Wednesday , 17 December 2025

British Airways two-day pilot strike grounds nearly all flights

Bloomberg British Airways scrapped almost all of its timetable for the next two days as pilots went on strike for the first time in decades in a labour dispute that could cost the carrier 80 million pounds ($98 million). The unit of IAG SA had “no option” but to cancel almost 100 percent of services amid the action over pay, …

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Typhoon strands 5,000 passengers at Narita airport

Bloomberg More than 5,000 passengers are stranded at Japan’s Narita international airport as highways were closed off and train services were suspended after a powerful typhoon hit the nation’s capital. That number was expected to rise until the last flight arrived at about 11 pm, with no notice so far from the rail and highway operators on when services and …

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Air France-KLM shares drop on disappointing summer bookings

Bloomberg Air France-KLM shares dropped the most in six months after the Franco-Dutch carrier said last-minute demand in the crucial summer season has been disappointing. “Close-in bookings in the peak travel period are weaker than foreseen in view of softening macro-economic environment,” the Paris-based airline said in a statement on its August figures on Monday. The shares fell as much …

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CDU leader says flight tax could help climate push

Bloomberg The head of Germany’s ruling Christian Democrats suggested a levy on flights could be introduced to encourage travellers to use less polluting means of transport and help tackle climate change. Rail travel must be made cheaper, possibly by cutting sales tax on train tickets, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party, said in an interview with ARD …

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Cargo door explosion ends Boeing 777X tests

Bloomberg Boeing Co suspended testing of its 777X aircraft after a cargo door failed in a ground stress test, Reuters reported, citing a statement from a company spokesman. “During final load testing on the 777X static test airplane, the team encountered an issue that required suspension of the test,” Reuters quoted the spokesman as saying. The setback occurred last week, …

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Primark defies UK retail gloom by betting on in-store sales

z Bloomberg Discount clothing chain Primark is betting that opening more and bigger stores will drive sales gains, bucking a trend in which competitors are scaling back their bricks-and-mortar presence. The apparel brand, owned by Associated British Foods Plc (AB Foods), expects new stores in the US and Europe to propel sales for the full year. The strategy runs counter …

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UAE, Saudi urge Yemen government and separatists to halt fighting

Abu Dhabi / WAM The governments of the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have welcomed the response by the Legitimate Government of Yemen and the Southern Transitional Council, on the Kingdom’s call for dialogue, saying it is “a major and positive step” towards ending the recent crisis in the governorates of Aden, Abyan and Shabwa. The …

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Saudi King appoints new energy minister

Bloomberg Saudi Arabia’s King Salman dismissed Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih and replaced him with one of his sons, putting a royal family member in charge of oil policy in the world’s largest crude exporter for the first time. Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, a longtime top Energy Ministry official, is an older half-brother to the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Analysts …

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Saudi’s Neom awards contracts for new village to national firms

Bloomberg Saudi Arabia has awarded to two Saudi firms contracts to build worker housing for its futuristic mega-city called Neom, as plans for the $500 billion project move forward. Tamimi Group and Saudi Arabian Trading & Construction Co. won contracts to finance, build and operate three residential areas with capacity to house 30,000 people, Neom said in a statement on …

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China mulls goal of 60% of auto sales to be electric by 2035

Bloomberg China is exploring ambitious new plans for the future of its car industry, weighing a target for 60% of all automobiles sold in the country to run on electric motors by 2035, according to people familiar with the matter. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is spearheading the government’s latest auto industry plans for 2021 through 2035, said …

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