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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.
Employee lacks raise doubts over Britain's strategy to construct for growth
A severe shortage of building and construction employees could undermine the structures of British government plans to get 1.5 million homes built by 2029 in England to assist drive financial growth.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party won July's. election on a promise to increase growth and enhance infrastructure,. in addition to fix public services. Building and construction represents 6% of. gross domestic product, however underpins growth in other sectors.
While developers invited details of his prepare for. revamping Britain's preparation system and freeing up more land. for building, numerous state the ambitions of Starmer's government are. not possible unless employee and skills scarcities are dealt with.
These gaps have actually raised questions about whether Britain requires. to reconsider its post-Brexit migration system, together with better. training to get more young people into the aging workforce.
We haven't really got sufficient workers to build the volume. that we want to develop now, not to mention believe that we're going to. get to 1.5 million homes over the next five years, said. Lioncourt Homes CEO Colin Cole, including: So it's a big concern.
Cole said Lioncourt's 1,000 employees, primarily sub-contractors,. are operating at complete capability to deal with the existing workload.
We will have a hard time to get the numbers of specialists to. satisfy this need, said Cole, whose company is due to open. its second-biggest real estate site to date in the main English. city of Worcester next month.
Lioncourt is intending to increase its sales to 250 homes in. the 12 months from March 2025 to March 2026, from 165 in the. previous 12 months, and to 500 over the following 5 years,. strategies which pre-date the new government's reform statements.
OBSTACLES
Britain has long done not have candidates to fill jobs, an issue. made worse by the 2016 Brexit vote and COVID-19, with vacancies. greater than their level before the pandemic.
Its building and construction sector, as in lots of other countries, must. also handle lots of experienced workers nearing retirement age. The. Building and construction Products Association anticipates the sector is. expected to lose 500,000 employees to retirement over the next 10. to 15 years, representing around 25% of the total workforce.
Cole said 65% of Lioncourt's bricklayers are over 45 and. around 45% older than 55. Less than 10% are aged 25 or below.
Industry experts and services state Britain's education. system is not offering the next generation of construction. employees with the needed skills.
Just one in four trainees completing full-time building and construction. courses gets in work after completing more education,. data from the Home Builders' Federations shows.
The federal government has actually revealed 32 abilities hubs to provide. fast-track training for 5,000 more homebuilding apprentices a. year by 2028 in trades such as bricklaying and scaffolding.
The Building Market Training Board - which represents. facilities as well as homebuilding - said there were around. 33,600 apprentices on longer-term training schemes in 2022-2023,. short of the 50,000 required every year to maintain activity.
One possible answer is for the sector to show the. variety of Britain's population. The Chartered Institute of. Building said just 6% of workers originated from a Black, Asian or. ethnic minority background, compared to 18% of the basic. public. Meanwhile, only 15% of the workforce are ladies.
IMMIGRATION?
Finding employees to do the building might require Starmer to. find a way to reconcile his guarantees to minimize record levels of. migration with employers' requirements.
You might argue that abroad workers would in fact be. quite a beneficial lever here to assist them develop the labour. supply that's required, stated Ashley Webb, UK economist at Capital. Economics.
Before Brexit, EU citizens had unrestricted rights to live. and operate in Britain. Companies now say the system to sponsor. European employees makes it extremely challenging to fill scarcities.
Steve Turner, executive director of the Home Builders'. Federation, stated the procedure for companies to sponsor foreign. employees was not working, even after the previous Conservative. government relaxed immigration controls for some building. roles including bricklayers, electricians, and carpenters.
Housebuilders are not utilizing the system at all since it is. too complex, time-consuming and expensive, Turner said.
The government states it wishes to train people already in. Britain, to reduce reliance on foreign workers.
We're not taking a look at alleviating limitations, however we will be. reliant in part, partly as a result of the change made by the. previous federal government, on some foreign workers, real estate minister. Matthew Pennycook said on Thursday.
We have actually got to do more to train and skill up our own people. to operate in this market, he told LBC radio.
(source: Reuters)