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US investigates Waymo Robotaxis for safety around school bus
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday that it had opened a preliminary investigation into approximately 2,000 Waymo autonomous vehicles following reports that the robotaxis of the company may not have followed traffic safety laws near stopped school buses. This is the latest federal investigation of self-driving technologies as regulators examine how driverless technology interacts with pedestrians, bicyclists and other road users. NHTSA stated that the Office of Defects Investigation initiated the review following a media report about an incident where a Waymo self-driving vehicle failed to remain stationary as it approached a school bus while its red lights were flashing, the stop arm was deployed and the crossing control arm was extended. According to the report, the Waymo driver initially stopped next to the bus and then maneuvered it around the front of the vehicle, crossing the control arm as students disembarked. Waymo's spokesperson stated that the company "has already developed and implemented improvements in relation to stopping for school busses and will land further software updates in our next release." "Driving safely near children has always been a top priority for Waymo," the company said. The vehicle in the incident was approached from an angle that did not allow the flashing stop signs and lights to be visible. It then drove around the front of bus and past it slowly, maintaining a safe distance away from the children. NHTSA stated that the vehicle was equipped with Waymo’s fifth generation Automated Driving System. (ADS). It was also operating without a safety driver. Waymo's robotaxi fleet is said to number more than 1,500 vehicles, and it operates in major U.S. Cities, such as Phoenix, Los Angeles San Francisco, and Austin. Alphabet plans to launch in Tokyo and London, among other cities in the coming years. (Reporting from Akash Sriram, Bengaluru; David Shepardson, Washington; editing by Tasim Zaid)
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Australia warns China against 'unsafe flare drops' in an aerial encounter
The Australian Defence Department said Monday that it had raised concerns with Beijing following an incident in which a Chinese fighter plane dropped flares near a maritime patrol aircraft of Australia. It called the incident "unsafe" and "unprofessional". In a press release, the Australian defence department stated that the Chinese jet had released flares close to a maritime patrol aircraft from Australia, which was conducting surveillance in the South China Sea. This posed a danger to this plane and its crew. It added, "This was a dangerous and unprofessional maneuver." "Australia expects that all countries, including China to operate their military in a professional and safe manner." The Australian Air Force reported that no injuries were reported during the collision between the P-8A patrol aircraft and the People's Liberation Army Jet. Richard Marles, the Australian Defence Minister, said that a Chinese jet had fired flares twice. He said that on two occasions the flares were released very close to P-8. "It's the proximity of the flares that has caused us to consider this unprofessional and unsafe." Marles stated that the Australian government has raised concerns about the Chinese Embassy in Canberra as well as the Australian embassy Beijing. An email request for comment was not immediately responded to by the Chinese Embassy. This is just the latest in a long line of incidents involving China, which Australia has publicly condemned. It also criticised in February as "unsafe" and "unprofessional" the actions taken by a Chinese fighter plane that dropped flares less than 30 m (100 feet) from a maritime surveillance plane. (Reporting and editing by Clarence Fernandez in Sydney)
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Takaichi is on the verge of becoming Japan's 1st female PM after a coalition deal? ?
Sanae Takaichi, a conservative hardliner, is likely to become Japan's 1st female Prime Minister on Tuesday after the opposition Japan Innovation Party (Ishin), a right-wing party, announced that it would support her. Hirofumi Yushimura, Osaka Governor and Ishin leader Hirofumi's representative in western Japan, told reporters that he had told Takaichi we should work together. He said he will meet Takaichi to finalize the alliance at 6 pm (0900 GMT). Fumitake Fumita, Ishin’s other boss said that the coalition deal contained deadlines, specific plans for implementation of policy, and a 10% reduction of lawmaker numbers. This was after he met with Yoshimura and party legislators to discuss the coalition agreement. Investors' expectation of a deal which could lead to increased government spending has weakened the yen. The blue-chip Nikkei index closed 3.4% higher. The agreement would result in a total of 231 seats for the dominant lower house. Takaichi would still fall two seats short of a majority but it will ensure that he is likely to win a vote on Tuesday in the parliament for Japan's new prime minister. In a runoff, she will need only a majority rather than all votes cast. She will need the support of all other opposition groups to govern. This includes a supplementary budget that is coming up. The deal expected with Ishin comes after the LDP's 26 year coalition with Komeito ended when the ruling party chose Takaichi to be its new leader. The sudden withdrawal of Komeito sparked talks between opposition parties including Ishin (the second largest), which could have undermined her ambitions to become premier and forced her party from power for the very first time in over a decade. Ishin's choice to join the LDP has ended that possibility. FISCAL DOVE, SECURITY HAWK Takaichi is a fiscal dove who has called for increased spending and tax reductions to cushion the consumer from rising inflation. He has also criticised Bank of Japan’s decision to increase interest rates. Fumika Shimizu, Nomura Securities' strategist, said that expectations for Takaichi’s economic policies, including fiscal expansion and monetary ease, have led to a rise in share prices and a weaker Japanese yen. Analysts say that Takaichi could be restrained from spending if Ishin, a small-government and spending-cutting movement, is implemented. Takaichi is calling for a revision of Japan's postwar constitution, which was pacifist and ignored the military. She is a frequent visitor to the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo. This shrine, which some Asian neighbors view as a symbol for wartime aggression by Japan, wants to increase defence spending to deter China. She also calls for stricter immigration laws and opposes policies such as allowing married women to keep their surnames, which, she claims, undermine traditional values. Yoshimura, in an interview with television, said that for the time being, Ishin won't take up a position in Takaichi’s government until it becomes clear whether the partnership between the LDP and Takaichi is working. "Right away, we are still a group consisting of legislators with no government experience. He said that rather than ask for a ministerial position, they wanted to focus first on implementing their policies as a part of the ruling alliance. ? (Reporting from Tim Kelly, Rocky Swift and Makiko Yazaki)
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As of October 19, the arrivals of cocoa from Ivory Coast in 2025/26 are down by 31.6%.
Exporters estimate that cocoa arrivals in ports of Ivory Coast, the top producer, reached 132,000 tons by October 19, since the start the season on 1 October. This is down 31.6% compared to the same period last year. Between October 13 and 19, approximately 41,000 tons of bean were delivered to Abidjan and 43,000 to San Pedro, for a total 84,000 tons. This is down from the 93,000 tons that was delivered in the same period of the previous year. Cocoa sales in Ivory Coast are at a standstill since the beginning of the 2025/26 harvest season. A record farmgate price, coupled with poor quality stocks, has deterred both buyers and exporters. Seven exporters, four pod counters and one cocoa bean buyer told us that the arrivals of cocoa beans at Ivorian port would be between 850,000 to 900,000. This is 12% less than last year. They said that if the weather continues to improve in November and December, it should be possible to cover up the deficit expected between January and March of 2026. (Reporting and editing by Anait Miridzhanian, Louise Heavens and Ange Aboa)
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Sources say that Vietjet, Vietnam's budget airline, has stopped operating COMAC aircraft made in China.
Two sources familiar with this matter have confirmed that Vietjet, a Vietnamese low-cost airline, stopped operating its two COMAC C909 planes made in China on October 18, after the six-month contract to lease the planes had expired. The C909s arrived in Vietnam less that a week after Chinese president Xi Jinping's visit to Hanoi, in April. This launch was seen as a sign of the deepening of strategic and economic ties. The two sources confirmed that Vietjet had decided not to renew the lease, and did not have any immediate plans to buy aircraft from China’s state-owned planemaker COMAC. Vietjet declined comment while COMAC didn't respond to a comment request. COMAC HAD MAJORLY BREAKTHROUGH CONTRACT This lease marked the first time that Chinese aircraft were used on domestic routes within Vietnam, including Hanoi-Con Dao or Ho Chi Minh City - Con Dao. It was also a significant breakthrough for COMAC which had struggled to get its planes used overseas. According to one source, the termination was due high operating costs associated with foreign crew and maintenance service and regulations under Vietnam's Aviation Law. Vietjet has reported that it had an agreement with Chengdu Airlines to operate the jets using crew from China. Sources said that the airline could switch to another leasing model in future. Chengdu Airlines did not reply to an inquiry for comment either. Both sources confirmed that the COMAC aircraft were in perfect operational condition during their time in Vietnam. FlightRadar24, a flight tracking website, reports that the aircraft flew their last flights from Con Dao, Vietnam to Hanoi on Friday. C909 IS CHINA’S FIRST COMMERCIALLY MANUFACTURED JET The C909 is China's very first jet powered plane, and will enter service in 2016, seating up to 90 people. COMAC is positioning its C909 Regional Jets in Southeast Asia to gain a foothold on foreign markets. The aircraft have been placed in Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos as well as receiving orders from Air Cambodia, a Brunei airline, and other airlines. Vietjet has placed large orders for Boeing 737 MAX jets. The company operates a fleet over 100 aircraft, primarily Airbus. (Reporting and editing by Jan Harvey; Additional reporting in Beijing by Sophie Yu; Reporting by Phuong nguyen)
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A basketball-driver is killed after a stone attack on a bus carrying fans in Italy
Local media reported that a bus driver died after stones were thrown against a vehicle transporting fans from a basketball match in central Italy. This shocked the country, where violence between fans is usually associated with soccer. The Italian newspaper La Nazione reported that after a match between SRS Sebastiani Rieti vs Pistoia Basket 2000 on Sunday in Serie A2, or the second tier, a Pistoia fan bus was attacked with stones and bricks outside of Rieti. It was reported that a stone had smashed the windscreen of one of the two drivers aboard, who later died despite efforts to revive him. Italian media reported that it was not immediately apparent if those who hurled rocks at the bus were rival supporters. The death of Giorgia Mello was described as "terrible" news by Prime Minister Giorgia. She wrote, "The attack was an unacceptable and senseless crime of violence," on X. Gianni Petrucci said that he would be working with the legal authorities to develop a response. This is not basketball. "These are criminals and murderers. People with no future or present," he said to RAI, the Italian national broadcaster. Violence between soccer fans has been a problem in Italy for many years. In April, 13 officers were injured in skirmishes that broke out between AS Roma and Lazio supporters ahead of the Rome Derby. In May, an Atalanta supporter aged 26 was fatally stabbed during clashes involving Atalanta supporters and Inter Milan fans. (Reporting and editing by Keith Weir, Gianluca Smeraro)
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Mota-Engil, a Portuguese company, wins construction contracts worth $1.16 billion in Mexico
Mota-Engil is Portugal's biggest construction company. It has announced that it has won rail construction contracts worth over 1 billion euros (1.16 million dollars) in Mexico, increasing its order books in the country to more than 3.7 billion euro. In a press release, Mota-Engil said that with these contracts it would resume growth in its backlog of work in Mexico, "strengthening its position as the largest European rail infrastructure constructor in the country". Mota-Engil's shares rose 2.3% on Monday morning after the announcement. The contract with the Mexican government, worth 820 millions euros, involves the design and building of the second section of the railway line between Apaseo El Grande and Irapuato. This stretch is 70.7 km long. The first 30 km of this stretch was already awarded in August, under the National Railway Plan. In June, the company had an order backlog totaling EUR14,7 billion. It operates in over 20 countries across Africa, Europe and Latin America.
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Ukraine prepares for record gas imports after Russian attacks, Zelenskiy says
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, president of Ukraine, said that Ukraine will import gas from Europe, Azerbaijan and the United States worth about $2 billion this winter after Russian attacks severely damaged its gas infrastructure. He did not say how much gas Ukraine intended to buy. Kyiv was expecting to import 4.6 billion cubic meters (bcm), of gas, before a series Russian strikes on Ukraine's gas industry earlier this fall. Svitlana Svitlanahrynchuk, the energy minister, said that due to damage, imports would have to be increased 30%. Analysts estimated that total gas import requirements were no less than 6,3 bcm. Zelenskiy made the comment in a media briefing on Sunday that was cleared for publication Monday. UKRAINE SEEKS MORE US Liquefied natural gas, COOPERATION TO ODESA TERMINAL He said that the cash-strapped Ukrainian government was in discussions with international allies in order to raise money to cover increased imports. Some were willing to give grants, such as an additional tranche of funds from Norway, which will be received in January. Zelenskiy stated that the government has reached agreements to purchase additional volumes, if needed. Kyiv receives U.S. Gas through Terminals in Poland. However, new volumes could come via Greece and the Transbalkan Corridor. Zelenskiy said that Ukraine wants to build its LNG terminal at the Black Sea port Odesa, and to use its underground storage facilities for U.S. Gas to Europe. He said that "an option" would be to build a LNG terminal in Odesa. However, this would require negotiations with Turkey so as to guarantee the Bosphorus Strait was open. The Ukraine had considered such a facility, but Turkey refused tankers access to the Black Sea. (Reporting and editing by Kirsty Donovan, Joe Bavier, and Max Hunder)
New York Times Business News - October 20, 2018
These are the most popular stories from the New York Times' business pages. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
The Colombian president Gustavo Petro has accused the United States (US) of killing an innocent fisherman during an attack on a boat the US authorities claim was carrying illegal drugs. This led President Donald Trump on Sunday to announce that he will cut off all assistance to Colombia, and impose new duties on its goods.
China's National Bureau of Statistics announced on Monday that the economy grew by 1.1% in the third quarter of this year from July to September. This pace was similar to the one seen during the spring.
Local officials reported that two members of the ground crew were killed when an Emirates cargo plane skidded off the runway and into the water at Hong Kong International Airport early on Monday morning. According to the statement, the cargo plane was on its way from Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai. The cause of this accident is not known. (Compiled by Bengaluru Newsroom)
(source: Reuters)