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Summary At least 46 killed in Greece's worst train disasterGovernment promises to fix ailing rail systemRailway workers walk off job in safety standards protestLARISSA, Greece, March 2 (Reuters) - The death toll from Greece's deadliest train crash was set to rise even higher, with 46 confirmed dead but ten people still missing, authorities said on Thursday. As many in Greece demanded answers, rescuers continued to comb through charred and buckled rail carriages to try and find more victims. [1/5] Rescuers operate on the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 2, 2023. INVESTIGATIONThe station master of Larissa train station was arrested on Wednesday and appeared before a local magistrate on Thursday. The Italian operation has responsibility for passenger and freight, and the Greek state-controlled OSE for infrastructure.

☆ Turkish families shelter on a train after earthquake shatters cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Eloisa Lopez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Filed: March 2, 2023, 8 a.m. GMTSabriye Karan’s late husband worked for the Turkish national rail company for 32 years and her daughter Nehir grew up riding trains. After powerful earthquakes struck Turkey and damaged her home, she and Nehir moved into one. “We never imagined we would live here,” said Sabriye, who has been sharing a two-bed sleeper cabin with 13-year-old Nehir for the past 18 days. “Normally, it’s a joy to travel on the train. Survivors have been sheltering in tents, container homes, hotel resorts and even train carriages in Iskenderun, a port city in the province of Hatay, badly hit by the earthquakes.

☆ Greek rescuers comb through train crash wreckage as hopes fade
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Lefteris Papadimas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Rescuers operate on the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 2, 2023. The high-speed passenger train with more than 350 people on board crashed head-on with a freight train near the city of Larissa late on Tuesday, and hopes of finding anyone still alive in the wreckage more than 34 hours later appeared slim. The station master of Larissa train station was arrested on Wednesday as authorities probed the circumstances that led to the passenger train, en route to the northern city of Thessaloniki, colliding with another train carrying shipping containers coming in the opposite direction on the same track. Nikos Tsouridis, a retired train driver trainer, said drivers involved in the crash had died "because there were no safety measures. The Italian operation has responsibility for passenger and freight, and the Greek state-controlled OSE for infrastructure.

☆ In pictures: Two trains collide in Greece
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Crews in central Oklahoma were assessing the damage and clearing debris left behind by a string of rare February tornadoes that roared through the area, knocking out power to thousands of customers and injuring a dozen people.

☆ At least 16 dead, scores injured after trains collide in Greece
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The site of a crash, where two trains collided, is seen near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. REUTERS/Yiannis Floulis/File PhotoATHENS, March 1 (Reuters) - Sixteen people were killed and least 85 were injured after two trains collided head-on in Greece late on Tuesday, the fire brigade said, while the circumstances of the crash remained unclear. A passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki, and a cargo train from Thessaloniki to Larissa, collided outside the city of Larissa in central Greece, said the governor of the Thessaly region. "There was panic in the carriage, people were screaming," a young man who was evacuated to a nearby bridge told SKAI TV. "It was like an earthquake," Angelos Tsiamouras, another passenger, told ERT.

The collision occurred as the passenger train, heading to the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki from the capital Athens, emerged from a tunnel near the central town of Larissa. Our thoughts today are with the relatives of the victims," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the site of the crash, looking shattered. [1/15] The site of a crash, where two trains collided, is seen near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. REUTERS/Giannis Floulis 1 2 3 4 5'MUM, I'M HURT'The passenger train was carrying 342 travellers and 10 crew, while two crew were on the cargo train, according to Hellenic Train data. Greece's ageing railway system is in need of modernising, with many trains travelling on single tracks and signalling and automatic control systems still to be installed in many areas.

☆ Senators unveil rail safety bill after Ohio train derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Liz Brown-Kaiser | Rose Horowitch | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A bipartisan group of senators will introduce legislation Wednesday aimed at preventing rail disasters after the devastating derailment in East Palestine last month. It would also require trained, two-person crews to work aboard every train carrying hazardous materials and levy heightened fines for rail carriers' wrongdoing. The Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying vinyl chloride led to a spill of toxic chemicals. The bill will be introduced by Brown and his Republican counterpart, Sen. JD Vance, who represent the state where the Norfolk Southern derailment occurred. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday asked Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw to participate in an upcoming hearing.

☆ Fiery train collision kills 26, injures at least 85 in Greece
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A cargo train and a passenger train collided in the Evangelismos area of Larissa, Greece on March 1, 2023. A passenger train and an oncoming freight train collided in a fiery wreck in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing 26 people and injuring at least 85, Fire Service officials said. Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the rail cars to search for trapped people. ... We're getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki had about 350 passengers on board when the collision occurred.

☆ Pete Buttigieg's presidential hopes make him an easy target for Republicans — and his slow response in Ohio gave them plenty of ammo
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg hasn't ruled out running for the White House again. He's in the spotlight and the hot seat far more than most other transportation secretaries before him. The search-engine test shows Buttigieg has become a high-profile target who finds himself in the spotlight far more than most other transportation secretaries before him. However, no transportation secretary has likely entered the job with more star power. After he strode onto the stage of The Late Show last fall, host Stephen Colbert noted that not many transportation secretaries have been guests on late night talk shows.

☆ 'A bang, then chaos' - Greece train crash survivors tell of ordeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Rescuers operate at the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. Tuesday's crash 220 miles north of Athens killed at least 36 people when a high-speed passenger train heading to the northern city of Thessaloniki careered into a freight train from the opposite direction, flying off the track and bursting into flames. There were about 350 people on the train, which passengers described as being two-thirds full with many young people. "My child is not picking up the phone," one woman said as she waited at a train station in Thessaloniki. As morning broke, rescue crews trawled through a smouldering mangled mass of steel while cranes slowly removed pieces of the train.

☆ Hours after deadly train crash, Greece agonises over what went wrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Angeliki Koutantou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] A general view of the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. There have been widespread media reports electronic signal software was not working, meaning signalling was done manually. OSE, the country's state-owned operator for rail infrastructure, did not respond to calls requesting comment nor did it issue a statement. Within hours, Greek police had arrested the station master at a provincial train station, accusing him of death through negligence. Hellenic Train, a unit of Italy's Ferrovie dello Stato which acquired passenger and freight operations, said it was working with authorities on the investigation.

☆ Tech service startup Bitwise Industries raises $80 mln in latest funding round
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Krystal Hu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Bitwise Industries, a tech service provider that trains workers in underrepresented communities, has raised $80 million in a funding round led by existing investors Kapor Center and Motley Fool, the company told Reuters. Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GS.N) and Citibank (C.N) also participated in the round, which brought its total funding to $180 million. Founded in Fresno, California by Irma Olguin Jr and Jake Soberal, Bitwise invests in tech real estate, runs apprentice programs for marginalized communities and sells managed tech services to government and traditional businesses. The company said it supported the training of over 10,000 individuals, 80% of whom have received technical employment. The training program, supported by government workforce upskill funding and tech corporate funding, usually takes about 12-18 months to complete.

☆ Nissan raises global EV targets; to boost U.S. input
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nissan now aims to have electrified vehicles - which include its advanced hybrid e-power cars - make up over 55% of global sales by fiscal 2030, up from a previous goal of 50%, it said. The EV mix will increase to 44% by fiscal 2026 from an earlier target of 40%, Nissan said. REUTERS/Mike BlakeThe automaker plans 27 new electrified vehicles by that year, 19 of which will be all-battery EVs, it said in a statement. That compared with its previous plan of 23 electrified vehicles including 15 all-battery EVs. Nissan is confident it will be in compliance with the Act due to the localisation of battery production starting from 2026.

☆ Union Pacific Shares Jump on Hopes for New CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Esther Fung | Dean Seal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Union Pacific’s total shareholder return, which includes dividends, has lagged behind its publicly traded rivals. Union Pacific Corp. shares surged after the railroad said it would replace its chief executive and investors cheered the possibility that a disciple of the late Hunter Harrison could take over the company. Jim Vena , who worked with Mr. Harrison for years, is a proponent of precision scheduling railroading. The strategy, which Mr. Harrison deployed in Canada and at CSX Corp., reduces costs by operating fewer, longer trains and running them on tighter schedules. It has also sparked criticism from unions about job losses and shippers about service disruptions.

☆ Nissan raises global EV targets; to increase U.S. localisation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nissan now aims to have electrified vehicles - which include its advanced hybrid e-power cars - make up over 55% of global sales by fiscal 2030, from a previous goal of 50%, it said. The automaker plans 27 new electrified vehicles by that year, 19 of which will be all-battery EVs, it said in a statement. That compared with its previous plan of 23 electrified vehicles including 15 all-battery EVs. Nissan is confident it will be in compliance with the Act due to the localisation starting calendar year 2026, Gupta said in an online briefing. Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by David Dolan and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Union Pacific CEO to step down as hedge fund presses for change
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 26 (Reuters) - U.S. railroad Union Pacific (UNP.N) on Sunday said it expects to name a successor to assume the position of chief executive officer replacing Lance Fritz in 2023. "Union Pacific has been my home for 22 years and I am confident that now is the right time for Union Pacific’s next leader to take the helm. The announcement comes after U.S. hedge fund Soroban Capital Partners in a letter on Sunday called for Fritz to be replaced. Union Pacific in a statement said as part of the board's succession planning process it has considered shareholder input and will continue to do so, adding it has been actively engaging with Soroban Capital since 2017. Reporting by Rhea Binoy and Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How Ukraine's 'lifeline' railway runs even as Russia bombs it, according to a man fighting to keep the trains on time
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Alexander Kamyshin, CEO of Ukrainian Railways, explained to Insider how the operation keeps going. "Some people say that railways is the lifeline of Ukraine," Kamyshin said in a recent interview with Insider. Kamyshin oversees Ukrainian Railways, the state-owned company that has kept Ukraine's economy and people moving through a brutal year of war. AP Photo/Leo CorreaBut even with the burdens of war, Ukrainian Railways also managed to innovate and expand during 2022. We want to keep growing, to keep constructing, and to keep doing new projects even during the war," Kamyshin said.

☆ California Mass Transit Hopes for Bailout in Already Tight Budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Christine Mai-Duc | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit, or BART, is more reliant on passenger fares than most California transit systems, leaving it particularly vulnerable. Public transit agencies across California are asking the state for a bailout, saying they face a looming fiscal crisis due to lagging ridership that could otherwise force them to cut service, lay off employees or shut down some lines and stations. Since the start of the pandemic, some $69 billion in federal emergency funding has kept buses, trains and subways across the country running. But most of California’s transit agencies say they expect that funding to run out within two years. Meanwhile, ridership numbers remain well below prepandemic levels as many high-income workers continue to work from home at least some of the time.

☆ From a horseback-riding model to a secret daughter: Meet the children of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Grace Kay | Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Steve Jobs left the bulk of his fortune to his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, when he died in 2011. Later, he had Reed Jobs, Erin Jobs, and Eve Jobs with his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs. Meet Jobs' four children and his widow Laurene Powell Jobs, and see how his legacy helped his loved ones succeed. Erin Siena JobsErin Siena Jobs is the most private of Steve Jobs' children. Vianney Le Caer/Invision/APTwenty-four-year-old Eve Jobs, the youngest of Steve Jobs' children, is a model and an accomplished equestrian.

☆ Prada brings blooming flowers to designs at Milan Fashion Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] A model presents a creation from the Prada Fall/Winter 2023/2024 collection during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Alessandro GarofaloMILAN, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Florals bloomed on skirts, shoes and from the ceiling at Italian designer label Prada's Milan Fashion Week show on Thursday. Designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons turned wedding dresses into everyday looks, opening their autumn/winter 2023-24 catwalk presentation with a range of long and short white skirts embellished with white flowers and paired with knits. Models wore shirts with stick-out shoulders, knits and jackets with colourful inside collars, and pastel-coloured cigarette trousers paired with ribbed tops. Milan Fashion Week is the third leg of the month-long catwalk calendar, during which designers present their autumn/winter 2023-24 collections.

☆ Donald Trump, who rolled back rail safety regulations and slashed environmental protections, donates Trump-branded water to East Palestine residents
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump visited East Palestine, Ohio, on Wednesday, following a disastrous train derailment. Trump's visit raised questions about his administration's rollback of rail safety regulations. The former president dismissed questions about his administration's rollback of Obama-era rail safety regulations saying he "had nothing to do with it." The Trump administration slashed several environmental and rail regulations while in office, most notably rescinding a 2015 proposal to require faster brakes on trains that were carrying highly flammable or hazardous materials. Following his Wednesday news conference, Trump visited a local Ohio McDonald's where he handed out more MAGA hats and bought meals for firefighters.

KHERSON, Ukraine, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Vladyslav Antoniuk felt euphoric three months ago when he returned to his home city Kherson, the day Ukrainian troops rolled back in and jubilant residents waved blue and yellow flags in the main square to celebrate. Russian soldiers, who retreated just across the Dnipro River, have not been pushed back further and are pummelling the city daily with artillery. On Wednesday, Russian shells hit a bus stop in the city centre, killing six people and wounding a dozen. He said his administration evacuates about 100 people from the city daily on trains and buses on a voluntary basis. Reporting by Rod Nickel in Kherson, Ukraine Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ I rode on one of Europe's fastest high-speed trains in first class from Amsterdam to Paris for $160. It easily beat flying.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Flying would be at least five hours, especially since Schiphol is notorious for long check-in lines and bottlenecks at security, which would force me to arrive at least 2-3 hours early. Lines at Schiphol, which got so bad that the airport had to cap the number of daily travelers last summer. Grace Dean/InsiderOne of Europe's busiest airports is limiting flights over fears it will have 3,500 too many passengers every day to operate safely

☆ Nike is facing a wave of retail crime across the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In an email sent to Portland officials, the company said it's at a "critical juncture." On Tuesday, police in Napa arrested a man for attempting to steal from a local Nike store after police were made aware of a retail theft crew targeting Nike stores, according to local news reports. Nike has 344 US stores, including outlet and Converse stores, according to its last annual report. In a letter sent to Portland officials this month, Nike said the "safety of our employees and consumers is a responsibility Nike takes very seriously. Insider obtained Nike's letter to the city and the internal email among city officials through a public records request.

☆ Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says 'he'll do some thinking' on whether he should have visited East Palestine, Ohio sooner
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pete Buttigieg said he could have expressed concern "sooner" for East Palestine, Ohio, after a train derailed. He said he'll "do some thinking" on whether it was a mistake to wait to visit. Asked on Thursday whether it was a mistake to have held off on visiting the community, Buttigieg said he'll "do some thinking" on that. "I felt strongly about this and could have expressed that sooner," he said. Buttigieg acknowledged earlier in the week that he could have spoken out sooner about the derailment.

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