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Russia claims it has struck Ukrainian defence industry vessels and facilities
On Friday, the Russian Defence Ministry said that 'its forces' had carried out drone strikes overnight on Ukrainian defence industry installations, logistic centres and vessels used in Ukraine by its armed forces. The 'Ministry' said that the strikes targeted a 'drone assembly and storage site, in the Kyiv region; logistics hubs in Odesa and port infrastructure in Reni along the Danube River. It was also reported that Russian forces had struck a cargo vessel carrying dual-use and military goods bound for the port of Odesa. Later, on Friday, the ministry announced that its forces had hit another cargo ship?in Odesa that was delivering a?logistics centre?to the port Chornomorsk. This centre is used by Ukraine's armed forces and security forces. It also houses a data center for the?processing of intelligence data and the transmission of it. Could not independently verify statements.
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Volkswagen recalls 4 million cars, Handelsblatt reports
The Handelsblatt reported that Volkswagen, the German automaker, will recall 4 million vehicles from four different brands. This is the largest recall since the Dieselgate scandal. According to the German KBA, there will be a recall of 2.16 million VW and 700,000 Audi vehicles. The Handelsblatt reported that Volkswagen's Czech?brand Skoda, and Seat in Spain would also be affected by the action. Seat confirmed that the number. Skoda has not yet commented on the report. Volkswagen stated in an earlier press release that customers were asked to bring their vehicles to be repaired due to a?risk of corrosion associated with a screw within the steering system. If left unchecked this could affect the steering system's function in the long run. The company said that the recall is a precautionary measure, and that replacing the screw will take less than an hour. Volkswagen refused to comment on the cost estimate of the recalls.
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US airlines oppose China’s bid to increase flights
On Thursday, the head of the industry group Airlines for American?said that US carriers opposed adding more direct flights to the United States from China despite the fact that Xi Jinping, the Chinese President raised the idea. Chris Sununu, the head of the group that represents American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, among others, has said US carriers are still hampered because their Chinese counterparts have been allowed to fly over Russia on eight flights. He told reporters that he had been urging officials in the Trump administration not to cave. It's not a small thing. Sununu told an interview that it is a costly exercise for airlines to travel around Russia. Xi brought up the issue of increased flights at a Washington event on Thursday. At the moment, each country can only operate 50 round-trips per week. "Our two parties may also increase direct flight to facilitate travel in both directions and trade," Xi - said. The White House has not yet commented. Before the COVID-19 epidemic, each side was allowed to fly more than 150 round-trip flights per week. Chinese and US carriers were limited to 12 flights a week each between the two nations until August 2023. Air China was asked to increase the number of flights it offers from the US East coast to China, but Airlines for America resisted the request last week. US carriers are banned from doing so because they cannot access Russian airspace. Chinese carriers however can fly eight US flights. "It's imbalanced. Sununu stated, "It's unfair." "They have an advantage already with eight flights. "It would be a huge advantage to give them even more," he said. "Don't worsen it for us." In?March 2022, the US banned Russian flights in American airspace following Russia's invasion into neighboring Ukraine. This prompted Russia to prohibit US carriers from flying over?the country. The United States did not ban other countries from flying over Russia, but they made a deal in 2023 with China that any additional flights would not be allowed to do so. The US Transportation Department proposed in October 2025 to ban Chinese airlines from flying above?Russia along routes between the United States and Canada. They argued that the shorter flight times this practice allows puts American carriers at an unfair disadvantage. The proposal was withdrawn after it faced opposition from US agencies.
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Alaska Air expects certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 10 by end-September
Alaska?Air?expects Boeing’s?737 MAX 10 aircraft to be certified before the end of September, and plans to deliver its?first plane next spring. Chief Operating Officer?Jason Berry said on Thursday. Berry said that the airline expects to begin passenger service with the MAX 10 between mid-April and April. Before Boeing can start deliveries, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must certify that aircraft. This timeline could be impacted by any delays in the 737 MAX 10 certification process, which is already several years behind schedule. Alaska must then certify the heads-up displays for pilots after the single-aisle aircraft is certified by federal regulators. This will take "a few?months," according to him. He said that the tight schedule "is sport," adding, "We're not panicking yet."
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Maguire: The cement boom in Africa signals the next big shift in global energy usage.
Africa consumes less than 5% of the global energy supply. It is therefore vastly outweighed by other regions when it comes to assessing current trends in energy and pollution. The aggressive plans to build cement plants in the region may change this. Global Energy Monitor data shows that Africa dominates the global pipeline of cement production capacity being built. This construction share is compared to a 8% share of the currently operating cement capacity. This indicates a 'rapid growth in planned production on the continent. But cement investments are about a lot more than just construction materials. These bets are on urbanization, regional economic growth and industrialization. Concrete is used to build roads, houses, factories, ports and other infrastructure before countries use more steel, chemicals or manufactured goods. The cement pipeline is a good indicator of Africa's energy needs. These are expected to increase dramatically if the construction boom linked to the plans for cement capacity materializes. The trend of energy consumption and emissions in the rest of world is expected to be curbed by electrification, and the slowing of heavy industrial production. Leaning In GEM data indicates that Africa has a cement production capacity of 441 million metric tons per year in operation and 43.3 millions tons per annum under construction. African nations also announced plans to add 23 million tons to the current annual cement production capacity. This would increase the total capacity of the region by 15%, compared to its current level, bringing it to just under 507 million tonnes. The overall increase in capacity for cement in Africa is far greater than planned additions to cement capacity in other regions. This indicates that Africa’s development plan looks set to be?more raw materials-intensive' than other parts of the globe. Africa's heavy-duty cement plans indicate a similar steep rise in raw materials and energy requirements, since cement production is notoriously high energy-intensive and requires large quantities of coal, petroleum, coke, and natural gas to ensure ample output. These cement projects will increase the demand for electricity, as well as infrastructure to import, store, and distribute coal, gas, and other fuels. They also need to ship out concrete produced. The plans to expand Africa's cement manufacturing footprint are a response to the growing demand for industrial energy in Africa, which will initially be supplied by fossil fuels. FRONTRUNNERS EGYPT & NIGERIA Egypt, among African countries, has the largest cement production footprint of 88 million tonnes per year. Nigeria is second to India for the amount of cement currently being produced. Libya, Mali and Angola are also among the top 20 countries in the world for cement construction. This shows that growth is expected across the entire continent. Even if Africa adopts cleaner energy technology more rapidly than other industrializing regions, the scale of planned construction of cement suggests that it will still need large quantities of materials to urbanize. The fact that 16 African nations are building new cement kilns suggests that Africa is on the right track to follow some of the same blueprints as countries in Asia. CLEANER CONCRETE? The African cement plan is different from those of other regions because African developers can use the most modern and efficient components to build their?cement plants. Modern kilns have a higher efficiency than those that were installed ten or more years ago. They should therefore be able to produce more cement using fewer inputs. Locally produced renewable electricity -- such as rooftop solar installations -- may also be used to run milling and processing equipment, reducing energy costs for producers. Electric cement kilns, which are becoming more widespread, offer the potential to further reduce energy intensity in countries that want to limit their industrial carbon footprint. Cost considerations will likely remain paramount on many African markets. This may delay the adoption of expensive emissions-reduction techniques such as carbon sequestration. This means that cement production in Africa will be energy- and material-intensive, even though they use the latest kilns available and the most advanced components. Cement projects in Nigeria, Libya Mali, Mozambique, and other countries are not just industrial investments. These projects are early indicators of future growth in?energy demand. Africa's urbanization and industrialization could make it one of the world's largest sources of demand for electricity, fuels for transport and industrial energy. This would force policymakers to find a balance between rising living standards and rising emissions. These are the opinions of the columnist, an author for. You like this column? Check out Open Interest, your new essential source for global financial commentary. Follow ROI on LinkedIn, X and X. Listen to the Morning Bid podcast daily on Apple, Spotify or the app. Subscribe to the Morning Bid podcast and hear journalists discussing the latest news in finance and markets 7 days a weeks.
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Poland suspects Starlink fire as a sabotage
Krzysztof GAWKOWSKI, deputy prime minister, said that a fire broke out on Wednesday night at a Starlink satellite communication station located in central Poland. The system provides connectivity to the region, including Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine's neighbour in 2022, Poland has been on high alert for acts sabotage. Russia has repeatedly denied such an action. He said that the fire had engulfed both the power station and generator. It was clear that the act of sabotage had been deliberately planned to disable the station, effectively cutting off internet access... for various institutions including the Ukrainian Military. "While everything may be operational today, as Prime Minister Tusk recently noted, this is an element hybrid warfare." He said that although it was not confirmed that Russia was the cause of?the fire "many signs" suggest that this is in line with Russia's "new doctrine of attack".
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Wall Street Journal, September 24,
These are the most popular?stories from the Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal has not'verified' these stories and?doesnt vouch for the accuracy of their content. Barry Diller announced on Wednesday that he has withdrawn his bid for MGM Resorts following a?months-long discussion with the company. Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of Australia, said that an 'OpenAI' agent had infiltrated this summer a website for government services in Australia. He made his remarks at a United Nations meeting in New York. Grail Inc. has received a positive vote from the Food and Drug Administration regarding its premarket approval of its Galleri?multi-cancer-early detection test. Starboard Value, an activist investor, has taken a large stake in the construction company Knife River. The plan is to pressure Knife River to either 'improve their margins' or explore a possible sale. Brightline, Florida's high speed railroad is planning to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 in New Jersey in order to restructure $5.5 billion of debt.
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Qantas workers start 24-hour strike in four Australian airports: union
The 'Australian's' Transport Worker's Union announced that Qantas airport employees began a 24-hour walkout on Thursday at Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide airports. They demanded higher wages, more secure jobs, and improved safety standards. The union stated that the industrial action included workers from Qantas Ground Services, Australian air Express freight operations, and regional carrier QantasLink. The employees wanted pay increases that were in line with "industry standards", more full-time jobs, and integration of groups under a single Qantas organization. They argued the use of multiple "subsidiaries" by the company had fragmented its workforce and weakened safety standards. The TWU announced that in Sydney, 400 safety screeners will join the workers for a total of two sets of 'two-hour stops. Michael Kaine, TWU's National Secretary, said that "Strike action should always be a last option." The union criticised the 'Qantas labour structure, and claimed that after years of cost-cutting, it was time for a 'fundamental reset. Qantas has outsourced more than 1,800 jobs in Australia to ground workers who handled the airline's broader network in the COVID-19 pandemic. This action was later deemed illegal. A court ordered the airline to pay A$90 million ($64.03 millions) in fines last year. Qantas didn't immediately respond to an inquiry for comment.
US IPOs set to extend healing after staging a solid comeback
The U.S. IPO market has actually recuperated highly in 2024 after an almost twoyear dry spell, driven by declining recession fears and a searing rally in stocks.
Still, financier choice for business with a clear course to success has actually kept enthusiasm in check, with analysts anticipating a recovery to settle next year.
Right now, (the IPO market healing) is extremely sober and scientific, said Mike Bellin, IPO Provider Leader at PwC U.S., pointing out the election uncertainty and doubts about the Federal Reserve's ability to direct the economy to a soft landing.
As we get more momentum and minimize some uncertainty, we may move into a market where financiers want to put more money in riskier IPO prospects.
Below are some graphics laying out the state of the IPO market:
STRONG LAUNCHINGS
Companies that raised a minimum of $100 million in their IPOs this year have traded up about 25% on average, according to data from Renaissance Capital, with first-day gains of 16%.
The Renaissance IPO Index, a benchmark for more comprehensive trends, is up about 14% up until now this year.
Social network giant Reddit, logistics heavyweight Lineage and health care firm Concentra are amongst the firms that went public this year.
BIOTECHS SHINE
September has turned out to be the busiest month for healthcare IPOs this year, Dealogic information revealed, a contrast from risk-averse financiers transferring to the sidelines as biotechs fought with dried-up funding due to high rate of interest.
Biotech is an extremely capital-intensive business, stated Ross Carmel, partner at securities law practice Sichenzia Ross Ference Carmel.
Access to the public markets provides the opportunity to continue raising capital as they need it, faster than they would as a personal business.
On Thursday, shares of weight-loss drug developer BioAge Labs opened 25% above their IPO cost.
POSITIONED FOR VELOCITY
While IPOs have actually recovered from the lows of in 2015, the profits raised through such sales are well listed below the 10-year historical average, according to Renaissance Capital.
The August sell-off, stubbornly high inflation and stress and anxiety surrounding the upcoming election likely discouraged a variety of prospective providers weighing fall IPOs, said Angleo Bochanis, data and index associate at Renaissance.
Increased financier examination might also have actually triggered some start-ups to postpone a listing till they were on a more powerful monetary footing.
We've seen a modification in the scale needed to go public. If you back up five years, a normal IPO-bound business had $100. million in annual recurring earnings. Nowadays, it's probably. double that, if not more, PwC's Bellin stated.
Still, next year may bring more activity.
We are expecting a constant recovery, and plenty more. names will go public in the coming months, Renaissance's. Bochanis said.
EXPERT SYSTEM
Anything AI-related should have a simple story to tell and. financiers enjoy a great narrative when they're looking for new. chances, stated Dan Coatsworth, investment expert at AJ. Bell.
However financiers will likely seek more concrete evidence of the. advantage of AI to the business design.
The buy side today is really persistent around AI matters. There will be great questions asked, stated PwC's Bellin.
(source: Reuters)