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Sources: GAIL India wants a 5-to-10-year LNG contract
Four sources familiar with the inquiry have confirmed that GAIL (India) Ltd, a state-owned company, is looking to purchase liquefied gas (LNG) from 2027 as part of a five-to-10 year deal tied to Brent crude oil. They said that the Indian company wants to purchase six cargoes (of super-cooled gas) in 2027 and eight in the second year. GAIL wants to purchase one cargo per month from the third year, according to their statement. Two sources confirmed that the deadline for submission of offers is July 24. GAIL, India's largest distributor of gas, is looking for a long-term contract after it began operating its Dabhol terminal all year round following the installation of breakwater. The facility is capable of handling 5 million metric tonnes per year (tpy). GAIL plans on increasing the capacity of Dabhol by 12.5 million tonnes per annum by 2031 and 6.3 millions tonnes per annum by mid-2027. GAIL's spokesman said that no comments were available on the investigation. (Reporting from Nidhi in New Delhi, and Emily in Singapore. Editing by Christian Schmollinger.
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Canada's First Nations challenge constitutional legislation
The Canadian First Nations have launched a constitutional challenge against laws recently passed that would expedite approval of infrastructure projects such as mines and oil pipes. They claim the measures violate government obligations towards Indigenous people. According to a Monday notice filed at Ontario Superior Court, the two new laws - one in Ontario and the other federally - "represent a clearly and present danger to Applicant First Nations’ self determination rights" and violate government obligations to reconcile Indigenous peoples. Nine First Nations are involved in the case, and they are spread across Ontario. They include Alderville First Nation and Apitipi Anicinapek Nation. The federal legislation was passed quickly by the Parliament late last month. The government would be able to select infrastructure and resources projects that are in the "national interests" and decide whether certain laws apply. Mark Carney, the Liberal Prime Minister, wants to see this law fulfill his campaign promise of speeding up approvals for what he called nation-building projects such as mines and oil pipes. The Ontario law passed early in June allows the government declare "special economies zones" which exempt certain projects from provincial laws. Both laws are opposed by environmentalists who say they circumvent legislation intended to mitigate ecological harms. Indigenous groups, on the other hand, claim they violate their right to self-determination as well as the duty of consultation owed to them by government. The court document states that the national law allows Canada to "unilaterally push through projects without meaningful engagement" with First Nations. A spokesperson from Canada's Privy Council Office said in an email that Canada was committed to meeting its obligations and commitments to Indigenous peoples. Carney is scheduled to meet with First Nations Inuits and Metis over the next few weeks. The email stated that "Canada's aim is to pursue projects of national importance in partnership with Indigenous Peoples." This initiative is focused on ensuring that Indigenous equity participation in major project development is at the forefront. The Ontario government has said that it will continue its consultations with First Nations this summer. (Reporting and editing by Aurora Ellis, Cynthia Osterman and Anna Mehler Paperny)
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US Senator calls for safety reforms following fatal crash between Army helicopter and regional jet
Ted Cruz, the chair of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, said Tuesday that he would propose broad air safety measures after a January collision between an Army helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport and an American Airlines regional plane killed 67. Cruz, a Republican, said that the legislation would mandate the use of ADS-B by U.S. Army aircraft near civilian planes. It would also require a review of helicopter route across the country, and the Army Inspector General to examine "systemic failures" which may have led to the fatal crash. Both parties of Congress have asked why the Federal Aviation Administration has not acted for years in response to close calls that involved helicopters near Reagan. The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a three-day investigation on the collision in late this month. Cruz stated that "Radar blindspots, telecommunications failures, capacity bottlenecks and radar blindspots expose the vulnerability of a system built for an earlier era." A group of seven Democratic Senators introduced legislation last month that would mandate new FAA safety assessments after fatal passenger airline crashes and require ADS-B. Senators and regulators are concerned about close calls with Army helicopters. Since 2021, the NTSB reported that there have been more than 15,000 close calls near Reagan involving commercial aircraft and helicopters, with a lateral separation of less 1 nautical mile, and a vertical separation of less 400 feet. In early May, the FAA barred the Army's training and priority transport flights near the Pentagon following a close call on May 1, which forced two civilian aircraft to abort their landings. Last month, the FAA announced that it was in negotiations with the Army regarding future military flights around Reagan. Cruz's bill also requires that all aircraft operating in the same airspace as ADSB Out must use ADSB In. The FAA has placed permanent restrictions on helicopters that are not essential around Reagan Airport to reduce mixed helicopter-passenger jet traffic. This includes closing a key route. In April, the FAA announced that it would take action to prevent helicopter and passenger plane collisions near Las Vegas' busy airport.
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Tesla's robotaxi service expands as Alphabet Waymo gains speed
Alphabet’s Waymo roboticaxis have driven over 100 million miles with no human driver, double the mileage in six months. The company is accelerating deployment in U.S. city amid increasing competition. Tesla, a rival company, is expanding its self driving taxi service following a trial last month with a few Model Y SUVs. Waymo's service has been growing slowly for years, despite Elon Musk's statement that Tesla would launch the service in multiple U.S. Cities by 2025. It is currently available in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin. Saswat Pantigrahi, Waymo’s chief product office, said: "Achieving 100 million fully automated miles represents years' worth of methodical progress that is now accelerating to rapid, responsible scale-up." As we continue to expand our service, we will face new challenges. Waymo had driven 71 million autonomous kilometers (114.3 millions miles) by March. This is up from 50,000,000 miles at the end 2024, and 25,000,000 miles until July 2024. It completed its first mile in January 2023. D.A. Gil Luria, Davidson analyst. The commercialization of autonomous vehicles is more difficult than expected. High costs, strict regulations, and federal investigations have forced many to close down, including General Motors Cruise. Amazon's Zoox is one of the few remaining competitors. It is testing a vehicle that does not have manual controls, such as a pedal or steering wheel, and is planning to launch its commercial services in Las Vegas in this year. Waymo, the U.S. company that operated driverless taxis for paying passengers before Tesla launched its robotaxi last month was the only one. After collisions, federal agencies have launched investigations into Waymo and Tesla as well as recalling Zoox and other vehicles. Musk, despite multiple traffic problems and driving errors as Tesla teetered into the robotaxi industry after years of broken promises, expanded the service area to Austin and announced last week that it will roll out its services in the San Francisco Bay Area in two months. Waymo announced in March that it plans to launch fully automated ride-hailing services in Washington, D.C., next year. It also applied for a New York permit to operate autonomous cars, with a specialist driving the vehicle in Manhattan. Last month, it said it would start manually driving the vehicles until the permit is granted. Robotaxis, which began as a small Google project for self-driving cars in 2009, and were spun off seven years later, cover over two million miles per wk autonomously. By May, the company had completed 10 million autonomous trips compared to 5 million trips by the end of 2024.
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Farmers criticize US renewable energy transmission project
U.S. Farmers on Tuesday attacked a project which received a loan guarantee of up to $4.9 billion from the former president Joe Biden's Administration to transmit electricity generated by wind and solar farms from the Midwest to urban areas. Grain Belt express transmission project, backed by Invenergy, would send power from Kansas to Midwest and East cities. Invenergy claims that the second-longest line in U.S. History would serve as a "national energy security backbone", connecting four grid areas, including the PJM Interconnection (the largest U.S. Grid), which covers states ranging from Illinois to New Jersey. The project may also help President Donald Trump achieve his "energy dominance" goal of increasing energy output. On May 9, the White House praised Invenergy's $1.7 billion investment in the project as part of a "list" of successes that boost the U.S. economic system and improve national security. Garrett Hawkins of the Missouri Farm Bureau said that the project would violate the rights of farmers because it filed dozens of petitions for eminent-domain, or compulsory acquisitions, against state landowners. Hawkins stated that the "single purpose" of the company was to profit from the farmers and landowners, who will have to house the infrastructure they need for many decades. His comments followed Senator Josh Hawley's post on X, a Missouri Republican. Hawley said that he spoke with Trump and Energy Sec. Chris Wright and that Wright told him "he would be putting a halt to the Grain Belt Express scam." Invenergy sent Wright a letter a day after saying that Hawley, and Missouri Attorney-General Andrew Bailey who had opened an investigation on the project, were declaring a "open season" for America's capability to build necessary energy infrastructure. Invenergy requested that Wright "put aside this unfounded noise and affirm a dedication" to the line. Requests for comments were not immediately responded to by the White House or Department of Energy. The project was in the works for over a decade, and received the conditional guarantee of loan from the Department of Energy’s Loan Program Office last November.
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J.B. Hunt's profit for the second quarter is down on higher costs
J.B. Hunt Transport Services reported Tuesday a decline in earnings for the second quarter, due to increased expenses on wages and equipment. In extended trading, shares of the company fell 3.8%. Since 2022, the trucking industry is in decline, due to excess capacity, declining freight rates and a modest increase in shipment volume. Experts predict that the recession will continue, and that tariffs imposed on U.S. President Donald Trump by Trump's administration will add pressure to the situation. This could delay recovery. J.B. Hunt has reported a 5.6% increase year-over-year in intermodal volume for the quarter reported. Intermodal transport involves goods being transported via two or multiple modes of transportation. This increased its JBI segment revenue to $1.44billion. The lower demand led to a decline in revenue of 3.7% and 10.5% respectively at the segments for integrated capacity solutions and Final Mile Services. According to data compiled and analyzed by LSEG, the Arkansas-based firm reported total operating revenues of $2.93billion for the quarter ending June 30. This compares to analyst estimates of approximately $2.92billion. Its net income fell to $128.6 millions, or 1.31 per share. This compares to $135.9, or 1.32 per share a year earlier. (Reporting and editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi in Bengaluru, Abhinav Paramar and Utkarsh Setti)
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US Transportation chief details plan to overhaul airtraffic control
Sean Duffy, the U.S. Transportation secretary, will outline the Trump administration's plan to overhaul the aging U.S. Air Traffic Control System on Wednesday after Congress approved an initial $12.5 Billion in funding. Air traffic control problems at the Federal Aviation Administration have been a problem for years. But a series of high-profile incidents, near misses and an air crash that claimed 67 lives in January between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army chopper has sparked public concern. Duffy, who will testify before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Tuesday, said that "our job is to ensure air travel safety, and I have dedicated my tenure in delivering a new air traffic control system." Duffy testifies that the legislation provides USDOT with $12.5 billion as a "downpayment to implement our state of the art design." USDOT has plans to upgrade radar, telecommunications and air traffic control towers as well as other facilities. It also intends to increase the number of air traffic controllers. The bill includes $2billion for the first new air traffic control center built since the 1960s. Donald Trump, the president of the United States at that time, said in April that he wanted to name a firm to oversee this massive project. Raytheon, IBM or other companies like them You can get the contract. The FAA plans to replace 618 radars with new ones, install anti-collision technology on tarmacs at 200 airports, and expand the ADS-B network for real-time information about aircraft traffic. Duffy said that he wanted new funding to be allocated to airport equipment in order to prevent near miss incidents. He also wants to increase the hiring of air traffic controllers and retain them, as there are 3,500 fewer than required. Last month, National Academies of Sciences Report The FAA has increased the overtime costs of air traffic controllers by over 300% since 2013. According to the report, FAA air traffic controllers will log 2.2 million overtime hours in 2024 at a cost of $200 million. The report states that "inefficient scheduling may be partially responsible for widespread overtime use." (Reporting and editing by Edward Tobin; David Shepardson)
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Nine First Nations in Canada challenge the constitutionality of major projects legislation
Nine First Nations are challenging the constitutionality of a recently passed law that aims to accelerate major projects. They claim it violates the constitutional obligations of government to First Nations. According to an application filed at the Ontario Superior Court, the two new laws are "a clear and present threat to the self-determination of the Applicant First Nations" and violates the obligation for the government to reconcile with First Nations. Alderville First Nation was represented by Apitipi Anicinapek Nation. Aroland First Nation included Attawapiskat First Nation. Fort Albany First Nation included Ginoogaming First Nation. The law passed by the federal government last month was a quick one. It allows the government to select projects that are in the "national interests" and decide if certain laws apply. Mark Carney, Liberal Prime Minster, hopes to keep his campaign promise of speeding up approvals for what he refers to as nation-building projects. This could include mines and oil pipes. The Ontario law passed early in June allows the government declare "special economic areas" which exempt certain projects from provincial laws. The two laws have been criticized by environmentalists who claim they ignore legislation intended to reduce ecological harms and Indigenous groups, who assert that they violate their right to self-determination as well as the duty of the government to consult. The court document states that the national law allows Canada to "unilaterally push through projects without meaningful engagement" with First Nations. The Canadian government's spokesperson did not immediately reply to requests for comment on Tuesday. The Premier of Ontario, a spokesperson said that the province will continue to work with First Nations to develop consensus on shared priorities. In an email, they stated that "We have started productive conversations with First Nations communities who share our vision for unlocking economic opportunities and critical infrastructure and will continue consultations through the summer." (Reporting and editing by Aurora Ellis in Toronto, Anna Mehler Paperny)
Canada Post strikes cause private delivery firms to gain market share
UPS, FedEx, and other private parcel delivery companies are battling to gain a larger share of Canada's nearly $17 billion delivery market while Canada Post, owned by the government, struggles with its labor problems.
Canada Post, Canada's main postal service, has suffered from labor disruptions for the past year. This included during the holiday season when workers went on strike to protest pay.
After contract negotiations broke down, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which represents delivery personnel at Canada Post initiated a ban on all overtime in May.
Small businesses have been forced to use private carriers and rivals to ensure timely delivery, even though they may be more expensive.
Michael Ashley Schulman is the chief investment officer of wealth management company Running Point Capital.
FedEx, the parcel giant, said it expected "the circumstances at Canada Post to trigger an increased demand for FedEx service."
To meet the increased demand, the company can offer special rates, increase delivery vehicles, change routes, reallocate resource and open temporary sorting centres.
UPS refused to reveal its plans to increase capacity.
Lisa Graham from Calgary, who runs a small ecommerce based company called YYC Beeswax said that her business heavily relied on Canada Post for its affordable rates for small packages.
Graham's business lost some money during the holiday strikes last year. To keep her deliveries going, she turned to UPS and FedEx. She also enlisted local services to supply domestic clients, who account for 70% of sales.
"Anything going to take more than two days we will be spending extra to ship them (private courier service)."
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business reported that the strikes last year cost small and mid-sized businesses more than $1 billion in lost revenue.
Michael Cox imports Irish sweaters and textiles from the UK, along with jewelry, to his Ottawa shop. However, Canada Post, its only logistics provider, caused him to stop business during last year’s strikes.
According to Mordor Intelligence, the Canadian courier, express and parcel market could reach $21.55 billion in 2030.
Canada Post's spokesperson stated that the impact of ongoing uncertainty and last year's strike on their business was significant.
Since the union began their strike action again in May 2025, once the collective agreements expired we have lost nearly 60% of our business.
Canada Post's share of the market fell to 26,7% in 2024, from 62% in 2019 according to its annual report. This is despite an e-commerce boom following the pandemic.
The 32-day strike last year cost the company $208 million.
Schulman said that if CUPW's contract battle drags on, Canada Post could see its share drop to the teens by December 2026.
(source: Reuters)