Latest News
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Lucid announces subscription to self-driving technology, unveils concept of two-seater roboticaxi
Lucid announced on Thursday a subscription to self-driving technology for its electric vehicles and showcased the concept of a robotaxi with two seats. The EV maker stated that the monthly subscription will range between $69 to $199, depending on what level of autonomy a customer wants. Lucid's decision puts it in line with Rivian, and Tesla who have both?shifted to subscription-based advanced driving assistance systems over the past few months. Software and recurring revenue streams are increasingly important to automakers to boost their business beyond vehicle sales. Lucid's concept of a two-seater roboticaxi is similar to Tesla's Cybercab. This vehicle is also designed without a pedal or steering wheel and runs on 'Full Self-Driving' system. Elon Musk's company announced last month that its first Cybercab officially rolled off of the production line in?its Gigafactory, Texas. Musk stated that Tesla will begin mass production of Cybercabs 'in April. Tesla's 'Full Self Driving (FSD)' feature is no longer available as a permanent, one-time option. Instead, the company now offers a $99 monthly subscription. Musk has said that the $99 per month price will increase "as FSD?s capabilities improve." Rivian has launched its own driver-assistance system Autonomy+. It is priced at $49.99 per monthly or $2,500 for a one-time payment, which undercuts Tesla's price.
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Lufthansa: Majority of flights were operated on the first day of the pilot strike
The airline said that more than half of Lufthansa's flights to and from Germany were cancelled on Thursday. This was the first of two strike days by pilots over pensions. The VC union has called for strikes on Lufthansa cargo and passenger flights departing from German airports this Thursday and Friday. This will affect the German flag carrier as well as?passengers, who are trying to deal with the chaos created by the Iran War. Lufthansa announced on Wednesday that it would operate "more than half" of its scheduled flights during the two day 'walkout. This includes 60% of long haul routes and 80% cargo flights. A spokesperson for Lufthansa confirmed that the reduced flight schedule was implemented as announced. VC, however, played up the disruption. It said that 70% of Lufthansa's flights were grounded at 3 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) Thursday because of the?industrial action. VC also added that its estimate was based upon solid data. It stated that it was still waiting for a negotiable offer from Lufthansa. The operator of Fraport, which is the largest hub of the airline, recorded 426 cancellations out of an original schedule of 1,168 take-offs/landings. This represents a 36% cancellation rate. (Reporting and writing by Ilona wissenbach Editing by Linda Pasquini).
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Sources say that Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field is recovering daily production, but the average March production falls short of target.
Two industry sources said that oil output at Kazakhstan's biggest Tengiz Field rose to 810,000 barrels of oil on March 11 but only averaged 495,000 barrels per day (bpd), lagging behind the capacity goal. Sources claim that the average production in Tengiz between March 1-10 was 16 % lower than it was in February when output was around 590 000 bpd. Tengizchevroil, a U.S. Chevron company that operates in Tengiz, is now restoring production after a January 18 emergency shutdown caused by an fire. The main export route, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium system (CPC), is constrained by adverse weather conditions as well as the threat of drone attack. TCO is looking for alternative export routes in order to recover production. Traders say the company intends to export 120,000?metric tons of oil in March, from Tengiz, to the Baku-Tbilisi Ceyhan (BTC), pipeline. Traders said that?TCO also seeks?another opportunity to ship 100,000-tonne KEBCO via Russia's Ust-Luga Port this month. Erlan Akkenzhenov, Kazakhstan's Minister of Energy, told reporters that the oil production in Tengiz had increased to 120,000 tonnes per day (955,000 bpd) on Wednesday. Erlan Akkenzhenov, Kazakhstan's Energy Minister, did not mention the exact date. According to the sources, daily deliveries of Tengiz oil into the CPC system reached 932,000 barrels per day on 10 March, up from 700,000 at the end?of?February. Crude deliveries from a producer company can differ from production volume, since they include stocks held in its facilities. TCO does?not comment on the details of its export and production activities. KazTransOil, Kazakhstan's state-owned oil pipeline operator, did not respond immediately to a comment request. The Future Growth Project (FGP), which was completed in 2016, allowed TCO to increase its crude production from 27.8 millions tons in 2024 to 39.01million tons last year. Chevron is the largest shareholder in TCO, with a 50% stake. Exxon Mobil holds a 25% stake. KazMunayGas has a 20% share. And Russia's Lukoil owns a 5% share.
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Two U.S. sailors are injured in the Red Sea after non-combat gunfire aboard a carrier
Two U.S. sailors have been injured after the USS Gerald Ford was hit by a 'non-combat related fire' on board. The military announced on Thursday. Ford, the newest and largest aircraft carrier in the world, is currently in the Red Sea, where it is participating in operations against Iran. The military stated that the sailors were receiving treatment for injuries which did not pose a life-threatening threat and are in a stable condition. The aircraft carrier is still fully operational, and the propulsion system of the ship has not been damaged, according to the military. They also said that the fire began in the main laundry area. On Tuesday, it was reported that as many as 150 U.S. soldiers had been injured in the war between Israel and the United States against Iran. Ford has more than 75 military aircraft, including fighter jets like the F-18 Super Hornet. The carrier was deployed for more than nine months, and took part in operations in the Caribbean this year. Reporting by Idrees Al and Phil Stewart, Editing by Chizu nomiyama
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Sources say that the Black Sea's Novorossiysk Oil Exports were 10 days behind schedule for March.
According to three sources, the Black Sea port 'Novorossiysk is running 10 days behind schedule due to persistent storms, drone attacks and other factors. One of these forced a suspension in loadings at the beginning of this month. A source in the trade stated that "every time a danger warning is issued, tankers are demoored and sent to sea." According to LSEG, industry sources and estimates, shipments from Novorossiysk of Urals and KEBCO 'crude oil' in the first ten days of March averaged around 200,000 bpd, about half of them being carryovers from February. Another source from the oil industry stated that "Russia's Black Sea port are constantly closed due to storms, dive inspections or threats of attack." The main oil transshipment plans for Novorossiysk for?March required shipments of approximately?450,000 Bpd. Sources reported that the actual exports of oil products were also running about a full week behind schedule. They totaled around 210,000 tonnes in the first ten days of March, compared with 460,000 tons one month earlier. Sources said that a drone attack by Ukraine on the 'Tikhoretsk' oil pumping station, in the Krasnodar area, could disrupt oil flow to Novorossiysk. However, they did not have any information about the effects of the attack. One?of?the?sources? stated that exporters were attempting to redirect shipments away from the Black Sea Port to other routes. However, Baltic ports are also?facing capacity constraints because of a shortage in ice and vessels. Novorossiysk re-started oil transshipment from tankers on March 6 after a drone attack?on Sheskharis Terminal?on?March 2?. The pace of loading remains low as the port is often forced to stop operations and move the tankers away from berths because of the threat of drone strikes. (Reporting and editing by Andrei Khalip).
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Iraq will keep crude production at 1.4m bpd despite war disruptions, says oil minister
Hayan Abdel-Ghani, the Oil Minister, was quoted on Thursday as saying that Iraq would keep crude 'oil' production at 1.4 million barrels a day. This is less than a third of the level before the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. According to state news agency, according to the minister, 200,000 bpd are being transported via truck through Turkey Syria and Jordan, and that Iraq has implemented a plan to deal with the current disruptions. Sources told?that oil production in Iraq's southern oilfields has dropped 70%, to just 1.3m bpd. This is because the country cannot export via the Gulf due to war. Sources told?that Iraq's oil production has fallen 70% to just 1.3 million bpd, due to the fact that the country cannot export through the Gulf because of the war. Iraq's fragile financial situation will be further strained by the drop in production as it relies on crude oil sales to fund nearly all of its public expenditure and for more than 90% of its revenue. Sources said that the oil ministry, under pressure to reduce losses, asked the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to pump 100,000 bpd of oil from its state-managed Kirkuk fields to Turkey's Ceyhan Port. According to the ministry, the KRG had not yet responded to the request. Abdel-Ghani, quoted on Thursday as saying that Iraq would sign an agreement to export oil through the Ceyhan pipeline. He did not provide any further details. Reporting by Ahmed Elimam, Jana Choukeir. Ahmed Rasheed is the author. Tomasz Janowski and Mark Potter (Editing)
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US sues California over zero emission vehicle, greenhouse gas rules
The Trump administration sued California on Thursday, claiming that the state's rules for zero-emission vehicles and tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions are illegal. Federal law preempts them. The U.S. Transportation Department filed a lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board at U.S. District Court, California to challenge vehicle regulations that are still in place after President Donald Trump's legislation signed last year that overturned California's Advanced Clean Cars II rule that aims to phase out new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. The lawsuit is seeking a court ruling that declares all California zero-emissions vehicle mandates to be illegal and unenforceable. Jonathan Morrison, the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that this litigation would help automakers to design and manufacture cars and trucks in order to meet a federal fuel efficiency regulation. California received a?approval from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2022 for its current vehicle rules, known as Advanced Clean Cars I. The state claims that these are still in force. California Air Resources Board didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The Trump administration has been trying to stop California from establishing vehicle regulations for years. It sued California in August to prevent the state from enforcing strict emissions standards for heavy duty trucks. California's regulations require automakers sell an increasing number of electric cars and adhere to increasingly strict limits on tailpipe emission. These rules are stricter than the ones imposed by the Trump administration which plans to rollback federal fuel economy regulations. California claims that the cost of EVs is higher than the savings in fuel for consumers. After Toyota and the Detroit Three successfully lobbied Congress, the White House and Congress to get relief from California's emission regulations, Congress has revoked the authority of?California. The White House also "significantly" weakened federal rules on tailpipes, and Congress passed legislation that would stop the collection of penalties for vehicles not meeting tailpipe standards. A group representing major automobile manufacturers did not comment immediately. (Reporting and editing by Deepa Babington; David Shepardson)
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As the Middle East conflict escalates, airlines cancel more flights
The global air travel industry is still severely affected by the Iran war, which forced the closures of key Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi. This left tens thousands of passengers stranded. The following is the latest information on flights in alphabetical order. AEGEAN AIRLINES The largest airline in Greece has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Baghdad. Dubai flights are cancelled until the 28th of March and Riyadh flights until March 14. AIR BALTIC AirBaltic, a Latvian airline, said that 'all' flights to Tel Aviv were cancelled until the 28th of March. All flights to Dubai are cancelled until March 30, according to airBaltic. AIR CANADA The Canadian carrier has cancelled all flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai and all flights from Dubai to Tel Aviv, until May 2. AIR EUROPA All flights from Spain to Tel Aviv have been cancelled until March 20. AIR FRANCE KLM Air France has cancelled all flights from Dubai to Riyadh and Dubai to Tel Aviv until March 15. KLM has suspended flights from Riyadh to Dammam until March 14 and Dubai flights up to March 28. Flights to Tel Aviv have been suspended throughout the winter season. CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong Airlines has cancelled all flights from and to Dubai, and to and Riyadh up until March 31, 2019. U.S. carriers has cancelled flights between New York and Tel Aviv from March 31 to April 1 and Tel Aviv to New York from March 31 to April 1. EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES El?AL has cancelled all regular flights until March 14th. EMIRATES The UAE airline announced that it would be operating a reduced schedule. ETIHAD AERWAYS The UAE carrier announced that it has resumed limited commercial flights between Abu Dhabi, and a number of key destinations. FINNAIR The Finnish airline has cancelled Doha flights and Dubai flights up until March 29, and will avoid the airspaces of Iraq, Iran and Syria. The airline is sending at least one flight to Muscat to take customers back home on March 10. More flights are planned for later this week. British Airways, owned by IAG, has cancelled all flights from Abu Dhabi to Amman until the end of this year, and all flights from Doha to Dubai, Doha to Amman and Tel Aviv to later in March. ITA AIRWAYS ITA Airways has extended the cancellation of flights to Dubai until March 28 and suspended flights from Tel Aviv till April 2. JAPAN AIRLINES Japan Airlines has suspended all flights between Tokyo and Doha scheduled to run from 28 February until 21 March, as well as Doha-Tokyo flights up to 22 March. Polish airline LOT has cancelled all flights from Tel Aviv to Tel Aviv and Dubai until March 28. LOT? also cancelled flights to Riyadh and Beirut until March 24, as well as to Tel Aviv from March 31 toApril 30. LUFTHANSA GROUP German airlines, including Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines as well as Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Swiss Airlines, have suspended flights from Tel Aviv to Beirut, Dubai and Dubai until March 28. Flights were suspended to?Tehran until April 30, and to Amman Erbil Dammam Abu Dhabi and Amman Erbil Dammam through March 15. MALAYSIA AIRLINES Malaysian Airlines has suspended all flights to Doha until 20 March. NORWEGIAN AIR The Norwegian airline will begin flying to Tel Aviv from June 15 instead of April 1, and to Beirut on April 4, as previously planned. PEGASUS Pegasus Airlines has cancelled all Iran flights until 28 March. Until March 23, flights to Iraq, Amman, Beirut Kuwait, Bahrain Doha, Dammam Dubai Abu Dhabi and Sharjah have been cancelled. QATAR AIRWAYS The airline operates a limited flight schedule between Doha and other destinations. It plans to start operating some flights on March 9 following a temporary authorization from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority. SAUDIA AIRLINES Saudi Arabian Airlines suspended flights to Amman, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi until 12 March, and flights to Moscow and Peshawar until 16 March. TURKISH AIRLINES Turkish Airlines has removed Iran flights until March 12 from its program, the Turkish transport minister announced. The Turkish transport minister added that Turkish Airlines had cancelled all flights to Iraq and Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, until March 13. WIZZ AIR The low-cost carrier suspended flights from Europe to Israel and other destinations in the Middle East until September. (Compiled by Josephine Mason and Jamie Freed; edited by Matt Scuffham, Milla Nissi, and Romolo tosiani)
UK considering additional Gulf deployments following minehunter withdrawal
John Healey, the UK's defence minister, said on Thursday that the UK is looking at additional options to deploy?to Gulf following the increase in attacks by Iran on vessels. He also noted that the UK already has autonomous mine-hunting systems in the area.
Royal Navy (RN), said last week that its last minehunter HMS Middleton was based out of Bahrain and had returned to Britain in March?1. The vessel was over 40 years old and was "no longer certified for sailing", it stated.
Healey stated that "we already have some autonomous mine hunting systems in the area." Healey said that there are other options we're beginning to?consider that we could deploy with?allies.
Two sources with knowledge of the situation said on Wednesday that Iran had deployed "about a dozen" mines along the Strait of Hormuz. This move is likely to complicate the reopening of this narrow waterway which is an important route for shipping LNG and oil.
The U.S. Military says that it has eliminated 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels on Tuesday.
On Thursday, two tankers caught fire in an Iraqi port after being hit by a boat suspected to be laden with explosives. Three?other vessels had been hit in the Gulf a few hours earlier. Healey called the situation a "major Iranian escalation".
Healey stated that the situation was a violation of international law. It's a?serious issue that has an impact on the oil price and cost of living. (Reporting and editing by Kate Holton; Catarina demony)
(source: Reuters)