Latest News
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Mexican train derailment kills 13
Mexican authorities said that on Sunday, at least 13 people were killed when an Interoceanic Train?derailed?in the southern state of Oaxaca. The Mexican Navy reported that the train derailed near Nizanda was carrying 250 passengers, including nine crew and 241 passengers. Of the 193 passengers, 193 were reported as being in a safe condition, while 98 others were injured. Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of X, said that five of the injured are in critical condition. She added that senior officials have been dispatched to the scene to help the families. In a post on social media, Ernestina Godoy Ramos, Mexico's Attorney-General's Office said that an investigation had already been opened into the incident. The Interoceanic Train will be inaugurated by former President Andres Lopez Obrador in 2023 as part of a larger project called the Interoceanic Corridor. The project was to modernize rail links across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It would connect Mexico's Pacific Port of Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos, on the Gulf Coast. The Mexican government is working to turn the isthmus of the country into a strategic trade corridor, by expanding ports, railroads, and industrial infrastructure, with the goal of competing with the Panama Canal. The train service is part of an effort to expand passenger rail and freight rail services in southern Mexico, and to stimulate economic growth in the region. (Reporting and editing by Tom Hogue, Michael Perry and Natalia Siniawski)
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Woodside LNG signs LNG supply agreement with BOTAS
Woodside Energy, a subsidiary of Australia's Woodside Energy, announced on Monday that it has signed a contract with the Turkish state-owned oil company BOTAS for delivering?around 5.8 billion cubic metres?of liquefied gas?for up to nine years starting in 2030. The non-binding heads agreement signed in September by the two parties is now a binding commitment. The agreement stipulates that LNG will be supplied primarily from the Louisiana LNG project, which is currently under construction in the United States, with additional supplies coming from Woodside, Australia’s largest natural gas producer. Woodside's Louisiana Gas Complex, the largest foreign investment in the history of the southern state, was the U.S.'s first LNG project to be given the green light after Donald Trump took office in January, and promised to unleash "U.S. Energy is the future. The project was approved in late April. It is scheduled to begin delivering gas in 2029. Mark Abbotsford, Woodside's Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, said: "This LNG supply agreement with BOTAS is a significant milestone for Woodside as it represents our first long-term arrangement to provide LNG to the Turkish market." Woodside is also grateful for the support of the Turkish and United States governments following the announcement earlier this year of the HOA.
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Flash floods in southern Spain cause one death and two missing
Overflowing rivers washed away motorcycles and cars, and authorities warned people to stay inside. Authorities in Valencia, where the deadly floods that occurred in October of last year caused damage worth billions of Euros and killed more than 220 people, sent red alerts to people's mobile phones on Sunday night, urging them not to leave their homes and stay on high ground. Eight other provinces also issued an orange alert, warning residents of the serious dangers to their property or themselves and to prepare for worsening conditions. Heavy rains last year in Valencia caught authorities by surprise. Many blamed local and national officials who warned people too late. This led to the resignation of the regional leader. According to a post on their X page, the Civil Guard of Spain found a body in Malaga. The man's van had been swept away Sunday by an overflowing stream. The second passenger was still missing. According to the state news agency EFE, emergency teams are also searching for a teenager in Granada that was swept away while trying to cross a riverbed with a motorcycle. In Barcelona, Catalonia, ?a woman was hospitalised on Saturday after being hit by a lamppost torn down by 70-kilometre-per-hour winds, the regional government's civil protection agency told Europa Press. (Reporting and editing by William Maclean, Victoria Waldersee)
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Amazon cancels drone delivery plans in Italy
Amazon announced on Sunday that it would not pursue plans to deliver goods by drones in Italy. The company said it made progress with the aerospace regulators but business regulations were against it. Italian civil aviation ENAC described the decision as unexpected. In a statement issued on Saturday, the company said that the move was motivated by a change in company policy and related to "recent financial events involving Group". The company had announced that initial drone delivery tests would be completed in San Salvo in central Abruzzo in December 2024. Amazon released a statement on Sunday. "Following an?strategic assessment, we have decided that?our plans for commercial drone deliveries in Italy will be discontinued". Amazon said that despite positive engagement and progress with Italian aerospace regulators, the regulatory framework for business in the country does not support the longer-term goals of this program at this time. (Reporting and editing by Frances Kerry, Alvise Armelli)
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Ukraine's DTEK claims that power has been restored to one million households in the Kyiv area
Ukraine's largest?private energy company said on Sunday that it had restored power to more than one million households around Kyiv, a day after an air strike by Russia had caused emergency outages. Two people were killed and power was knocked out in large areas of the capital area and surrounding region by a combined?missile-and drone attack? that occurred early Saturday morning. DTEK announced in a statement that it restored electricity to 748, 000?households?in Kyiv as well as 347,000?outside the city. The report said that the situation on Kyiv’s left bank was "more difficult", as emergency power outages were still in place. DTEK reported that two districts in the Kyiv region were still experiencing emergencies. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its massive strikes on Ukraine's energy systems as it continues to?press ahead with a military offensive in the face of a U.S. led peace effort aimed at ending the war that is now nearly four years old. (Reporting and editing by Hugh Lawson; Reporting by Dan Peleschuk)
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Winter weather in the Northeast US leads to thousands of flight cancellations and delays
Snow and ice plowed into the U.S. Northeast on Saturday morning, disrupting the post-holiday weekend?airline traffic. New York and New Jersey officials declared weather emergencies even though the storm had subsided by mid-morning. New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency due to the treacherous road conditions. In a press release, New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated that "the safety of New Yorkers is my number one priority and I will continue to urge caution for the duration of this hurricane." Bob Oravec, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center near Washington, D.C., stated that by early Saturday, six to ten inches (15 to 25 cm) of snow had fallen in an area extending from Syracuse, in central New York, to Long Island, in the southeast part of the state, and also Connecticut. Oravec reported that Central Park received the most snow since 2022, with 4.3 inches. He said, "The good thing is that most of the heavy snow has melted." "Only a couple of flurries are left this morning, and they will fade by afternoon." The effects of the storm were felt by passengers. FlightAware, which tracks flights, reports that more than 9,000 domestic U.S. flight cancellations or delays occurred on Saturday. Many of these were in the New York region, at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LaGuardia) and Newark Liberty International Airport (Newark Liberty). American Airlines, United Airlines, and JetBlue Airways representatives told passengers that they waived the change fees usually charged for rebooking in cases where weather-related delays may have affected their travel plans. Winter weather advisories and ice storm warnings were posted in most of Pennsylvania, as well as in much of Massachusetts. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have issued restrictions on commercial vehicles for certain roads, including interstate highways. Tahesha way, acting governor of New Jersey, said that the storm would cause hazardous road conditions and impact holiday travel. "We urge travelers to avoid traveling during the storm to allow crews to maintain roads." Rich McKay reported from Atlanta. (Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova, Steve Gorman and Dan Levine in Washington; editing by Sergio Non & Mark Potter.)
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Winter weather in the Northeast US leads to thousands of flight cancellations and delays
Snow and ice blanketed the U.S. Northeast on Saturday morning, causing disruption to airline traffic after the holiday weekend. Officials in New York and New Jersey declared weather emergencies even though the storm had subsided by midday. New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency due to the treacherous road conditions. New York Governor Kathy Hochul made a statement saying, "The safety and well-being of New Yorkers are my highest priorities. I will continue to urge caution for the duration of this hurricane." Bob Oravec, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center in Washington, D.C., says that by early Saturday, six to ten inches of snow (15 to 25 cm) had fallen in an area spanning from Syracuse, in central New York, to Long Island, in the southeast, and Connecticut. Oravec reported that Central Park received 4.3 inches of snow, the highest amount since 2022. He said, "The good thing is that most of the heavy snow has melted." "Only a couple of flurries are left this morning, and they will fade by afternoon." Travelers were feeling the effects. FlightAware reports that more than 14,400 domestic U.S. flight cancellations or delays occurred on Saturday morning. The majority of these flights were in the New York region, at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LaGuardia) and Newark Liberty International Airport (Newark Liberty). FlightAware reports that another 2,100 international flights scheduled to leave or land the U.S. Saturday have been canceled. American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines representatives said that they waived the change fees usually charged for rebookings in cases where weather disruptions may have affected travel plans. Winter weather advisories and ice storm warnings were also posted in?most Pennsylvania and most of Massachusetts. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have issued restrictions on commercial vehicles for certain roads, including interstate highways. Tahesha way, acting governor of New Jersey, said that the storm would cause hazardous road conditions and affect holiday travel. We urge travelers to avoid traveling during the storm to allow crews to maintain roads. Rich McKay reported from Atlanta. Steve Gorman and Maria Tsvetkova contributed additional reporting from Washington, while Steve Tsvetkova reported from New York. Sergio Non, Mark Potter and Sergio Non edited the article.
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Waymo's San Francisco outage raises doubts over robotaxi readiness during crises
The widespread power outage that caused Waymo robotaxis to stall and snarl traffic in San Francisco earlier this month has raised concerns over the ability of autonomous vehicle operators (AVOs) to handle major emergencies such as earthquakes and flooding. Videos posted on social networks showed driverless taxis of Alphabet's?Waymo unit, a common sight on the streets, stuck at intersections, their hazard light on, as?traffic signals?had stopped working after a PG&E fire that had knocked out electricity to about one-third the city in December 20. Waymo suspended operations and resumed them a day after. The incident has renewed the call for tighter regulation in a nascent, but rapidly growing industry. Other companies such as Amazon's Zoox and Tesla are racing to expand robotaxi service across several cities. "If you get a response to a blackout wrong, regulators are derelict if they do not respond to that by requiring some sort of proof that the earthquake scenario ?will be handled properly," said Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-engineering professor and autonomous-technology expert. Waymo stated in a Tuesday statement that, while its robotaxis were designed to handle nonoperational traffic signals as four-way stop, they sometimes request a verification check. The vehicles were able to successfully navigate more than 7,000 dimmed signals on Saturday. However, the "outage" caused a spike in confirmation requests which "led to response delay contributing to congestion on already overcrowded streets," Waymo stated. Robotaxi operators use remote control by humans in various degrees around the world to monitor and operate vehicles. This is known as "teleoperation". Waymo has, for instance, a team human "fleet responses" agents that?respond to the questions of the Waymo driver, its robot, when they encounter a specific situation. Missy Cummings of George Mason University Autonomy and Robotics Center and a former advisor to the U.S. Road Safety regulator said that such remote assistance had its limitations. She said that the whole purpose of remote operations was to have humans available when the system did not respond as it should. Cummings stated that the federal government should regulate remote operations. Cummings said that the federal government should regulate remote operations. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which regulate and issue licenses for the testing of robotaxis and their commercial deployment, are investigating the incident. The DMV stated that it was in contact with Waymo, and other automakers about emergency response. The DMV also stated that it was formulating rules to ensure remote driver "meets high standards for safety and accountability, as well as responsiveness." "A SHOT ACROSS BOW" The deployment and commercialization of fully autonomous vehicles has been "harder than anticipated" with high investments being made to ensure that the technology is safe, and public outcry following collisions forcing some to close their doors. After a high-profile incident in 2023, when a robotaxi of?General Motors Cruise dragged a person, regulators revoked the permit. The company eventually ceased operations. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has promised rapid expansion. Waymo has also expanded rapidly, after a slow and steady growth since it was launched as Google's autonomous driving project in 2009. Waymo has a fleet that includes more than 2,500 cars. It operates in San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles as well as Metro Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta, and Atlanta. The company stated that the confirmation processes it follows were developed during its early deployment, and they are now fine-tuning them to fit its current scale. Waymo has implemented fleet-wide updates to provide vehicles with a "specific power outage contextual, allowing them to navigate more effectively." Cummings, as well as Koopman, said that robotaxi operators would need to meet additional requirements when their fleets reach a certain size. This is to ensure they are equipped to handle large-scale problems. Koopman stated that "if this had been a quake, there would have been problems." This is just a warning shot. Reporting by Abhirup in San Francisco, Editing by Sayantani and Alistair Bell
NET4GAS says it wins arbitration case versus Gazprom Export payments
Czech gas transmission system operator NET4GAS has won an arbitration case against Russian group Gazprom Export over payments it was owed, the Czech business said.
In a filing late on Thursday, NET4GAS said a tribunal had bought (Gazprom Export) to pay the claimed amount together with default interest and reimburse N4G for the costs of the proceedings.
Gazprom and Gazprom Export did not immediately respond to a. request for remark.
NET4GAS has said it was declaring 113 million euros from. Gazprom Export after the Russian carrier stopped working to make payments. under contracts following the halt in products to Europe by means of the. Nord Stream pipeline in 2022.
A spokesperson decreased on Friday to provide any even more. details on the claim. NET4GAS has stated that payments form. Gazprom contributed 3 quarters of its income before. Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Gazprom in the meantime won a claim of equivalent size in a. Russian court against NET4GAS, which NET4GAS said remained in blatant. breach of international law.
Gazprom was a significant shipper through the NET4GAS network,. which carried gas from northern border with Germany to southern. Germany through the Czech Republic along with to Slovakia.
The stop in shipments through the Nord Stream pipeline in 2022. and rearrangement of gas flows in Europe have triggered the company. to lose a considerable part if its company, and at present. mostly serves only for imports for domestic needs.
The Czech federal government obtained the company consisting of. arrearage of around 33 billion crowns
(source: Reuters)