Latest News
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Saudi Arabian pipeline disruption and fresh attacks on supply raise concerns about oil prices
The price of oil rose on Tuesday, as fears about supply disruptions continued after an attack on Saudi Arabia's?energy infrastructure knocked the East-West pipeline off line and cast doubt on efforts to reduce shipping risks in Gulf. Brent crude futures were $1.24 higher, 1.18% to $106.93 per barrel at 0026 GMT. They had risen 1% the previous day. U.S. West Texas intermediate futures were $1.29 higher, 1.24% to $102.65 per barrel after rising 1.3% during the previous session. Iran-backed Houthi troops in Yemen launched new attacks on Saudi Arabia Monday. Gulf Arab states delayed planned discussions with Iran. This fuelled concerns that the Middle East Conflict could expand and disrupt global oil supplies. In retaliation to Saudi airstrikes in Yemen, the Houthis launched a missile attack and used drones on the Khamis Mushait Military Airbase in southern Saudi Arabia. They targeted aircraft hangars as well as radar systems, runways, and ammunition storage depots. The attack on Saudi Arabia on Friday, which Riyadh attributed to Iranian-backed fighters in Iraq disrupted Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, which allowed oil exports to bypass the blocked Strait of Hormuz. Tim Waterer is the chief analyst at KCM Trade. He said that oil traders treat every new attack or infrastructure damage as an incremental risk to supply. They are also highly alert for any signs of a possible normalisation in the East-West Pipeline or Hormuz flow. The number of commodity vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to less than 10 per day on the weekend from an average of 14 over the past ten days. This is a significant drop for a route which carried approximately one-fifth of the global oil supply before the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran began on 28 February. Saudi Arabia may exhaust its oil supply within days, if it does not re-establish operations on the East West pipeline. This could remove as much as 4% from global 'oil supply,' according to Saudi traders and buyers. The world's largest exporter used the pipeline for a rerouting of around 4 million barrels a day --?around 4% global supply?- to the port of Yanbu, on the Red Sea. The big question for traders is how long the East-West blackout will last. Waterer said that any prolonged disruption, and the resulting loss of supply, could easily push prices up to the next level. Separately President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Monday that Kyiv would support the U.S. proposal of a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire only if Washington can ensure Moscow is genuinely prepared to end its conflict with Ukraine.
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French power sector strikes shut down 6.5 gigawatts overnight
EDF data shows that a French labor strike in the 'electricity sector' took 6.5 Gigawatts of power offline overnight on Monday as unions protested a recommendation to curb employee benefits like access to cheaper electricity. The main source of electricity cut was seven French nuclear reactors. Several hundred megawatts from?gas-fired or hydroelectric power were also taken offline. France produces about 70% of its electricity with its 57 reactor fleet. It is also a major?exporter at a time where power prices are high, as countries like Germany that rely on gas have to pay a higher price to generate electricity. Data from EDF shows that the disruption lasted until Tuesday morning. The strike is expected Tuesday to continue through the entire day, which means that the outages may be increased or renewed. The French energy sector offers discounted gas and electricity rates to workers and retirees. Their?unions consider this a key part of their compensation package. In July, the French Court of Auditors recommended that EDF stop receiving this benefit. They estimated it would cost EDF more than EUR700 million (808.22 million dollars) in lost revenues by 2024. The court recommended that EDF limit annual wage increases and phase out its energy benefits. EDF is facing major investment costs in upgrading its nuclear fleet, and planning new reactors.
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AirBaltic CEO: AirBaltic is in negotiations with unions about reducing staff as part of restructuring.
AirBaltic has been in discussions with the labour unions in order to reach an agreement regarding an "adjustment of?the workforce", Chief Executive Erno Hilden said on?Monday, after the Latvian airline announced that it had voluntarily entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Hilden stated that a reduction in capacity would lead to a shift in the workforce. It's time to come up with some numbers after all that. AirBaltic filed under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on Monday in New York. It is seeking to restructure its debt, avoid creditors and survive a 'deepening crisis within the sector brought about by the Iran War. Hilden was previously the CFO of Scandinavian Airlines, where he led the company through a similar process. He added that airBaltic operations would not be interrupted or changed during the Chapter 11 proceedings. He said the most significant changes would be made to the "wet leasing" business of the airline, which involves lending out planes and crews to other carriers for a fee. Chairperson of the Latvian Aviation Union,?Dacekavasa, said? The Latvian aviation union's chairperson,?Dace Kavasa, told? The consultations on collective dismissal are still ongoing. Many unknowns exist. Kavasa stated that there are serious disagreements about the objectivity of certain?proposed criterion. They hoped for some positive decisions to be made by the end the week.
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Wizz Air CEO: AirBaltic and other carriers are at risk
Wizz Air's CEO Jozsef Varradi said that the bankruptcy of airBaltic offers few, if any, opportunities and expects other European airlines to be affected by this. These airlines were unable?to hedge against high fuel prices. ?on Monday. Varadi, speaking at a conference organized by the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading, said that the recent spike in oil prices "sucks liquidity from the industry very quickly." "I believe they'll be in a difficult situation." Wizz, the Latvian state-owned airline and airBaltic are located at opposite ends of Europe’s vast aviation market. Both have been shaped over the past two decades by Europe’s eastward expansion followed by a collapse in relations with Russia. Varadi stated that "there are no Russians now, and airBaltic just is too big for such a small market as Latvia." Does it interest us?" "Very limited to be honest... Latvia is on the 'periphery of Europe, then you have a Russian border. "So, given the current geopolitics, how can you implement that concept?" Varadi founded Wizz with eight other countries in 2003, just as Hungary and Latvia were about to enter the European Union. Moscow's invasion in Ukraine 2022 harmed its network, but it continued to grow. AirBaltic set out to be a regional hub carrier, but the loss of Russian routes, traffic, and high fuel prices left it reeling. Since the beginning of the Iran War, airlines around the world have been struggling with high oil costs. Varadi, a representative of ISTAT, said that Wizz has hedged 80% its oil needs for the next 12 months at half market price. Varadi said that this year will be bumpy for the oil industry as it deals with oil prices and geopolitics, but there could also be opportunities. "We've noticed a vacuum in Italy. He said that we were "pushing" a lot more capacity to Italy, Romania, Albania, and other places.
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Winter is on its way: AirBaltic's debt woes presage a tough season for smaller airlines
The aviation industry is bracing itself for a difficult winter after Latvian airline airBaltic filed Chapter 11 procedures?on Monday. Jet fuel prices are continuing to rise due to the Iran War. AirBaltic, a U.S. competitor, filed for bankruptcy in May, after seeking protection prior to the war. The margins of airlines are relatively small compared to those in other industries, making them more vulnerable to geopolitical instability, especially in winter, when bookings and travel drop, and they lose the money they made in summer. SAVING RETURNS The price of jet fuel is expected to remain high for as long as the Strait of Hormuz is blocked. This will put additional pressure on smaller carriers. Aviation analyst John Strickland said that smaller niche players were most at risk. The fuel price has doubled since the beginning of the war in late February. However, there are some advantages for larger budget airlines. Last month, Wizz 'Air reported that its operating losses had increased in the first three months. It also said it expected revenue per seat in the current third to continue to fall after cutting fares in order to attract more passengers. In August, they reached an 'all-time high of 8.7 million passengers. Wizz Air, supported by strong liquidity and a disciplined hedge programme, continues to grow, invest and serve more customers. James Halstead of Aviation Strategy said that Wizz Air's stock market listing puts it in a stronger position than state-owned carriers. "They're growing fast, which means they're sacrificing current returns for future stability. He said they have a good operating model, a great brand, and support. AirAsia, a budget airline in Southeast Asia, is looking to raise new capital following a restructuring and consistent losses, while Air Transat, a Canadian carrier, has been struggling with rising jet fuel prices. AirAsia stated that it did not see any problems with the sustainability of its business and saw a strong demand at the underlying level. AirAsia stated in a press release that it is committed to maintaining stable operations and business continuity across its markets. We continue to see a strong demand for our services across the network. "We also work closely with our stakeholder to manage our financial requirements and operational needs." Air Transat didn't immediately respond to our request for a comment. More routes for bigger players Executives and investors have said that a tough market may force some smaller national carriers to cede their routes to bigger, more well-funded rivals. Analysts say that budget airlines like Ryanair and Wizz air could pose a threat to them. These airlines have taken over secondary airports in an effort to grow and are now offering better prices for consumers. Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi told reporters in August that the airline was eager to take over routes from Romanian state-backed carrier TAROM. TAROM didn't immediately respond to a comment request. The more difficult market conditions may accelerate the long-term trend in Europe of consolidation. This could push some smaller carriers to larger?groups, such as British Airways' owner IAG, Lufthansa, and Air France-KLM. Norse Atlantic has started in July a process of?sale' or?merger. It did not respond immediately to a comment request. Since years, the state-owned Polish carrier LOT is suspected of being a target for consolidation. LOT did respond immediately to a comment request. AirBaltic said that it was 'looking for another strategic investors, but no one has yet publicly expressed interest. Lufthansa has a 10% stake but says it doesn't intend to increase that stake. It refused to comment on its possible next steps in light of airBaltic's Chapter 11 proceedings. Analysts said that airBaltic could still survive and recover from Chapter 11 proceedings, unlike Spirit. Strickland cited the Scandinavian competitor SAS as an example of how to turn things around.
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China's DeepSeek hires a dealmaker as CFO in advance of possible IPO
Two people familiar with the matter have confirmed that DeepSeek plans to hire Yan Wentao as its first Chief Financial Officer. The Chinese AI startup is preparing for a possible initial public offering. Last week, it was reported that Hangzhou's DeepSeek hired Chinese brokerage CITIC Securities in order to prepare for a potential listing on Shanghai’s?technology focused STAR Market. A CFO is usually responsible for managing investor communication, financial controls and capital allocation processes. Yan's appointment, as a dealmaker with experience in DeepSeek, would be a "significant step" towards the company's transition from a lab focusing on research and financed by its hedge fund founder to a more traditional corporate structure. They were not authorized to publicly discuss the issue. GL Ventures, the venture capital arm of Hillhouse Investments, was founded by China-born Zhang Lei, an investor who focuses his investment on technology, biotech and consumer industries. Hillhouse Investment is not a DeepSeek investor. DeepSeek Hillhouse didn't immediately respond to comments. Yan was not available for immediate comment. According to Zero2IPO's Chinese venture capital publication, Yan was born in 1991. MiniMax, a DeepSeek competitor and AI developer that is based in China, lists Yan as one of his most representative investors. DEEPSEEK RAISES CAPITAL AND INVESTS IN TALENT According to a July report, as 'the race for AI dominance accelerates globally, DeepSeek has been in a fundraising round that values it at approximately 500 billion yuan (74 billion dollars). In June, the company raised $7.4 billion with a valuation post-money of more than $50 billion. The government has increased its spending on chip development, talent, and computing infrastructure. Investors were sceptical about the?U.S. The company has made claims about the huge spending required to build advanced AI systems. The startup is controlled by founder Liang. He financed it via his quantitative hedge funds High-Flyer since its founding in 2023, until the start of this year when they began to seek external funding.
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Report finds that the US lacks funds to complete the first phase of air-traffic control reforms.
According to a government report released on Sunday, the Federal 'Aviation Administration' needs additional funding from Congress in order to complete phase one of a $10.6-billion air traffic control plan. They also underestimated the total cost of operating the new system. The Government Accountability Office stated that the FAA did not have a full assessment of the costs associated with operating the new system, nor had it set out a schedule to complete the reforms. The GAO report stated that "the FAA buys delivery speed by risking cost uncertainty and disruptions." It added, "these risks increase FAA's likelihood of repeating past cost overruns and performance targets." Congress approved $9 billion in the first phase of ATC reforms. GAO reported that the FAA is also using $1 billion of its budget for this year and requires another $574 millions. GAO reported that the cost of telecommunications upgrade has risen from $4.75 billion up to $5.91billion. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford will?testify before Congress on Tuesday? about the efforts and plan to start deploying a program based on software to try to prevent flight delays. The GAO reported that the FAA is implementing over 11,000 projects as part of phase one, a $10.6 billion plan for reform. In a letter sent to the GAO, the FAA stated that it was committed to using the best practices in order to oversee the project which it said "remains on plan" including 95% of the specific tasks. The FAA’s current air traffic control system is "severely out-of-date, unreliable, and not sustainable." The aging, unreliable technology is a major contributor to the increase in aviation accidents. The biggest risk is replacing air traffic control towers voice switches because of their size and the airspace they cover, the technology used and the need to operate both new and old switches at the same time. The GAO stated that the FAA published its first comprehensive plan to improve air traffic control services in 1982. Since then, it has suffered from a number of cost overruns and delays and delivered limited results. In December, the FAA awarded a $1.5billion contract to Peraton (owned by Veritas Capital) for overseeing modernization efforts.
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The US lacks funds to complete the first phase of air-traffic control reforms
A government report said Monday that the Federal 'Aviation Administration' needs more funding from Congress to complete the first phase of its $10.6 billion air traffic control reform plan. They also underestimated the costs associated with operating the system. The Government Accountability Office (GAO)?said that the FAA hadn't fully assessed the?costs of operating the system? or?set up a detailed timeline for completing reforms? The GAO report stated that "these risks increase FAA's likelihood of repeating the history of cost overruns and delays." Congress approved $9 billion in the first phase of ATC reforms, which is expected to cost $10 billion. GAO says that the FAA has used $1 billion of its budget for this year and needs $574 million more.
The weather is bad on the third day of searching for 129 people missing in Indonesia after a ferry capsizes.
Officials said that rough seas hindered Indonesian rescuers as they searched for 129 missing people after a passenger vessel capsized in the Java Sea three day ago.
Officials said that if weather conditions improved, rescuers, who are currently only conducting air and sea surface searches for survivors, would 'launch underwater operations to search for them in the sunken vessel.
The Virgo transport 8 ship, which was carrying 243 passengers, went missing early Sunday morning due to bad weather. Six people are confirmed dead and 108 have been rescued from the ship, which was traveling from Surabaya (East Java) to Banjarmasin (South Kalimantan).
I Putu Sudayana is the head of Banjarmasin Rescue Agency. He said that on day three, rescuers deployed 1,100 coastguard and navy personnel, as well as 10 helicopters and aircraft, and 17 vessels.
"Weather remains the same as yesterday. It is not favorable this morning." "Wave still high, between 1,75 metres and 2.5 metres (5.7-8.2 ft)," he said.
Mohammad Syafii told reporters that the bad weather on Monday prevented rescuers from carrying out underwater searches for the missing. He added that rescuers had not found any new bodies or survivors during the search on Monday.
Syafii stated that the agency's team would continue to monitor the weather conditions on Tuesday to determine if underwater rescue operations can proceed.
Syafii stated that underwater rescue will involve specialists from the Navy and rescue agency capable of diving at depths greater than 100 metres (328 ft), Syafii.
He added, "Of Course we still hope to find the victims alive."
Syafii added that the navy would also deploy its Canopus vessel, which is equipped with a?underwater drone and a multibeam echoe-sounder for locating potential targets, as well as a remotely controlled vehicle (ROV) to make closer assessments.
Divers could be safer in low visibility, with strong currents or around a capsized ship.
Syafii stated that underwater operations were difficult because the capsized vessel was unstable. It could move unexpectedly due trapped air and empty compartments.
Divers may also experience sudden pressure changes.
He said, "We're also looking at?how we can turn the ship back up from its current position."
The ship has now reached a depth 30 metres (98 feet) and the authorities are looking at pulling it back to the surface.
(source: Reuters)