Category: 3. Business

Passengers can now enjoy improved parking at Banbury Rail Station with the west car park reopening in time for the Christmas and new year travel peak. The improvements are part of an Oxfordshire County Council project to enable better access to the station.

The county council and its contractor, M Group Limited, have been building a new road enabling access from the south, providing footways, cycleways and bus stops, and resurfacing.

Commuters and those travelling over the festive period can now drive into the west car park from the new access route up Tramway Road, using the new mini roundabout. Drivers can also drop off passengers on Tramway Road. Station Approach Road north and the station forecourt are now open for drop off and parking.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to reach this milestone in this much needed project for Banbury. Residents now have more choice in how they access Banbury Rail Station and, crucially, we’ve made it possible to improve bus access in the new year.

“If you are walking, cycling or wheeling, new footpaths and cycleways will make journeys safer. In the new year, the B3, 489 and 499 buses routes will begin stopping outside and we will complete work on an extra passenger drop off facility.

“Our ambition has always been to make it easier to get to Banbury Rail Station and take the train onwards and this new travel hub will make a positive difference to station users into the new year and beyond.”

Construction started in October 2024, with the new roundabout, new section of Tramway Road and the Tramway Road footpath opening for access to the industrial estate and football ground in June of this year.

Work has now been completed in the station west car park A, along Station Approach Road north and in the station forecourt, including new drainage, surfacing, lighting, fencing and landscaping.

The county council has also completed designs for a new drop off facility planned south of the new roundabout. Subject to land agreements, this will provide six bays plus one reserved for disabled users and is expected to be built in spring 2026.

Michael Stewart, Commercial and Customer Strategy Director at Chiltern Railways, said: “We have been working with Oxfordshire County Council to carry out significant upgrades to Banbury station, including new footpaths, cycleways and bus stops which will be transformational for rail users. In addition to this, there will be enhanced parking options for our customers at the station.

“Over the last 18 months, we have also opened a new café, toilets, and carried out a painting programme to improve the overall experience for our customers at Banbury.”

New signage will be in place to inform drivers about designated parking areas and that a ‘bus gate’ only route, restricting standard vehicles from Tramway Road to Bridge Street, is now live along Station Approach Road north.

Stagecoach Bus has confirmed that the B3 and 488/489 bus routes will stop at the Banbury Rail Station from Sunday 4 January, with updated timetables now available on their website.

Notes for editors

More information on the Banbury Rail Station access improvements can be found at oxfordshire.gov.uk/banburystation

Updates to the Banbury bus routes and timetables can be found on the Stagecoach Bus website: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID-11/12/2025-16:37:22:832

The west station car park provides 118 standard bays, four disabled and three enlarged bays at the back of the station.

Drivers can drop off or pick up on Tramway Road or enter Banbury Rail Station via Bridge Street and use the drop off areas at the north and east sides of the station, with the north providing close access to the station front door.

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Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (“Mitsui”; Head office: Tokyo; President and CEO: Kenichi Hori) together with Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc., Mitsubishi UBE Cement Co., Ltd., and Tosoh Corporation, today announced the receipt of approval from the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) for certification under a support system focusing on the price gap (“Support for the Price Gap”) within the Hydrogen Society Promotion Act.

Support for the Price Gap^*, implemented by METI’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, aims to accelerate the supply and utilization of low-carbon hydrogen and derivatives. Over a 15-year period, the system provides support focusing on the price gap between existing raw materials and fossil fuels, and low-carbon hydrogen and derivatives. Based on the business plans certified by METI and MLIT, Mitsui & Co. and the three other companies aim to establish a low-carbon ammonia supply chain for Japan by fiscal year 2030.

Low-carbon ammonia is ammonia produced with significantly reduced CO₂ emissions compared to conventional manufacturing processes. It is expected not only to decarbonize the value chain for its traditional uses in fertilizers and chemical products but also to serve as a clean fuel that emits no CO₂ during combustion. In Japan, which has enacted a Hydrogen Society Promotion Act, low-carbon ammonia is being explored as one form of low-carbon hydrogen for utilization as a fuel and as a chemical feedstock.

Under its plan, Mitsui will purchase a portion of the production from Blue Point, a low-carbon ammonia manufacturing project in Louisiana, USA, for which Mitsui is participating as an investor, and receive support for the price gap. Mitsui will supply a total of 280,000 tons of this low-carbon ammonia annually to Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc., Mitsubishi UBE Cement Co., Ltd., Tosoh Corporation, and other customers. Each customer will utilize it as fuel or raw material, thereby reducing environmental impact compared to conventional methods.

As Japan’s first large-scale commercial import project for low-carbon ammonia, Mitsui, with its extensive experience in manufacturing, transporting, and importing ammonia and energy products, will through this project collaborate with multiple end-users across industries including power generation, ceramics, and chemicals to achieve early societal implementation, expand the use of low-carbon ammonia, and establish a stable value chain.

*Support system focusing on the price gap

Japanese

https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/category/saving_and_new/advanced_systems/hydrogen_society/carbon_neutral/index.html

English

Hydrogen Society Promotion Act Enacted. Toward a Forthcoming Hydrogen-based Society. Part 2: Utilization of Clean Hydrogen

Social sustainability matters equally: the facility will maintain over 400 high-quality jobs, including former newsprint employees. It will actively participate in local education and training, creating opportunities for future workers.

“Sustainability is fundamental to Eren Holding’s corporate culture and ethical responsibility,” notes Dr. Ilhan. “Our business model minimizes environmental impact, promotes social development and adheres to ethical practices, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. This includes protecting natural resources, investing in people and adopting sustainable technologies. The group has long supported social development in Turkey through education, female employment, public health and cultural activities—a commitment we will maintain in Britain.”

The financial pillars of sustainable industrial transition

Work on Shotton Mill’s refurbishment is making good progress, with the opening expected in early 2026. The facility will occupy over 85 hectares, producing more than 750,000 tonnes of recycled cardboard and 67,000 tonnes of tissue paper annually with the total investment exceeding  £1BN.

Seventeen European institutions participated in the financing process. The BBVA Group’s Turkish franchise played a key role as green loan coordinator and security agent. The project recently won a Sustainability Global Award 2025, recognizing sustainable businesses. The Welsh Government contributed €15m in form of incentive, while UK Export Finance provided nearly £200m as loan.

All efforts aim to keep Britain’s industrial heart alive, strengthening North Wales’s employment and social fabric while driving the transition towards environmentally sustainable industry that generates less waste, consumes cleaner energy and contributes to a greener, more circular British economy. “Our short-term goals are clear,” adds Dr. Ilhan. “Create over 400 skilled jobs, operate Britain’s largest recycled paper plant, significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions throughout the process and strengthen local supply chain resilience.”

Medium and long-term challenges prove more ambitious. “We see ourselves operating as a leading European paper production centre in the circular economy, a plant where renewable energy and full wastewater recycling are fully integrated into all operations, and an industry capable of creating hundreds of new jobs through operational expansion, promoting green sector employment and consolidating Shotton’s role in sustainable British manufacturing.”

The new composition of the share capital of Prysmian S.p.A. (the “Company”) is hereby announced, as resulting from the implementation of the resolution for a free share capital increase adopted by the Company’s Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting held on 16 April 2025. This increase is in support of the share purchase plan reserved for employees of the Company and of companies within the Prysmian Group.

More precisely, the Company issued today no. 2,454 ordinary shares.

The notice of change in share capital has been filed today with competent Companies’ Register.

The updated Company’s by-laws is available since today, on the Company’s website at www.prysmian.com and in the mechanism for the central storage of regulated information at www.emarketstorage.com.

In the first 9 months of 2025, the average monthly imports of petroleum oil in the EU decreased by 18.3% in value and 6.6% in volume compared with the monthly average for 2024.

In contrast, the value of imported liquefied natural gas increased by 36.1%, and the volume rose by 25.9%.

The value of imported natural gas in gaseous state increased by 3.1%, while the volume fell by 4.9%.

Source dataset: Comext and Eurostat estimates

The United States and Norway – key energy suppliers in Q3 2025

In the third quarter of 2025, the main suppliers of petroleum oil to the EU were Norway (14.6%), the United States (14.5%) and Kazakhstan (12.2%).

The majority of liquefied natural gas (59.9%) was imported from the United States, with another 12.7% coming from Russia and 7.7% from Algeria.

Norway was the main supplier of natural gas in its gaseous state (51.8%). Algeria was the second-largest supplier (14.6%), followed by the United Kingdom (13.4%).

Source dataset: Comext and Eurostat estimates

This article presents key results from the Global Value Chains survey on international sourcing. International sourcing, often referred to as outsourcing, involves the partial or full relocation of business activities by enterprises to affiliated or non-affiliated partners located abroad. The results provide insight into how European enterprises organise their activities and how this affects jobs and production within the EU. The data cover the three-year reference period 2021–2023, were collected in 2024, and are cumulative over the full reference period and comparable across countries.

Between 2021 and 2023, 72.8% of EU enterprises that engaged in international sourcing moved their business functions to other EU countries. Outside the EU, the largest sourcing destinations were India (18.6%) and the United Kingdom (17.1%). 

The main motivational factors for international sourcing included reduction of labour costs (for 34.1% of sourcing enterprises), reduction of other costs (27.8%), or focusing on their core business (20.3%). 

Enterprises that source abroad most frequently move administrative and management functions (47.4%) and information and communication technology and services (28.7%), reflecting the increasing tradability of service functions.

Source dataset: gvc_sobfbp

These figures present the first official results of the Global Value Chains (GVC) survey carried out across 22 EU countries and Norway. This article presents a handful of findings from a more detailed Statistics Explained article on international sourcing, business functions and global value chains.

Job impact of international sourcing 

During 2021-2023, enterprises in 22 EU countries reported that due to international sourcing 52 853 jobs were created (0.08% of all jobs in enterprises with 50+ employees) and 152 023 jobs were lost (0.22%). While individual job impacts remain small (99 170 net jobs lost, or 0.14% of total jobs), their cumulative effect over time should not be overlooked.

Overall, the majority of lost jobs were in the production of goods and materials (-53 577 jobs; -0.30% of all production jobs) and administrative and management work (-33 818 jobs; -0.33%). However, these business functions also created new jobs in the EU due to international sourcing, with gains of 12 762 jobs (+0.07%) in administrative and management, and 12 493 jobs in production (+0.13%).

In relative terms, information and communication technology services lost the highest share of jobs to international sourcing (-0.46%; -15 308 jobs), followed by research and development jobs (-0.37%; -4 858 jobs). However, these sectors also experienced the largest relative gains, as 0.24% of research and development jobs were created by international sourcing (+3 135 jobs) and 0.21% of information and communication technology jobs (+6 869 jobs).

Source dataset: gvc_sojobbf

WhatsApp users are being targeted by scammers in a new “GhostPairing” attack. Recently uncovered by cybersecurity brand Avast, this new scam convinces users to grant attackers access themselves, and it can be months before the individual is aware that anything has happened.

Rather than stealing passwords, as has been typical with these types of scams in the past, experts are warning that it can even lead to deeper fraud, as the scammer’s access to private conversations, voice notes, and photos creates opportunities for impersonation, targeted scams, and extortion.

How “GhostPairing” works

The scam begins with the victim receiving a message from a trusted contact, typically something along the lines of “hey, I found your photo” accompanied by a link.

When users tap the link, they’re then shown a fake Facebook-style page that asks them to “verify” before viewing the image. What appears to be a harmless security step is actually WhatsApp’s own device-linking flow.

By entering a legitimate pairing code, victims unknowingly add the attacker’s browser as a linked device, granting criminals ongoing access to messages, photos, and contacts without requiring a password change or account lockout.