Tag: Transport

Leap year outage shutters New Zealand petrol pumps

WELLINGTON, Feb 29, 2024 (AFP) – Self-service petrol pumps across New Zealand were shuttered Thursday as several companies reported a leap year “software glitch” that left motorists stranded. In the capital Wellington, some stations closed completely, leaving forecourts empty and customers confronted with signs reading “Nationwide Payment Outage – Site Unavailable”. “It is a nationwide issue affecting all fuel brands and it does appear to be a software glitch with the payment provider because it […]

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Nissan to launch self-driving taxi service in Japan in 2027

Nissan is planning to launch a self-driving taxi service in Japan in the financial year starting April 2027, the auto giant said Wednesday. The company said it will begin trials of the commercial service in the upcoming financial year from April, using minivans in an area of Yokohama, south of Tokyo. “Local communities have been facing several mobility challenges, such as driver shortages, which are a result of an ageing population,” Nissan said in a […]

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Fears over Russia’s ‘ghost fleet’ bypassing oil sanctions

By Emeline BURCKEL LONDON, Feb 24, 2024 (AFP) – Two years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting multiple rounds of Western sanctions, Moscow increasingly relies on a shadow fleet of ships to circumvent curbs on its oil exports. Experts say the so-called ghost fleet of tankers with opaque ownership or without proper insurance has allowed the Kremlin to keep exporting despite a Western-imposed embargo and oil price cap on its global sales. […]

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Hostage situation on Swiss train ends with suspect killed

YVERDON-LES-BAINS, Switzerland, Feb 9, 2024 (AFP) – A hostage situation on a train in the west of Switzerland on Thursday night ended with the suspect killed in a police raid and the hostages safely freed, authorities said. The hostage-taker was armed with an axe and a knife, and was speaking Farsi and English, Vaud canton police spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel said at a press briefing. “At this stage of the investigation, the motives of the perpetrator […]

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Shipping giant Maersk’s profit sinks, warns of Red Sea risk

COPENHAGEN, Feb 8, 2024 (AFP) – Shipping giant Maersk reported on Thursday a massive drop in net profit in 2023 and warned of “uncertainty” in 2024 due to Yemeni rebel attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. An oversupply of container shipping last year caused prices to drop after they had soared in 2022 due to capacity shortages amid high demand following the end fo Covid pandemic restrictions, the Danish group said. “The high demand […]

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German train drivers’ union calls six-day strike

FRANKFURT, Germany, Jan 22, 2024 (AFP) – German train drivers will hold a six-day strike this week, the GDL union said, the longest walkout yet in an escalating row with Deutsche Bahn over pay and working hours. The strike is due to start at 2:00 am (0100 GMT) on Wednesday and last until 1700 GMT on Monday. For freight services, the stoppage is due to begin at 1700 GMT on Tuesday, GDL said in a […]

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Heavy snow, freezing rain hobble European travel

By Deborah COLE BERLIN, Jan 17, 2024 (AFP) – Severe winter weather in northern Europe prompted the cancellation of hundreds of flights Wednesday at Frankfurt airport, Germany’s busiest, while heavy snow in Scandinavia shut down air travel in Oslo for several hours. A Frankfurt airport spokeswoman said 570 of 1,047 flights had been axed by late morning as Germany’s business capital prepared for dramatic weather conditions. By early afternoon, all remaining departures were temporarily struck […]

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India navy rescues Arabian Sea crew after hijack attempt

By Bhuvan BAGGA NEW DELHI, Jan 5, 2024 (AFP) – India’s navy said Friday it had rescued 21 crew members from a vessel in the Arabian Sea after a hijacking distress call, the latest attack on commercial shipping in the region. Last month the force deployed several warships into the sea to “maintain a deterrent presence” after a string of recent shipping attacks, including a drone strike near India’s coast which the United States has […]

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Global maritime trade sails into geopolitical storm

By Antoine GUY, with Emeline Burckel in London PARIS, Jan 5, 2024 (AFP) – International maritime trade has hit stormy waters as attacks by Yemen’s Huthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea has reduced the availability of ships, causing freight rates to surge. Most large international shipping companies have decided to reroute trading to avoid the Red Sea and Suez Canal through which 12 percent of world trade usually passes. The Huthis say the […]

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Eurostar cancels all services for rest of the day due to UK flooding incident

By Caroline TAÏX, Helen ROWE LONDON, Dec 30, 2023 (AFP) – All Eurostar trains were cancelled on Saturday due to flooded tunnels in southern England, causing misery for New Year travellers in the second major disruption in 10 days. The latest cancellations follow a wildcat strike by French unions days before December 25 and weather warnings from the UK’s Met Office for rain, snow and ice across large parts of the country. Hundreds of travellers […]

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Snowy weather blamed for Beijing metro train collision, 102 passengers injured

BEIJING, Dec 15, 2023 (AFP) – An evening rush-hour accident on the Beijing metro left 102 people with fractures after a rear-end collision on an above-ground section of tracks, state media reported Friday. The Chinese capital — where such incidents are rare — has been hit by snowstorms in recent days, affecting operating conditions and resulting in transport delays across the city. The accident occurred at 6:57 pm (1057 GMT) Thursday, when the last two […]

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Uber to partner with London’s black cabs despite disputes

LONDON, Nov 29, 2023 (AFP) – Uber is to roll out its service to London black cabs next year, it announced Wednesday, despite long-running friction between drivers of the traditional taxis and the US-based firm. “The move opens up the Uber app to the iconic hackney carriage — much-loved by tourists and Londoners alike and an historic part of the capital’s transport network,” the San Francisco-based company said in a statement. Currently, black cabs are […]

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