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Winter weather in the Northeast US leads to thousands of flight cancellations and delays
Snow and ice plowed into the U.S. Northeast on Saturday morning, disrupting the post-holiday weekend?airline traffic. New York and New Jersey officials declared weather emergencies even though the storm had subsided by mid-morning. New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency due to the treacherous road conditions. In a press release, New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated that "the safety of New Yorkers is my number one priority and I will continue to urge caution for the duration of this hurricane." Bob Oravec, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center near Washington, D.C., stated that by early Saturday, six to ten inches (15 to 25 cm) of snow had fallen in an area extending from Syracuse, in central New York, to Long Island, in the southeast part of the state, and also Connecticut. Oravec reported that Central Park received the most snow since 2022, with 4.3 inches. He said, "The good thing is that most of the heavy snow has melted." "Only a couple of flurries are left this morning, and they will fade by afternoon." The effects of the storm were felt by passengers. FlightAware, which tracks flights, reports that more than 9,000 domestic U.S. flight cancellations or delays occurred on Saturday. Many of these were in the New York region, at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LaGuardia) and Newark Liberty International Airport (Newark Liberty). American Airlines, United Airlines, and JetBlue Airways representatives told passengers that they waived the change fees usually charged for rebooking in cases where weather-related delays may have affected their travel plans. Winter weather advisories and ice storm warnings were posted in most of Pennsylvania, as well as in much of Massachusetts. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have issued restrictions on commercial vehicles for certain roads, including interstate highways. Tahesha way, acting governor of New Jersey, said that the storm would cause hazardous road conditions and impact holiday travel. "We urge travelers to avoid traveling during the storm to allow crews to maintain roads." Rich McKay reported from Atlanta. (Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova, Steve Gorman and Dan Levine in Washington; editing by Sergio Non & Mark Potter.)
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Winter weather in the Northeast US leads to thousands of flight cancellations and delays
Snow and ice blanketed the U.S. Northeast on Saturday morning, causing disruption to airline traffic after the holiday weekend. Officials in New York and New Jersey declared weather emergencies even though the storm had subsided by midday. New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency due to the treacherous road conditions. New York Governor Kathy Hochul made a statement saying, "The safety and well-being of New Yorkers are my highest priorities. I will continue to urge caution for the duration of this hurricane." Bob Oravec, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center in Washington, D.C., says that by early Saturday, six to ten inches of snow (15 to 25 cm) had fallen in an area spanning from Syracuse, in central New York, to Long Island, in the southeast, and Connecticut. Oravec reported that Central Park received 4.3 inches of snow, the highest amount since 2022. He said, "The good thing is that most of the heavy snow has melted." "Only a couple of flurries are left this morning, and they will fade by afternoon." Travelers were feeling the effects. FlightAware reports that more than 14,400 domestic U.S. flight cancellations or delays occurred on Saturday morning. The majority of these flights were in the New York region, at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LaGuardia) and Newark Liberty International Airport (Newark Liberty). FlightAware reports that another 2,100 international flights scheduled to leave or land the U.S. Saturday have been canceled. American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines representatives said that they waived the change fees usually charged for rebookings in cases where weather disruptions may have affected travel plans. Winter weather advisories and ice storm warnings were also posted in?most Pennsylvania and most of Massachusetts. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have issued restrictions on commercial vehicles for certain roads, including interstate highways. Tahesha way, acting governor of New Jersey, said that the storm would cause hazardous road conditions and affect holiday travel. We urge travelers to avoid traveling during the storm to allow crews to maintain roads. Rich McKay reported from Atlanta. Steve Gorman and Maria Tsvetkova contributed additional reporting from Washington, while Steve Tsvetkova reported from New York. Sergio Non, Mark Potter and Sergio Non edited the article.
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Waymo's San Francisco outage raises doubts over robotaxi readiness during crises
The widespread power outage that caused Waymo robotaxis to stall and snarl traffic in San Francisco earlier this month has raised concerns over the ability of autonomous vehicle operators (AVOs) to handle major emergencies such as earthquakes and flooding. Videos posted on social networks showed driverless taxis of Alphabet's?Waymo unit, a common sight on the streets, stuck at intersections, their hazard light on, as?traffic signals?had stopped working after a PG&E fire that had knocked out electricity to about one-third the city in December 20. Waymo suspended operations and resumed them a day after. The incident has renewed the call for tighter regulation in a nascent, but rapidly growing industry. Other companies such as Amazon's Zoox and Tesla are racing to expand robotaxi service across several cities. "If you get a response to a blackout wrong, regulators are derelict if they do not respond to that by requiring some sort of proof that the earthquake scenario ?will be handled properly," said Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-engineering professor and autonomous-technology expert. Waymo stated in a Tuesday statement that, while its robotaxis were designed to handle nonoperational traffic signals as four-way stop, they sometimes request a verification check. The vehicles were able to successfully navigate more than 7,000 dimmed signals on Saturday. However, the "outage" caused a spike in confirmation requests which "led to response delay contributing to congestion on already overcrowded streets," Waymo stated. Robotaxi operators use remote control by humans in various degrees around the world to monitor and operate vehicles. This is known as "teleoperation". Waymo has, for instance, a team human "fleet responses" agents that?respond to the questions of the Waymo driver, its robot, when they encounter a specific situation. Missy Cummings of George Mason University Autonomy and Robotics Center and a former advisor to the U.S. Road Safety regulator said that such remote assistance had its limitations. She said that the whole purpose of remote operations was to have humans available when the system did not respond as it should. Cummings stated that the federal government should regulate remote operations. Cummings said that the federal government should regulate remote operations. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which regulate and issue licenses for the testing of robotaxis and their commercial deployment, are investigating the incident. The DMV stated that it was in contact with Waymo, and other automakers about emergency response. The DMV also stated that it was formulating rules to ensure remote driver "meets high standards for safety and accountability, as well as responsiveness." "A SHOT ACROSS BOW" The deployment and commercialization of fully autonomous vehicles has been "harder than anticipated" with high investments being made to ensure that the technology is safe, and public outcry following collisions forcing some to close their doors. After a high-profile incident in 2023, when a robotaxi of?General Motors Cruise dragged a person, regulators revoked the permit. The company eventually ceased operations. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has promised rapid expansion. Waymo has also expanded rapidly, after a slow and steady growth since it was launched as Google's autonomous driving project in 2009. Waymo has a fleet that includes more than 2,500 cars. It operates in San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles as well as Metro Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta, and Atlanta. The company stated that the confirmation processes it follows were developed during its early deployment, and they are now fine-tuning them to fit its current scale. Waymo has implemented fleet-wide updates to provide vehicles with a "specific power outage contextual, allowing them to navigate more effectively." Cummings, as well as Koopman, said that robotaxi operators would need to meet additional requirements when their fleets reach a certain size. This is to ensure they are equipped to handle large-scale problems. Koopman stated that "if this had been a quake, there would have been problems." This is just a warning shot. Reporting by Abhirup in San Francisco, Editing by Sayantani and Alistair Bell
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Spanish family missing following boat sinking off Indonesia
Spanish authorities and an Indonesian media agency reported on Saturday that a Spanish family of four was missing after a boat with?eleven passengers sank in severe weather off the coast of Indonesia. Antara, a state-run news agency, reported that the 'other passengers' - including two?tourists?from?Spain and four crew members - were rescued in safety late on Friday. Antara reported that the vessel capsized due to waves up to three metres high in the Padar Strait, near Labuan Bajo Island, a popular tourist destination. Spain's Foreign Ministry said that Indonesian rescue teams were searching for the missing family. (Reporting and editing by Andrew Cawthorne; Victoria Waldersee)
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California drops lawsuit against Trump's revocation of high-speed rail funding
California has dropped its lawsuit against the Trump administration's decision to?cancel over $4 billion of federal grants for California's high-speed railway project. The state announced this late Friday. California High-Speed Rail Authority said that Tuesday's decision to drop the lawsuit reflects the state's "assessment" that the federal government was not a trustworthy, reliable or constructive partner for advancing high-speed railroad in California. The agency stated that it will move forward without federal funding. It added that only 18% program expenditures have been funded by federal funds. A judge rejected an attempt to dismiss the lawsuit?this month. The U.S. Transportation Department or White House did not respond immediately to comments. The latest 'headache for a project plagued by delays and cost overruns' Governor Gavin Newsom said that the termination of grants by Republican President Donald Trump was "petty political retribution" motivated by Trump's personal animus towards California and the high speed rail project. The funding cuts are just the latest obstacle in the 16 year effort to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with a three hour train ride. This project would provide the fastest passenger rail service available in the United States. The project, originally planned to be completed by 2020 and cost $33 billion is now estimated to cost between $89billion and $128billion, with service expected to begin by 2033. California voters approved the first bond issue in 2008. Since then, more than 50 major structures have been built, including bridges overpasses undercrossings viaducts. The project has also completed almost 80 miles of guideway. In August, the Transportation Department canceled $175 million in funding for four projects in the high-speed train program. This was after the federal government canceled $4 billion in grants. California's agency announced this week that it would begin a process of attracting private investors and developers before summer 2026. The agency stated on?Friday that the loss of federal funds will not derail construction and the project. It added it was making progress. The agency stated that rather than continue to spend money and time fighting the termination, it is moving ahead without them. In June, the Federal Railroad Administration released a 315 page report that found the project plagued with missed deadlines. It also revealed budget shortfalls as well as questionable projections of ridership. Trump withdrew $929 million of federal grants during his first term. The state challenged the move, which led to a settlement under Democratic President Joe Biden in 2021, restoring the entire amount. Reporting by David Shepardson, Washington
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Winter storm wreaks havoc on the Northeast of the United States, causing airline travel to be disrupted
Winter storms - a mix of ice and snow - swept through the U.S. Northeast early on Saturday. This caused disruption to airline traffic after the holiday weekend and led officials in New York and New Jersey declare weather emergencies. The National Weather Service issued ice storm and Winter Storm Warnings in New York State and Connecticut. They forecasted some of the highest snowfall totals, up to one foot locally. According to a Friday emergency declaration by Governor Kathy Hochul warning of dangerous?road conditions, New York City may see its largest accumulations since 2022 with peak snowfall rates?of 2 or more inch per hour. Forecasts for many areas predicted that snow would be covered or mixed with sleet, freezing rain and a mixture of the two. Hochul issued a statement in which he urged residents to "avoid any unnecessary travel." Winter weather advisories and ice storm warnings were also posted in most of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey. A state of emergency was also declared. The storm was expected to bring high winds. On Friday night, snow began to fall in the western part of New York State and New York City. It was expected that it would intensify on Saturday. FlightAware, a flight tracking service, reported that more than 1,600 commercial flights were cancelled on Friday. Another 7,800 or so flights were delayed due to weather conditions worsening. Flight cancellations on Friday were mainly caused by three airports in the New York City region: John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. All three airports issued alerts via social media platform X, warning travelers of possible disruptions. FlightAware reports that another 650 flights scheduled to leave or land in the U.S. this Saturday have been canceled. The representatives of?American Airlines United Airlines and JetBlue Airways said that these carriers waived the?change fee normally charged for re-bookings to passengers whose plans could be affected by weather related disruptions. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have issued restrictions on commercial vehicles for certain roads, including interstate highways. Tahesha way, acting governor of New Jersey, said in a press release that the storm would cause hazardous road conditions and affect holiday travel. We urge travelers to avoid traveling during the storm to allow crews to maintain roads.
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China tightens safety regulations and revises its aviation law
China has passed a revised bill that, for the first time, regulates unmanned aircraft. This will reshape China's drone industry and low-altitude economic sectors. On December 27, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress voted to approve the changes made under the Civil Aviation Law. The amendments include a provision for airworthiness certification of drones, which fills in a regulatory gap. According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Peking University, China's Civil Aviation Administration, China's low altitude economy (a national strategic initiative focused on commercial activities under 3,000 meters) is expected to grow from 1.5 trillion yuan to 2 trillion yuan by 2030. All entities that are involved in the production, importation, maintenance, operation, and design of drones will be required to obtain an 'airworthiness certificate' under the new rules. According to national regulations, drone manufacturers will have to assign each unit a unique code for product identification. China's "interim regulations" on unmanned aircraft will be implemented in 2024. They stipulate that civil unmanned planes must be registered using their real names. Micro, light and small civil unmanned airplanes do not need airworthiness certificates, but medium and large aircraft must submit an application to CAAC for certification. China's drone industry has grown rapidly, but oversight has been lacking. In recent years, flight delays have been reported in several cities due to illegal drone operations. These flights were penalized with fines and other penalties. These new requirements will impact manufacturers like DJI, the world's largest consumer drone manufacturer, and EHang which makes passenger drones. According to data from the transport ministry, drone logistics has become a major driver in China's low altitude economy. 2.7 million packages, containing everything ranging from hamburgers and sandwiches?to lifesaving medicine, will be delivered by 2024. JD.com, Meituan and other e-commerce leaders have long discussed investing in drone logistics as a way to improve supply chain efficiency. JD Logistics tested drone delivery networks across Jiangsu and Shaanxi. They claim that drones can cut shipping times by as much as 70% for rural customers. (Reporting and editing by Shri Navaratnam, Casey Hall)
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US Airlines cancel more than 1,000 flights as a result of Northeast Winter Storm Warnings
Flight tracking website FlightAware reports that airlines in the United States have canceled or delayed a large number of flights on Friday during peak holiday travel due to severe weather warnings. The website reported that 1,139 flights were cancelled and 3,808 flights were delayed by 12:30 pm ET. National Weather Service issued a warning this afternoon about winter storms that "will create hazardous travel conditions from the Great Lakes into the northern Mid-Atlantic region and southern New England today through Saturday morning." Airports that are in areas of high impact, such as John F. Kennedy Airport or LaGuardia Airport, have posted signs on X to warn travelers about possible delays?or cancelations. JetBlue Airways, with 225 cancellations, is the largest carrier. Delta Air Lines, with 186 cancellations, Republic Airways, American Airlines, United Airlines, and 96 flights by American Airlines are close behind. A spokesperson for American Airlines said that the airline has "issued an alert allowing travelers whose plans could be affected to rebook their flights without paying any?change fees." JetBlue, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines didn't immediately respond to comments. Reporting by Aatreyee dasgupta in Bengaluru and Abhinav parmar; editing by Shakesh Kuber
New horizons however usual issues for LME warehousing: Andy Home
The London Metal Exchange ( LME) has actually simply listed the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah as a good shipment location for copper and zinc.
This addition to the LME's worldwide delivery network, which becomes reliable three months after the approval of the very first warehouse, is the first brand-new listing given that Amsterdam in 2018.
The exchange is likewise checking out the possibility of including Hong Kong to the list, no doubt hoping that its owner Hong Kong Exchanges and Cleaning (HKEx) can assist conquer the Chinese authorities' historical resistance to LME warehouses.
New areas might offer a booster for a storage facility network that has actually seen capacity agreement and the variety of operators decline over the last ten years.
Nevertheless, old issues persist.
There was a 253-day queue to load aluminium out of LME storage facilities in Malaysia's Port Klang at the end of June, the longest waiting time since November 2016.
The LME storage organization likewise stays highly focused with 4 dominant operators, a potential issue when among them is dealing with an unsure future.
DIMINISHING AREA
Total LME signed up storage capability at the end of June was 3.3 million square metres, down from 4.3 million 3 years earlier.
The rate of net shrinking slowed to 44,000 square metres over the last year and the drop reveals indications of bottoming out. The variety of registered warehouses grew by 15 units to 468 after being up to a multi-year low in June 2023.
The three-year decrease in registered capability showed a. period of low exchange stocks as combined required and shadow. off-warrant stock fell listed below one million metric tons over. the second half of 2022.
Stocks have because risen to 2.3 million as of the end of May,. although inflows have actually been firmly concentrated on simply a. handful of locations.
Russian aluminium has actually built up in the South Korean port. of Gwangyang, while non-Russian aluminium has been disposed in. Port Klang. This year's heavy inflows of both lead and zinc have. primarily ended up at Singapore storage facilities.
All three locations have actually bucked the trend of declining. storage capacity over the in 2015 and ISTIM UK Ltd's. additional 11 storage facility units at Port Klang were the single. biggest component of the more comprehensive year-on-year boost.
JOIN THE QUEUE
Rent-sharing is the common measure behind this year's. big shipments of metal into the LME system. Such deals enable. the entity that calls for the metal to earn a piece of the future. rental profits.
The purchaser of that metal may be not surprisingly hesitant to. pay rent to a prospective rival however the only method to get away. the contract is to physically load the metal out and deliver it. to another storage facility business.
The bigger the initial warranting, the higher the. potential for a queue. ISTIM warehouses in Port Klang got. 652,525 lots of aluminium in May. The cancellations started almost. immediately as purchasers aimed to move their metal. ISTIM had. 505,050 loads awaiting physical load-out by the end of June.
It's an echo of the 2010s, when the LME's load-out issues. triggered user outrage and drew the unwelcome attention of U.S. regulators, who wanted to know why it would take 702 days to. take physical shipment from LME warehouses in Detroit.
Subsequent reforms to the LME system indicate that such. self-perpetuating super-queues are no longer possible. What we. get now are what the exchange calls operational queues.
Which might not be much comfort for those late to the. aluminium logjam in Malaysia. They're unlikely to see their. metal till this time next year.
DOMINANT FOUR
ISTIM's ability to attract such huge tonnages to its. storage facilities has made it a dominant presence in the LME shipment. system. The company was keeping 55% of all called for LME stocks. at the end of June.
The other three significant players are Access World, C. Steinweg. and the Pacorini Group. Between them they were saving 92% of. total inventory at the end of June and they currently account. for 344 of the overall 468 units listed worldwide.
This is also a throw-back to the last years, when Metro. International, then owned by Goldman Sachs,. industrialised the queue model and built a dominant LME storage. position in Detroit.
Access World, obtained by Glencore in 2010, did the. same in the Dutch port of Vlissingen, creating a load-out. line of 771 days at one stage.
Smaller operators had a hard time to contend then, and clearly. they still do. Lots of who joined the LME storage facility service in. hope of getting a piece of the line action in the 2010s have. given that withdrawn.
The number of LME-registered warehouse operators has. declined from 36 to 25 over the last 5 years which. includes nine that offer LME services in a single area.
WAREHOUSE FOR (RE) SALE
The uncertain status of Access World highlights the problems. that can be caused when LME stocks are concentrated in such a. small swimming pool of storage facility operators.
Glencore believed it had offered the company to Global Capital. Merchants (GCM), a business registered in the British Virgin. Islands, in 2022.
Nevertheless, Gain access to World is back on the sales block after the. purchasers stopped working to make complete payment and Glencore is supposedly. hunting for new potential owners.
Access World warehouses held nearly 12% of LME on-warrant. stocks at the end of June.
A DECADE OF REFORM
The LME, to its credit, has spent a lot of effort and time. attempting to smooth out the lots of wrinkles in its delivery system,. which - like whatever else on the 147-year-old exchange - is. rather unique from what you would find in any other futures. market.
The lines have actually never truly gone away but multiple tweaks. of the rule-book have at least constrained them and the amount. of money that can be made from them.
The exchange has likewise massively enhanced transparency around. its delivery network. A day-to-day authorized stocks report has actually been. supplemented with regular monthly updates on off-warrant stocks, stocks. by warehouse operator and, of course, line length. This column. has actually drawn greatly on all of them.
Yet, just how much more efficient is the LME's shipment. network after a decade of reform?
A restricted number of operators still appear to dominate the. on-warrant storage business and 253 days is still a long time to. wait to get your metal.
The viewpoints revealed here are those of the author, a. columnist
(source: Reuters)