2025-06-22 19:30

BUDAPEST, June 22 (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sunday urged the European Union to take a proposed ban on Russian energy off the agenda due to an expected rise in energy prices following the US bombing of Iran. The European Commission on Tuesday proposed a legally binding ban on EU imports of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas by the end of 2027, using legal measures to ensure the plan cannot be blocked by EU members Hungary and Slovakia. Sign up here. The proposals set out how the bloc plans to fix into law its vow to end decades-old energy relations with Europe's former top gas supplier after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "We must contend with a further increase in the price of energy," Orban said in a Facebook video after a meeting of his Defence Council that discussed the possible security and economic implications of the Iran-Israel conflict. "This is a serious threat. Therefore, we must remove in Brussels the regulations and bans on Russian energy," he said. "We have enough problems given the negative impact of the Iran-Israel war on energy prices." Earlier on Sunday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto held phone calls with the foreign ministers of Israel, Russia, Bahrain and Jordan to discuss the Middle East crisis. Slovakia and Hungary continue to receive Russian gas and oil and have argued with Ukraine over its decision to halt gas flows from the east through its territory at the end of 2024. The EU has imposed sanctions on most Russian oil imports but not on gas due to opposition from Slovakia and Hungary, which maintain closer ties with Moscow. Analysts have said higher oil prices, which have surged since Israel began attacking Iran a week ago, could add to inflationary pressures in the import-reliant central European region. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/hungarys-orban-urges-eu-drop-russian-energy-ban-amid-us-iran-conflict-2025-06-22/

2025-06-22 18:10

Musk emphasizes safety, limits robotaxi operations to specific conditions Republican Texas governor signs bill regulating autonomous vehicles Law does not take effect until September About 10 cars carry invited riders in limited area, with no one behind wheel AUSTIN, June 22 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O) , opens new tab deployed a small group of self-driving taxis picking up paying passengers on Sunday in Austin, Texas, with CEO Elon Musk announcing the "robotaxi launch" and social-media influencers posting videos of their first rides. The event marked the first time Tesla cars without human drivers have carried paying riders, a business that Musk sees as crucial to the electric car maker's financial future. Sign up here. He called the moment the "culmination of a decade of hard work" in a post on his social-media platform X and noted that "the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla." Teslas were spotted early Sunday in a neighborhood called South Congress with no one in the driver's seat but one person in the passenger seat. The automaker planned a small trial with about 10 vehicles and front-seat riders acting as "safety monitors," though it remained unclear how much control they had over the vehicles. In recent days, the automaker sent invites to a select group of influencers for a carefully monitored robotaxi trial in a limited zone. The rides are being offered for a flat fee of $4.20, Musk said on X. Tesla investor and social-media personality Sawyer Merritt posted videos on X Sunday afternoon showing him ordering, , opens new tab getting picked up , opens new tab and taking a ride to a nearby bar and restaurant, Frazier's Long and Low, using a Tesla robotaxi app. If Tesla succeeds with the small deployment, it still faces major challenges in delivering on Musk's promises to scale up quickly in Austin and other cities, industry experts say. It could take years or decades for Tesla and self-driving rivals, such as Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) , opens new tab Waymo, to fully develop a robotaxi industry, said Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-engineering professor with expertise in autonomous-vehicle technology. A successful Austin trial for Tesla, he said, would be "the end of the beginning - not the beginning of the end." Most of Tesla's sky-high stock value now rests on its ability to deliver robotaxis and humanoid robots, according to many industry analysts. Tesla is by far the world's most valuable automaker. As Tesla's robotaxi-rollout date approached, Texas lawmakers moved to enact autonomous-vehicle rules. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, on Friday signed legislation requiring a state permit to operate self-driving vehicles. The law, which takes effect September 1, signals that state officials from both parties want the driverless-vehicle industry to proceed cautiously. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. The governor's office declined to comment. "EASY TO GET, EASY TO LOSE" The law softens the state's previous anti-regulation stance on autonomous vehicles. A 2017 Texas law specifically prohibited cities from regulating self-driving cars. The new law requires autonomous-vehicle operators to get approval from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles before operating on public streets without a human driver. It gives state authorities the power to revoke permits for operators they deem a public danger. The law also requires firms to provide information on how first responders can deal with their driverless vehicles in emergency situations. The law's permit requirements for an "automated motor vehicle" are not onerous but require firms to attest their vehicles can operate legally and safely. It defines an automated vehicle as having at least "Level 4" autonomous-driving capability under a recognized standard, meaning it can operate with no human driver under specified conditions. Level 5 autonomy is the top level and means a car can drive itself anywhere, under any conditions. Compliance remains far easier than in some states, notably California, which requires submission of vehicle-testing data under state oversight. Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law professor who focuses on autonomous driving, said it appears any company that meets minimum application requirements will get a Texas permit - but could also lose it if problems arise. "California permits are hard to get, easy to lose," he said. "In Texas, the permit is easy to get and easy to lose." MUSK'S SAFETY PLEDGES The Tesla robotaxi rollout comes after more than a decade of Musk's unfulfilled promises to deliver self-driving Teslas. Musk has said Tesla would be "super paranoid" about robotaxi safety in Austin, including operating in limited areas. The service in Austin will have other restrictions as well. Tesla plans to avoid bad weather, difficult intersections, and will not carry anyone below age 18. Commercializing autonomous vehicles has been risky and expensive. GM's (GM.N) , opens new tab Cruise was shut down after a serious accident. Regulators are closely watching Tesla and its rivals, Waymo and Amazon's (AMZN.O) , opens new tab Zoox. Tesla is also bucking the young industry's standard practice of relying on multiple technologies to read the road, using only cameras. That, Musk says, will be safe and much less expensive than lidar and radar systems added by rivals. https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-tiptoes-into-long-promised-robotaxi-service-2025-06-22/

2025-06-22 17:52

NEW DELHI, June 22 (Reuters) - India will take measures to safeguard domestic fuel supplies, oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Sunday, after U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear sites raised the risk of disruption of Middle Eastern oil and gas and soaring energy prices. Energy markets and investors were already on high alert since Israel launched airstrikes across Iran on June 13, fearing disruption particularly through the Strait of Hormuz. Sign up here. Around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows through the Strait that Iran has long threatened to close it to exert pressure on the West. "We have been closely monitoring the evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East since the past two weeks... we have diversified our supplies in the past few years and a large volume of our supplies do not come through the Strait of Hormuz now," Puri said on social media platform X. "Our Oil Marketing Companies have supplies of several weeks and continue to receive energy supplies from several routes. We will take all necessary steps to ensure stability of supplies of fuel to our citizens," he said. India, the world's third biggest oil importer and consumer, gets less than half of its average 4.8 million barrels per day of oil imports from the Middle East. Separately Puri told local news agency ANI that India would increase crude supplies from other sources if required. "We are in touch with all possible actors... It is our hope, and we all expect that the situation will result in calm and de-escalation rather than further escalation," he said. Earlier in the day Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a phone call from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in which he was briefed about the conflict between Iran and Israel, India's foreign ministry said. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/india-pledges-secure-fuel-supply-amid-middle-east-turmoil-2025-06-22/

2025-06-22 17:07

June 22 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a phone call from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, where he was briefed about the conflict between Iran and Israel, India's foreign ministry said on Sunday. Modi emphasised the need for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and reiterated India's support for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability, the Ministry of External Affairs statement read. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-modi-irans-pezeshkian-hold-phone-call-indias-foreign-ministry-says-2025-06-22/

2025-06-22 15:35

DUBAI, June 22 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme National Security Council must make the final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. bombing raids, Iran's Press TV said on Sunday, after parliament was reported to have backed the measure. Iran has long used the threat of closing the Strait, through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows, as a way to ward off Western pressure which is now at its peak after the overnight U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities. Sign up here. The decision to close the strait is not yet final and it was not officially reported that parliament had in fact adopted a bill to that effect. Instead, a member of parliament's national security commission Esmail Kosari was quoted on other Iranian media as saying: "For now, [parliament has] come to the conclusion we should close the Strait of Hormuz, but the final decision in this regard is the responsibility of the Supreme National Security Council." Kosari, who is also a Revolutionary Guards Commander, had earlier on Sunday told the Young Journalist Club that closing the strait was on the agenda and "will be done whenever necessary". Asked about whether Tehran would close the waterway, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dodged the question on Sunday and replied: "A variety of options are available to Iran." The strait lies between Oman and Iran and links the Mideast Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond. It is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just 2 miles (3 km) wide in either direction. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-top-security-body-decide-hormuz-closure-press-tv-reports-2025-06-22/

2025-06-22 15:03

June 22 (Reuters) - Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency by market value, was down by 4.13% at $99,237 at 10:52 a.m. ET (1452 GMT) on Sunday. Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, was down by around 8.52% at $2,199. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/bitcoin-falls-4-99237-2025-06-22/