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Air India is looking for a new CEO to replace Campbell Wilson.
Air India is looking for a new CEO to replace Campbell Wilson. Two?sources? familiar with this matter said that the airline was still under intense scrutiny following a fatal crash in June. Air India's crash in June, which killed 260, has prompted a greater scrutiny of the airline. Regulators have flagged lapses that range from not checking emergency equipment to delays in replacing engine parts and crew fatigue. Wilson became Air India's CEO and managing Director in July 2022 after a career of 26 years at Singapore Airlines. He held various senior roles across the flagship carrier as well as its wholly-owned low-cost subsidiary Scoot. Wilson's tenure at Air India will end?in 2027. The Tata Group, Singapore Airlines' Air India and Wilson have not responded to requests for comment. (Reporting and writing by Aditya?Group and Abhijith?Ganapavaram; editing by Mrigank?Dhaniwala).
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Officials say that the attack on Berlin's power grid was caused by "extreme leftists".
Officials said that a fire in southwest Berlin, which has left tens?thousands without electricity in the German capital, was likely the result of an?extremist attack on the far-left. The grid company Stromnetz Berlin reported on Saturday that up to 45,000 homes could be without electricity until January 8 due to the suspected arson. It said that efforts were still being made to restore power, and around 35,000 homes and 1,900 commercial entities are still affected. Local media reported a letter purporting to be?from an activist group of the far-left called the Volcano Group? that claimed responsibility for the incident and said its actions were directed towards the fossil fuel based energy industries. Iris Sprenger, Berlin's Minister of Interior Affairs, wrote on x that "the letter claiming to be responsible has been classified by the security agencies as authentic." "I strongly condemn this inhumane attack against Berliners and tourists to Berlin." The investigation continues." A?suspected?arson attack on two?pylons in Berlin left 50,000 homes without electricity in September. Local media compared this to Volcano Group’s high-profile attack in 2024 on Tesla's gigafactory at Gruenheide. (Reporting and editing by Christina Fincher.)
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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 source of income, have come to a halt following a U.S. sanctions-imposed blockade of tankers and the seizure of 2 oil cargoes in December. Chevron cargoes heading to the U.S. were an exception. They continued to move?because Washington has granted the company a license for its operations. Shipping data on Sunday showed that since Thursday, all of these have stopped. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that an "oil boycott" was in force on Venezuela as part of the announcement of Maduro’s detention, and the U.S. overseeing the transition. Sources said that PDVSA asked joint ventures such as Petrolera Sinovensa of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Petropiar from Chevron, and Petroboscan, Petromonagas and Petroboscan to reduce production. Petromangas is now solely operated by PDVSA. Previously, it was jointly run by PDVSA, Roszarubezhneft and the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). PDVSA and CNPC didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Chevron stated on Sunday that it continues to operate in "full compliance with all relevant laws, regulations and standards," without giving any details. One source said that workers at Sinovensa were preparing to disconnect up to ten well clusters on Sunday due to a PDVSA demand after "an excess accumulation of extra-heavy crude and diluents". The person said that the wells can be quickly reconnected if necessary in the future. Chevron, on the other hand, hasn't cut back yet, as it still has plenty of room to store products, especially at Petropiar. Tankers are also still loading. Although its vessels haven't left the country in recent days, and storage capacity at Petroboscan is limited, it could still lead to cuts. Delcy Rodriguez (now Venezuela's interim President), Venezuela's former oil minister, stated last month that the country will continue to produce and export oil despite U.S. sanctions.
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Officials say that at least 25 people are dead and 14 others missing after a boating accident in Nigeria.
Officials said that at least 25 people were killed and 14 more are still missing after a boat capsized with dozens of passengers in Yobe State, north-eastern Nigeria. Accident?occurred? just before 8 pm local time on Saturday, 1900 GMT, when the large canoe that had left Adiyani in northwestern Jigawa State overturned while en route from Garbi to Yobe State. According to Mohammed Goje of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency, the vessel carried 52 passengers. "So far, 13 passengers were rescued alive while 25 bodies were recovered. Goje stated that search and rescue operations were ongoing for the 14 missing people. He added that local volunteers, security agencies and emergency teams had been present at the scene. The police in the state of?Jigawa confirmed the incident, and stated that the canoe capsized because it was leaking. It was a day of trading and the victims were heading home. "If the driver survives, then he will face criminal charges for negligence," Lawan Adam, a spokesperson for the state police, said. He noted that safety laws prohibiting night trips and overloading had been ignored. Babagana Shettima is a resident of Adiyani and said that the casualties came from his village as well as Yobe. "When the boat's arrival was late, relatives raised alarm. Later, it was discovered that the canoe?capsized half way. Divers recovered a few bodies," he said to?. In Nigeria, boating accidents can be deadly. Many vessels operate without safety precautions. In September, 60 people were killed when a boat that was overloaded sank in central Nigeria after colliding with a stump of a tree.
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Radio frequency failures cause flight cancellations in Greece, leaving thousands stranded
Flights in Greece were grounded Sunday after a 'collapse of radio frequency crippled the air traffic communication. This left thousands of travellers stranded and brought airport operations to an end. The cause of the disruption was not clear. It began early on Sunday morning and rapidly escalated. The civil aviation authority of Greece said that some overflights in Greek and regional airspace are still being serviced. However, airport operations have been restricted for safety purposes. Dozens were affected. Panagiotis Psarros of the Association of Greek Air Traffic Controllers told ERT that "for some reason, all frequencies were suddenly gone.. we couldn't communicate with aircraft in flight." He stated that the problem appeared to be the 'collapse of the central radio frequency systems? at the Athens-Macedonia area control system, the largest aircontrol facility in the nation based in Athens. It monitors Athens Flight Information Region - a vast area of airspace controlled by Greek authorities. Flight tracking showed that the Greek airspace is largely empty. ERT reported that airport 'arrivals and departs' were suspended at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) local time, reporting from a departures hall at Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport?crowded with travelers. "We've not been told the cause of the problem... the equipment we have is almost ancient." Psarros stated that they had raised the issue many times before. An official from the Transport Ministry told us that some aircraft headed north or east were allowed to depart. An official reported that more than 75 flights had been delayed. A spokesperson for the Israel Airports Authority said that Greek airspace was closed until 4:00 pm local time (1400 GMT). The spokesperson warned travellers to expect delays on arrivals and departures. (Reporting and editing by Hugh Lawson, Ros Russell and Hugh Lawson; Additional reporting in Israel by Steven Scheer and Renee Maltezou;
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President says Serbia's NIS Refinery will be operational on Jan. 17 or 18.
Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia, said that the Russian-owned NIS refinery in Serbia, sanctioned by the United States, would be operational as early as 'January 17 or 18, after it received a temporary license. The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department granted NIS on Wednesday a temporary operating license until January 23. This will allow it to resume its production after a 36 day?break. The US has given NIS - which owns Serbia’s only oil refinery - until 24 March to negotiate the sale of its Russian shareholders' stake. Vucic, speaking to reporters in Belgrade, said: "I expect the first 85,000 tonnes of crude oil to be delivered by January 15th... and that 'the refinery will start operating on either January 17th or 18th... and that 'we can begin producing oil derivatives as early as January 25th and 26th." Gazprom, the Russian oil company, owns 11.3% of NIS while its sanctioned oil subsidiary Gazprom Neft (SIBN.MM), holds 44.9%. The Serbian Government holds 29.9% of the shares, while small shareholders and employees hold the rest. The Serbian government has said that it supports the ongoing talks between NIS and its?Russian owners, MOL. After granting several waivers since the start of last year, the US sanctioned NIS in October as part of wider measures against Russia's Energy Sector. The sanctions had halted the crude supply via Croatia's JANAF pipeline (JANF.ZA), shutting down the NIS refinery located in Pancevo, a northern town. This week, JANAF announced that it also received a license allowing it export crude oil to NIS. (Reporting and editing by Hugh Lawson, Christina Fincher and Aleksandar Vaovic)
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Overnight, Bergamo Airport in Italy halted flights leaving thousands stranded
Due to technical problems with the landing guidance system, and poor visibility at Bergamo Orio-al-Serio airport in Italy, flights were halted on Saturday evening. This left thousands of passengers stranded over night. SACBO, which operates the airport, stated in a press release that the technical issue was resolved around midnight. However, a warning posted on the website of the 'airport' warned "flights could be delayed or canceled". Local media reported that the incident led to 26 flights being cancelled, 6 being diverted to other airports, and 7 being rescheduled for Sunday. Images show people sleeping on the ground and luggage check-in belts. The Bergamo edition of the Corriere della sera?daily?online said that first flights had been halted around 1700 GMT?Saturday. The airport's website showed real-time information on flights, including a list of many Ryanair flights that were delayed. However, several had departed as early as Sunday morning. A 0605 GMT Ryanair flight from Cagliari was delayed until 0850 GMT and a 0620 GMT Neos Flight to Sharm-el-Sheikh was delayed until 0855 GMT. (Reporting and editing by Elaine Hardcastle; Reporting by Valentina Z.)
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US airlines cancel flights following Caribbean airspace closure
Major U.S. Airlines canceled hundreds?of flights on Saturday following a military action in Venezuela which resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and JetBlue Airways all cancelled flights on Saturday in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration's Caribbean airspace closures. In a letter to airmen, the FAA said that it had closed the airspace for U.S. carriers due to "risks to flight safety associated with ongoing military activity." According to the notice, this closure does not apply to non-U.S. carriers and operators. The FAA refused to comment on this further. Sean Duffy, the U.S. Transportation secretary, said on X in a blog post that "when appropriate" airspace restrictions will be lifted. Customers affected by the closure of the airspace were able to change their flight dates and avoid change fees. JetBlue Airways announced in an advisory that it would waive cancellation fees and fare difference for customers travelling from Saturday, January 3 to Sunday, January 4 2026. Donald Trump, the president of the United States, said that on Saturday night, the 'United States' attacked Venezuela, capturing its long-serving leader Nicolas Maduro, and promised to take control of Venezuela for now, including by using U.S. troops if needed. Air Canada has said that its operations in the Caribbean and South America continue "normally" as per Transport Canada's instructions. The airline stated that it would continue to closely monitor the situation and provide updates if necessary. FlightRadar24 flight records indicate that commercial air traffic in Venezuelan airspace stopped after the attack. Reporting by Dan Catchpole, Seattle; Preetika Parshuraman, Bengaluru. Editing by Chris Reese.
Maguire: US gas capacity to jump by a lot as renewables slow down
According to data from the U.S. Power Capacity Pipeline, U.S. developers plan to increase natural gas and hydropower capacity and reduce plans to build new solar and wind farms.
Global Energy Monitor data shows that by mid-2025 the U.S. had approximately 114,000 megawatts of natural gas power capacity in construction or so-called "pre-construction" according to Global Energy Monitor.
This capacity total is over twice as big as what developers had planned a year earlier. GEM data show that gas plants are the largest source of power among all the planned capacity additions in the construction and preconstruction stages.
The developers have also increased the planned capacity for nuclear and hydropower generation compared to a year earlier, and made significant cuts in solar and wind power plans as compared to mid-2024.
The sudden change in energy policies of the federal government following Donald Trump's reelection is evident by the large changes made to the mix of power capacity planned.
The schedule for gas-heavy developments also shows how utilities prioritize dispatchable energy sources over intermittent renewables in their scramble to keep electricity supplies up with the rapidly increasing demand.
FIRE UP
Around 46% of the U.S. electricity capacity is currently generated by natural gas plants, with 36% in construction or pre-construction.
Around 16,300 MW are currently being built, and around 98,000 MW are in the pre-construction stage, where sites have already been identified, and permits have been obtained.
U.S. utilities plan to add around 36,000MW of hydropower and nearly 8,000MW of nuclear power in addition to the 114,000MW of natural-gas-powered capacity.
These diverse power sources share a common characteristic - they can all be dispatched by utilities to balance the system's power requirements.
Around 159,000 MW of dispatchable capacity is currently in the developer pipeline, compared to 57,000 MW a year earlier.
CLEAN CUTS
The capacity pipeline of renewable energy is a lot smaller than the dispatchable power footprint. Renewable power is often called intermittent power, because it can only be produced when the wind and sun are blowing.
The total solar capacity under construction or pre-construction currently is approximately 92,000 MW. This compares to around 112,000MW in 2024 at the same development stages.
The current wind power capacity under development is approximately 65,000 MW. This is down from 74,000 MW one year ago.
Around 155,000 MW in renewable energy capacity are currently being constructed, down from 186,000 MW one year ago.
The fact that some capacity previously under construction is now operational can explain some of the apparent reductions in the renewables development pipeline.
GEM data show that solar power capacity grows quickly. The total capacity of solar panels in operation has increased from 120,460MW in 2024, to around 121.31 MW at present.
By mid-2025, the operating wind capacity in the United States increased from 150.592 MW.
The growing wait time for new power assets, especially wind farms, to be connected to local grids and the increasing costs of parts and materials are also reasons for the reduction in the renewable pipeline.
The Trump administration has cut back on future tax breaks and subsidys, which has led to a reduction in some renewable energy capacity plans. This is especially true for states that already have long waiting times to interconnect.
RE-CHARGING
Utilities are building new battery storage capacities rapidly to store excess power generated by renewable assets and discharge it during peak demand periods.
According to Cleanview, the energy data portal, around 8,000 MW battery capacity will be added to U.S. utility networks by the end the year.
This new battery capacity will bring the total U.S. utility scale battery capacity up to 46,000 MW this year.
The expanded battery capacity allows utilities to better utilize the renewable energy capacity that is already in place. It also ensures that solar power that exceeds the system demand during sunny periods can be stored and used later.
This will allow the U.S. power system to continue to become cleaner, even though the rate of growth in solar and wind energy capacity continues to be slower than previous years.
The increased gas development pipeline ensures that natural gas will remain the main pillar in the U.S. power generation system after the current construction of all types of power is completed.
STAYING GAS-HEAVY
Once construction and pre-construction are complete, the share of gas capacity in the U.S. overall power system will be 44%. This is more than double that of any other source.
Once the current construction frenzy is over, wind and solar will surpass coal.
Wind and solar both have a 10% and a 12% contribution to the total capacity currently in operation.
Wind and solar power will be around 14% of the total energy mix once projects currently in construction or pre-construction have been completed. Coal power will fall to about 12%.
After the building is completed, clean energy sources will increase their share in the overall capacity mix of the grid from 39% to 44%.
This means that, while the U.S. electricity system will continue to be primarily powered by gas, clean energy sources will make up the majority of the remainder and play a major role in the ongoing efforts of the U.S. system of energy to reduce pollution.
These are the opinions of a columnist who writes for.
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(source: Reuters)