North America

Arkia, a flight connection company in Israel, has signed a deal with JetBlue to provide flights between the US and Israel

Arkia Airlines, Israel's low-cost carrier, announced on Thursday that it had signed a?deal with JetBlue Airways. This deal would allow Arkia Airlines customers to connect?on?JetBlue flights?in the United States as well as to Latin America and Caribbean. Arkia, a privately held company, flies mainly domestically and in Europe. However, it has launched flights from Tel Aviv (Israel) to New York since last year to compete with El Al Israel Airlines. JetBlue will link up Arkia’s non-stop flight schedule to JFK Airport, which includes seven flights per week. Arkia CEO Oz Berlowitz said: "This agreement strengthens Arkia’s long-haul operation and expands
Ground Freight

Aluminium prices in the US reach record levels due to tariffs and low stock
US Energy chief: US and China can play equal roles in Venezuela

U.S. Energy Sec. Chris Wright stated that there is room to balance the roles of the United States and China in Venezuela, to allow for commerce. However, Washington will not let Beijing have a major influence over the Latin American nation. Wright said in an interview with Fox Business Network that he expects to?see Chevron rapidly grow its operations in Venezuela, while ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil will also be looking to play a positive role. "I think you'll see China playing a long-term role in Venezuela. The United States will control oil flow as long as the United States is
Ground Freight

Aluminium prices in the US reach record levels due to tariffs and low stock
Frontier Airlines parent company appoints new CEO

James G. Dempsey was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the 'Frontier Group', parent company to 'Frontier Airlines, on Thursday. The company announced last month that longtime CEO Barry Biffle was leaving and appointed an insider,?Dempsey, as interim leader. Frontier said that it now expects its adjusted earnings per share to be at the upper?end of their previous?forecast, which was between 4 cents and $20 cents. This is due to the strong revenue performance throughout the quarter while also overcoming the effects of the shutdown. Before the bell, shares of the Denver-based company rose 2.5%. Dempsey - who has been Frontier's
Passenger Transportation Services

French aerospace companies worry about 'weaponisation of global supply chains'

France's aerospace sector expressed concerns on Thursday about the "weaponisation of global supply chains" as major powers pursue their geopolitical goals. It also warned that rare earths remain a possible pressure point, despite an?U.S. - China trade truce. Olivier Andries is the president of France's GIFAS aeronautical association and CEO of Safran. He said that 90% of the industry’s needs for rare elements are supplied by China. "There's a trend to weaponise the supply chain and use the dependence on critical supplies as a means of creating a geopolitical edge. This is especially true for 'rare earths, which is a
Shell warns about chemical loss if it sticks to LNG production outlook

Transport Infrastructure

US House panel will consider legislation to speed up self-driving vehicle deployment

On January 13, a U.S. House of Representatives 'committee' will hold a hearing to discuss legislation that aims to make it easier for autonomous vehicles without the need for human control. Congress has been split for years on whether or not to pass legislation to overcome deployment obstacles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is not granting exemption requests by major automakers, but has maintained safety regulations. The current law allows NHTSA?to exempt up to 2,500 vehicles per automaker annually if the company can prove that it would be safe. The Teamsters union and consumer groups have expressed concern about...

Transport Infrastructure

Goldman Sachs is the global leader in M&A deals with $1.48 trillion.

Goldman Sachs dominated again the league tables of global dealmaking for 2025. It took the market share and top spot in an year marked by high-stakes politics and ever bigger mergers. Goldman Sachs' No. 1 ranking was aided by the rise of $10 billion deals, which amounted to $1.5 trillion in total last year, a more than two-fold increase from the previous year. According to LSEG data, Goldman ranked No. 1 in the world. The firm was involved in 38 of these deals, more than any other bank. Its total volume of advised deals was $1.48 trillion. This was the...

Transport Infrastructure

Shipping data shows that Chevron continues shipping Venezuelan oil but has put the loading on hold to accommodate Chinese buyers.

Shipping data revealed that Venezuela only loaded crude?for U.S. Chevron on February 2, while the state-run PDVSA halted operations to?load?cargoes destined for its principal customers in China for a fifth consecutive day. U.S. Forces captured President Nicolas Maduro and brought him to New York for drug charges. Delcy Rodriguez, the interim president of the Venezuelan government is now in charge. The U.S. says it will supervise the administration. Last month, the United States placed a blockade against sanctioned oil tanks sailing into Venezuelan waters and out of them. This halted all exports except those that were destined for Chevron. Chevron,...

Transport Infrastructure

Chevron exports are flowing, despite Venezuelan oil deliveries to Asia being at a standstill.

Shipping data shows that Venezuela's main oil port on Tuesday became the fifth day without delivering crude to the state-run PDVSA customers in Asia – the OPEC country's major buyers – as the U.S. pressed the nation with an oil embargo. Chevron, the main joint venture partner of PDVSA, resumed Monday exports of Venezuelan crude oil to the U.S., after a four day pause. It also called its?workers overseas back to their Venezuela offices, as flights into?the country re-started. In recent weeks, the U.S. company has become 'the only firm fluidly exporting Venezuelan crude. In early January, a dozen vessels...

Transport Infrastructure

Lobby group claims that EU steel safeguards will lead to crippling price increases for manufacturing

A lobby group representing European steel-using industry said that the safeguards proposed by the European Union as a way to protect EU mills against the impact of imported steel would "lead" to crippling price increases for European manufacturers. The 'European Using Industries of Steel, a grouping of lobbies that represents manufacturers of products ranging from automobiles and home appliances to farm machinery, has said the measures go too far when it comes to enclosing the European market. It said: "We urge EU Policymakers to ensure that a more cautious and balanced approach is taken in the legislative process for the...

Transport Infrastructure

Shipping data shows that oil tankers sailing from Venezuela do not have a flag or safety documentation.

Shipping data revealed that tankers carrying Venezuelan crude oil and fuel sailed?in international waters?without a flag or safety documentation. Since they left Venezuelan water, the location of these vessels is unknown. To comply with safety and environmental regulations, all?commercial vessels must be registered or flagged with a particular country. Ship classification societies provide safety services, such as ensuring that ships are seaworthy. This certification is crucial for insurance and entry to ports. U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a ban on all tankers sanctioned for Venezuela in mid-December. This was before U.S. forces captured 'Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro early Saturday morning....

Transport Infrastructure

Copper price record signals increased competition for supplies

Prices of copper?soared on Monday to record highs above $13,000 per metric ton, driven by fears about shortages and expectations that the turmoil in Venezuela would accelerate the race to secure essential?minerals. The expectation of a strong growth in demand from data centres required for artificial intelligence, and electric vehicles, helped to fuel a 40% rise last year in the prices of metal used to manufacture power cables. John Meyer, an analyst at SP Angel, said that copper prices must rise even further before miners are persuaded to produce significant amounts of new production. Many existing mines are operating at...

Transport Infrastructure

Copper price record signals increased competition for supplies

Data shows that Chevron resumes its exports of Venezuelan crude oil to the US after a four-day break.

Shipping data shows that an oil 'tanker' chartered by U.S. Chevron, carrying'some 300,000 barrels' of 'Venezuelan Heavy Crude' bound for the U.S. Gulf Coast, left Venezuelan waters on Monday, following a four-day pause to the 'company's' exports of Venezuelan crude. Chevron, the only company authorized to export Venezuelan crude oil by Washington is Chevron. This embargo was imposed on Saturday after President Donald Trump announced that it would remain in full force. The ship monitoring data showed that Chevron's tankers loaded with oil had not sailed to the U.S. for the past few days due to the U.S. strike in...

Tankertrackers.com reports that about a dozen oil tankers loaded with crude left Venezuela in darkness mode.

Monitoring service TankerTrackers.com reported that about a dozen oil tankers carrying Venezuelan crude or?fuel left the country's waterways in the dark mode. This was despite the strict U.S. blockade, which had been imposed after intense pressure grew until the capture and deposition of Nicolas Maduro. All of the vessels identified as departing are subject to U.S. Sanctions. Separately, a group of ships also subject to'sanctions' left the country empty in recent days after completing domestic transportation or discharging imported goods. The departures may be a relief to Venezuela's PDVSA state-owned oil company, which had built up a large stock of...

Sources say that Venezuela's PDVSA has asked some joint ventures for a reduction in oil production.

Three sources familiar with the decision told reporters that Venezuela's PDVSA, the state-owned oil company, is asking joint ventures to reduce crude production due to an "export paralysis". This will add pressure to an interim government struggling to hold on to power. These include?shutting down oilfields and well clusters, as the stocks onshore increase. The company also runs out of diluents needed to mix Venezuela's heavy crude before shipping. Caracas is currently in a political crisis, under an interim government. This comes after U.S. troops rescued President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday. Oil exports from the OPEC nation, which are its'main...

Sources say that the residuum fuel in Venezuelan tanks is almost non-existent as exports are nearly paralyzed.

Four sources claim that the accumulation of fuel in Venezuela's onshore tank stores is forcing the state-owned PDVSA company to take 'extreme measures' to avoid shutting down?refining facilities. Meanwhile, a U.S. ban on sanctioned tanks entering and leaving the country has almost paralyzed exports. Venezuela produces a lot of residual fuels, mainly high-sulfur oil. These are exported to Asia. According to shipping and company documents, the U.S. Blockade has cut down on?those shipments?to a minimum over the past two weeks. PDVSA, as part of its floating storage strategy, has stored crude oil and fuel oil on tankers after topping up...

Sheinbaum under pressure over megaprojects after Mexico train derailment

Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum deferred Tuesday questions about the?record of a passenger?train that derailed at the weekend, killing thirteen people and injuring another 98. This was the latest of several accidents that put pressure on the?government? to improve the safety on flagship projects. Opposition lawmakers have demanded an investigation after questioning the conductor, who survived. Sheinbaum told her Tuesday regular press conference that the prosecutor's office had already interviewed several people, including the operator. They will need to report on what happens next. This is the third train crash this year in Mexico. Two derailments have occurred on the new...

Passenger Transportation Services

Pilots of Air Transat Canada have signed a five-year contract

The 'Air -Line Pilots Association', which represents the 725 pilots of Air Transat, reported that the majority of the airline's pilots approved a five-year contract. According to the union, approximately 90 percent of Air Transat's pilots have approved the contract. It reportedly increases flexibility in pay and schedules. Early December, the two sides reached a deal that narrowly avoided a strike by the pilots. "While it was unfortunate that this level of pressure had to be applied, our unity was what ultimately produced results," said Captain Bradley Small, Chair of the?ALPA Air Transat Master Executive Council. The new agreement has...