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Snow halts air, rail and road traffic in Netherlands
Snowfall in the Netherlands on Monday disrupted air and train traffic, and all trains in and around Amsterdam were stopped. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, one of Europe's busiest hubs cancelled almost 500 flights on Monday morning, and expects that number to rise throughout the day. Snow and freezing temperatures had forced the airport to cancel hundreds of flights every day since Friday. Snowfall in large parts of The Netherlands on Monday morning caused major traffic problems. No trains ran in the area around Amsterdam, and public transport was affected in many areas. Even though the authorities advised that people should stay home whenever possible, ice and snow led to many accidents and delays on the road. The Netherlands is likely to experience snowfall throughout the week. (Reporting and editing by Kirt Donovan, Emelia Sithole Matarise, and Bart Meijer)
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Kodiak AI and Bosch team up to develop hardware for self-driving vehicles
Kodiak AI announced on Monday that it had partnered with Bosch in order to increase production of autonomous trucking sensors and hardware. The?self driving truck company is looking to move away from pilot deployments to large-scale commercial roll-outs. Investors are increasing pressure on self-driving tech developers to show viable business models. This is after years of spending a lot and generating little revenue. Many players in the industry are now turning to freight because it is more predictable and provides a clearer path to profitability. The companies announced at the CES trade show that Bosch would supply Kodiak a wide range of automotive components. These include?sensors, vehicle actuation technologies such as steering technology, and?sensors. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Bosch and Kodiak will work together to create a redundant, production-grade autonomous platform. This platform will integrate hardware, firmware, and software interfaces required to install Kodiak's AI driver into trucks on production lines, or retrofitted. Kodiak has established itself as one the few autonomous trucking firms to operate vehicles in commercial service without a safety driver. The company claims to have already deployed driverless trucks owned by customers, a milestone that many of its rivals are yet to achieve. Bosch, the world's biggest automotive supplier in terms of revenue, is expanding its presence in autonomous mobility by providing sensors, compute, and vehicle control systems for carmakers and tech firms. (Reporting from Akash Sriram and Abhirup in San Francisco, Editing by Shilpa Majumdar and Krishna Chandra Eluri.)
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Police in Latvia say they found no evidence that a vessel docked at Liepaja Port was responsible for cable damage.
Police in Latvia said that investigators had 'found no evidence connecting a ship docked a the port of Liepaja 'to the damage done to a underwater cable last week. Investigators said on Sunday that they boarded the ship and started criminal proceedings after the cable outage took place?on Friday?near the Latvian port. They did not identify the vessel. The Baltic Sea region is a popular tourist destination. High alert After?a?string of?power cables, Telelink Gas pipeline failures since In 2022, Russia will invade Ukraine NATO has a military alliance. The presence of the company was boosted With frigates, drones and aircraft. In a press release, Latvia's National Police said that the information gathered in the criminal case did not show a connection between the ship and the damage to the optical cable. MarineTraffic data shows four ships crossing the Lithuanian-Latvia cable On January 2, when the damage was discovered for the first time. On Monday morning, three of these ships remained in Liepaja. (Reporting and editing by Terje Solsvik, Anna Ringstrom and Nerijus Adomiaitis)
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Tankertrackers.com reports that about a dozen oil tankers loaded with crude left Venezuela in darkness mode.
Monitoring service TankerTrackers.com reported that about a dozen oil tankers carrying Venezuelan crude or?fuel left the country's waterways in the dark mode. This was despite the strict U.S. blockade, which had been imposed after intense pressure grew until the capture and deposition of Nicolas Maduro. All of the vessels identified as departing are subject to U.S. Sanctions. Separately, a group of ships also subject to'sanctions' left the country empty in recent days after completing domestic transportation or discharging imported goods. The departures may be a relief to Venezuela's PDVSA state-owned oil company, which had built up a large stock of floating storage during the U.S. Blockade that began last month and brought the country's exports to a halt. Venezuela's primary source of revenue is oil exports. The interim government led by vice president Delcy Rodriquez, who is also the oil minister, will need to use the revenue to finance expenditures and ensure domestic stability. After identifying the vessels using satellite images, TankerTrackers.com reported that at least four of these departed oil tankers had?left Venezuelan water through a northerly route after stopping briefly near the country's border. Sources with a knowledge of the paperwork for departures said that four supertankers were cleared to leave Venezuelan waters in dark mode by Venezuelan authorities in recent days. It wasn't immediately clear if these departures were in defiance of the U.S. sanctions. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said that an "oil boycott" was in place against Venezuela, but that it would continue to be enforced under a transition. Reporting by
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Sri Lanka aims to attract 3 million tourists in order to help with cyclone recovery
Sri Lanka aims to have 3 million tourists arrive in 2026. This is after the record 2,36?million arrivals last year. The country is aiming to boost revenues and help recover from Cyclone Ditwah. Sri Lanka is the second largest foreign exchange earner in 2025, with revenues of $3.2 billion. Vijitha Herath is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism. She said that the ambitious target for tourist arrivals, a 27% increase from the previous year, would help Sri Lankans recover after Cyclone Ditwah hit the island nation in November, killing 645 people. World Bank estimates that torrential rains and hundreds?landslides caused damage to over?110,000 homes, as well as important roads, railroads, bridges and other infrastructure. The damages totaled $4.1 billion. The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) December report reduced the growth projection for 2026 from 3.1% to 2.9%. This month, an IMF delegation will be in Colombo to conduct the 5th review of a $2.9 billion program with Sri Lanka. "We are proud of Sri Lanka for achieving the highest ever tourism figures. Herath, a reporter, said that he was hopeful for the future of tourism revenue. Sri Lanka also hopes to attract $500 million of investment in tourism in 2026, after attracting $329 millions from 126 projects in 2018, said Buddhika Shewawasam. Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.
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Ryanair and Wizz Air passenger numbers surge in December amid holiday demand
Budget airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air reported strong passenger growth in December compared to the previous year, reflecting the robust demand for holiday travel among budget-conscious 'holidaymakers. According to data collected by the airlines, Ryanair is Europe's biggest budget airline, measured in passenger numbers. It carried 14.5 million passengers, an increase of 7% from December 2024. Wizz Air, on the other hand, flew 5.85 millions passengers, an increase of 15.5% from year-to-year. The continued popularity of budget travel is evident as European holidaymakers seek out affordable flight options during the Christmas period despite economic uncertainty. Ryanair reported that it operated 82,000 flights during December and had a load-factor of 92% for the month. This was unchanged from year to year. The load factor is a measure of how efficiently an airline fills its seats. In November, the Dublin-based carrier said it would fly 207 millions passengers by the end of March, which was one million more than it had predicted earlier. This is because improved Boeing deliveries allowed it to increase capacity in both the first and third quarters. Wizz Air Hungary, on the contrary, actively manages operational?challenges. It has closed bases in Abu Dhabi, Vienna and delayed 88 Airbus deliveries to offset capacity constraints, cost pressures and ongoing issues with its Pratt & Whitney engine. Wizz has reported a slight decrease in its load factors to 85.9%, while increasing capacity by 16.3%. (Reporting from Nithyashree B. and Yadarisa. Shabong, in Bengaluru. Editing by Janane. Venkatraman.)
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The Gulf markets are easing up on the back of low oil prices
The Gulf's major stock exchanges were mixed on Monday morning amid lower oil prices, as investors weighed geopolitical risk against concerns about a possible oversupply. Brent crude 'futures' fell 52 cents or 0.8% to $60.23 per barrel at 0801 GMT as global supplies were adequate, reducing concerns over supply disruptions following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the U.S. in an audacious raid on the weekend. Saudi Arabia's benchmark?index?dropped by 0.2%. This is a continuation of the 1.8% drop from the previous session. ?Oil giant Saudi Aramco slipped 0.6%. According to a Monday survey, the non-oil sector of private business in Saudi Arabia remained in growth despite a slowdown to a four-month-low and a decline in new orders. Dubai's main stock index fell 0.6% with Emaar Properties, a blue-chip developer, losing 1.4%. Salik Co., a toll operator, also declining 1.7%. The?index fell 0.6% in Abu Dhabi. OPEC+ maintained oil production unchanged on Sunday following a brief meeting that avoided discussing the political crisis affecting some of the group's producers. Qatar's index rose 0.8%, bucking the trend in the region. Qatar National Bank, the Gulf's largest lender, gained?1%. Egypt and Qatar have signed a memorandum to increase cooperation in LNG sales and imports. This includes terms for the supply of Qatari shipments into Egypt's Ain Sokhna port and Damietta port, Egypt's Petroleum Ministry announced on Sunday. Reporting by Ateeq Sharif in Bengaluru Editing Mark Potter
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Air India is looking for a new CEO to replace Campbell Wilson.
Air India's Board is?looking for a new Chief Executive to replace Campbell Wilson. Two people with direct knowledge said this. The airline continues to be under scrutiny due its safety lapses following a June crash that killed 260 people. After the worst aviation accident in the last decade, regulators pointed out a number of problems, ranging from not performing emergency equipment checks on aircraft to replacing engine parts late, falsifying maintenance records and failings in crew fatigue management. Wilson will take over as Air India's CEO and managing Director in July 2022, after a career of 26 years at Singapore Airlines. He held a variety of senior positions across the flagship airline and its wholly-owned low-cost subsidiary Scoot. The term of Wilson, a New Zealander, at Air India is due to expire in mid-2027, but he may be replaced sooner, according to India’s Economic Times, which reported the search for a replacement CEO on Monday. N. Chandrasekaran is the chairman of Air India, as well as its majority owner Tata Group. Singapore Airlines owns a 25% stake of Air India. Requests for comments from the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines as well as Wilson were not immediately responded to. Tata was not happy with Wilson's performance last year after the airline was bought by the Indian government. Wilson was given a "blank cheque" to fix the problems, according to one person. Both'refused to be named due to the sensitive nature of the issue. According to The Economic Times, Chandrasekaran held talks with at least two top UK and U.S. international carriers about becoming Wilson's successor. This was reported by officials who were familiar with the issue. The newspaper also added that Air 'India Express, a low-cost carrier of the group, will likely see similar leadership changes. Air India, India's national carrier, was sold to Tata Group by the Tata Group to try and revive its fortunes in 2022. The conglomerate has made significant investments to modernise its fleet and expand routes. However, delays in aircraft deliveries, refurbishments, operational concerns and safety issues have hampered the turnaround of the airline. Reporting by Abhijith and Aditya Ganapavaram; Writing by Chandini monnappa; and Editing by Mrigank and Jamie Freed.
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.)
(source: Reuters)