses' who described Dugan as "visibly angered" when she discovered ICE agents outside her courtroom, and falsely telling police they?needed a judicial order to make an arrest. JUDGE SAYS HER POLICY WAS FOLLOWED According to court documents, Dugan's lawyers plan to tell jurors that she complied with courthouse policies directing a supervisor to be alerted to the presence of ICE agents. She also acted in good faith following two previous immigration arrests at the courthouse which sparked controversy. The Trump administration has eased restrictions on immigration enforcement operations in local courthouses, as part of an effort to deport millions migrants living illegally within the U.S. Some judges and advocates have condemned this practice. They claim it discourages people from seeking justice and undermines public trust in the system. (Reporting and editing by Scott Malone, David Gregorio and Andrew Goudsward)
The Louvre Museum in France has closed due to a rolling strike by workers
The Louvre museum in Paris closed Monday due to a staff strike demanding better working conditions. This also meant that the museum was not open during one of its busiest seasons.
The museum has been dealing with recent infrastructure issues, including a leaky water pipe that damaged ancient books.
The Louvre welcomes around 30,000 visitors per day. The museum will not reopen until Wednesday because it is normally closed on Tuesdays. Workers will then decide if the strike will continue.
The museum was closed at its usual 9 am opening time on Monday after unions announced a walkout last week. This happened shortly before the vote that confirmed the walkout. Around?400 of the 2,200 museum employees supported the strike.
The Louvre announced on X that the museum was closed due to a strike.
COMPLAINTS? OVER WORKING CONDITIONS
The CFDT union, CGT union and Sud unions called the strike in response to what they described as "increasingly deteriorated working conditions"
The unions claimed that employees suffered from "an increasing workload" and from "contradictory orders" which prevented them from performing their duties correctly.
The unions have asked for more permanent staff in the security and visitor service sectors, as well as improved working conditions. Unions are also against a 45% increase in ticket prices for non-EU visitors starting mid-January. The increase is intended to finance renovations.
"We are well aware that visiting the Louvre can be a trip of a lifetime. We don't wish to penalize visitors," Elise Muller said, national secretary for Sud Culture Union.
"We feel that we are the last to try to insist on a safe Louvre, one that has been neglected for years by its'management.
TOURISTS DISAPPOINTED
Despite the strike threat, some tourists found the Louvre closed when they arrived early Monday morning.
Gretchen Johnson from Texas, an American, said: "We arrive and see them taking placards which say the time, and turning them back, and one of them said that the Louvre was closed."
"And then we went and asked: "When will it open?" He said, "Probably not this morning. Certainly not this morning."
Melissa Frisvold also from Texas said: "As visitors, we don't want to interfere with your politics. We want to be courteous. We understand that people may need to strike.
(source: Reuters)