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Fiat Industrial says it has completed its new leadership team after making the final two appointments to its Group Executive Council. The appointment of Lorenzo Sistino as Iveco brand president, and Oddone Incisa, as president, financial services, follows a senior management shake-up which began in November 2012 aimed at enhancing the ‘operational integration’ of Fiat Industrial and CNH Global. Having worked for Fiat companies in various roles since 1987, Sistino was most recently head of commercial vehicle

The authorities in India and Sri Lanka are targeting drink driving in a bid to cut crashes. Both countries have high road accident levels and with high annual fatality rates. In a bid to reduce the annual death toll, similar actions are being taken in both nations that focus on tackling drink driving. Data from Sri Lanka show that in 2012, there were 2,190 reported road-related fatalities and of these, negligence and drunk-driving were the main causes of crashes. But despite increased enforcement of traffic

In the UK police are finally to be issued with a new drug testing kit. This development follows trials of testing technology able to detect the presence of illegal drugs using samples from drivers. The kit that has been approved by the UK authorities can analyse a mouth swab for traces of cannabis. Systems capable of determining the presence of other drugs are in development at present. This new kit for checking on the presence of cannabis will be used at police stations, and does away with the need to have

Official figures from Japan reveal an improving situation with regard to road safety. According to data from the Japanese National Police Agency, traffic accident fatalities in 2012 fell 4.4% compared to the previous year. There were 4,411 deaths on Japan’s roads, the first time the annual road fatality rate has dropped below 4,500 since 1951. There has also been a noted drop in the numbers of fatalities related to people driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) at 252, the lowest this has been since 19

Using experience gained during the European Commission’s PILOT4SAFETY project, FEHRL is organising a training course from 4th–8th March 2013. This course is dedicated to audits and safety inspections and will be held at the FEHRL offices, boulevard de la Woluwe 42, 1200 Brussels. This training, structured into three modules: Basics in Road Safety Engineering, Road Safety Auditing and Road Safety Inspection, will focus on the secondary road networks. It is intended for designers and managers wishing to expan

A grant worth US$18.33 million from the Chinese Government has helped fund work in neighbouring Nepal. The funding has been used to develop the road connection stretching from Syprubesi to Rasuwaghdi in Nepal. The 5.5m wide road is a single track connection measuring 16km long and features a tarmac surface. The Syprubesi-Rasuwaghadi road was opened officially on December 27th 2012 and the construction work took 30 months to complete. The road now makes it possible to reach Kerung in China, some 20 km far fr

The Chinese government is upgrading Nepal's capital Kathmandu ring road to eight lanes and the work is due for completion in the next three years. The upgrading includes improving a 9km section of road from Kalanki-Satdobato-Koteshwor. China agreed to widen the 27km ring road in February 2011. The construction work is being carried to a design developed by the Chinese Consultant Third Railway Survey and Design Institute Group Corporation. An agreement was signed between the two countries in Kathmandu at the

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A total of US$1.01 billion (MXN 12.91bn) will be allocated from Mexico’s 2013 federal budget for 783 road work projects across 31 states. Chiapas will receive the largest amount at $73.64 million (MXN 940mn) for 64 projects-; followed by Guerrero’s $69.8 million (MXN 891mn) - and Hidalgo $63.92 million (MXN 816mn). The road work projects do not include any works planned for Mexico City.

Bids are being invited for seven road repair and maintenance contracts across Romania worth a combined €215.56 million (RON 950.7mn), excluding VAT. The contracts being offered by CNADNR, the national public roads authority, cover works during 2013 and 2014.

The Hungarian national road management firm Magyar Kozut (MK) began road upgrade projects worth US$ 171.38 million (HUF 38bn) in 2012. The upgraded highways covered a total length of 360km. Development projects were carried out in line with the country's Regional Development Operational Programme (ROP) as part of Hungary's New Szechenyi Plan (USZT). Meanwhile, it has also been revealed that around $496.78 million (HUF 110bn) has been allocated for road renovation works in total by the end of 2013.

Chinese companies are to take part in a number of motorway construction projects in Serbia, according to the country’s ministry of construction and urbanism. The routes will cover a combined 190km and follow the Serbian government’s December 2012 signing of a pre-contract deal for the construction of the Lajkovac-Ljig and Obrenovac-Ub sections of the Corridor 11 motorway, worth US$333 million, with the representatives of the Chinese firm Shandong High Speed Corporation. The two parts are part of the future

A total of US$5.26 billion (THB 160bn) will be set aside for new ring roads covering 254kms across Greater Bangkok as part of new infrastructure investment in Thailand over the next few years. The works are among a number of key transport infrastructure projects planned after the expected approval of a draft bill from Thailand’s Fiscal Policy Office agreeing new debt of $71.95 billion (THB 2.2trn). The bill is scheduled to take effect in the year beginning October 2014. Under the proposed bill, the Finance