2025-08-25 07:45

Maryland case represents fresh sign of screwworm in the U.S. The presence of screwworm, which can devastate cattle herds, will likely rattle beef and livestock markets USDA criticized by cattle producers for failing to take timely measures to prevent screwworm from entering the U.S. BUENOS AIRES/CHICAGO/WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday reported the first human case in the United States of travel-associated New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, from an outbreak-affected country. The case, investigated by the Maryland Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was confirmed by the CDC as New World screwworm on August 4, and involved a patient who returned from travel to El Salvador, HHS spokesman Andrew G. Nixon said in an email to Reuters. Sign up here. Earlier, Reuters reported that beef industry sources said last week that the CDC had confirmed a case of New World screwworm in a person in Maryland who had traveled to the United States from Guatemala. Nixon did not address the discrepancy on the source of the human case. "The risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low," he said. The U.S. government has not confirmed any cases in animals this year. The differing accounts from the U.S. government and industry sources on the human case are likely to further rattle an industry of cattle ranchers, beef producers and livestock traders already on high alert for potential U.S. infestations as screwworm has moved northward from Central America and southern Mexico. The government's confirmation of a screwworm case comes just over a week after U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins traveled to Texas to announce plans to build a sterile fly facility there as part of efforts to combat the pest. The USDA has estimated a screwworm outbreak could cost the economy in Texas, the biggest U.S. cattle-producing state, about $1.8 billion in livestock deaths, labor costs and medication expenses. An executive of the industry group Beef Alliance sent emails last week to about two dozen people in the livestock and beef sectors, informing them that the CDC had confirmed a human case of screwworm in Maryland in a person who had traveled to the U.S. from Guatemala, according to a source, who asked not to be identified, and who shared the contents of the emails with Reuters. Beth Thompson, South Dakota's state veterinarian, told Reuters on Sunday that she was notified of a human case in Maryland within the last week by a person with direct knowledge of it.CDC deferred questions to Maryland on a call with state animal health officials, Thompson said.“We found out via other routes and then had to go to CDC to tell us what was going on,” she said. “They weren’t forthcoming at all. They turned it back over to the state to confirm anything that had happened or what had been found in this traveler.” Another source said that state veterinarians had learned about a human case in Maryland during a call last week with the CDC. A Maryland state government official also confirmed a case. A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Health did not immediately respond to requests for comment. WHAT ARE SCREWWORMS?Screwworms are parasitic flies whose females lay eggs in wounds on any warm-blooded animal. Once the eggs hatch, hundreds of screwworm larvae use their sharp mouths to burrow through living flesh, eventually killing their host if left untreated. The maggots' feeding is similar to a screw being driven into wood, giving the pests their name. Screwworms can be devastating in cattle and wildlife, and rarely infest humans, though an infestation in either an animal or a person can be fatal. Treatment is onerous, and involves removing hundreds of larvae and thoroughly disinfecting wounds. But infestations are typically survivable if treated early enough. The emails from the Beef Alliance executive said that due to patient privacy laws, there were no other details available about the positive human case of screwworm. The person was treated and prevention measures were implemented in the state, the email said. A livestock economist at Texas A&M University was asked to prepare a report for Rollins on the impacts to industry of the border closure to Mexican cattle, according to the emails, a measure that has largely been in effect since November to prevent the arrival of screwworm to the United States. The CDC was required to report the positive New World screwworm case to both Maryland health officials and the Maryland state veterinarian, one of the emails said, adding that the CDC also notified other agriculture stakeholders. "We remain hopeful that, since awareness is currently limited to industry representatives and state veterinarians, the likelihood of a positive case being leaked is low, minimizing market impact," the beef industry executive wrote. A representative for the Beef Alliance did not respond to requests for comment. IMPACT ON BEEF AND CATTLE FUTURES Livestock traders and beef producers have been on edge about the potential for cases in cattle as prices have already hit record highs because the U.S. cattle herd is at its smallest size in seven decades. A human case and the lack of transparency around it could present a political challenge for Rollins. The USDA has set traps and sent mounted officers along the border, but it has faced criticism from some cattle producers and market analysts for not acting faster to pursue increased fly production. Rollins first announced plans for a sterile fly facility at Moore Air Force Base in Edinburg, Texas - near where a production facility to combat screwworm operated during the last major outbreak 50 years ago - in June, saying that the facility would take two to three years to come online.A spokesperson for the USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Mexico has also taken efforts to limit the spread of the pest, which can kill livestock within weeks if not treated. The Mexican government said in July that it started to build a $51 million sterile fly production facility in the country's south. The sole operating plant is in Panama City and can produce a maximum of 100 million sterile screwworm flies each week. The USDA has estimated that 500 million flies would need to be released weekly to push the fly back to the Darien Gap, the stretch of rainforest between Panama and Colombia. Screwworms have been traveling north through Mexico from Central America since 2023. They are endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and countries in South America, according to the USDA. Mexico reported a new case about 370 miles (595 km) south of the U.S. border in Ixhuatlan de Madero, Veracruz, in July. The USDA immediately ordered the closure of livestock trade through southern ports of entry, after previously halting imports in November and May. The U.S. typically imports over a million cattle from Mexico a year to fatten in feedlots and process into beef. Screwworms were eradicated from the United States in the 1960s when researchers began releasing massive numbers of sterilized male screwworm flies that mate with wild female screwworms to produce infertile eggs. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/us-confirms-nations-first-travel-associated-human-screwworm-case-connected-2025-08-25/

2025-08-25 07:36

CUA LO, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Vietnam has shut down airports, closed schools, and begun mass evacuations as it prepares for the most powerful storm so far this year. Typhoon Kajiki, with gusts of up to 166 kph (103 mph) at sea, was around 110 km (68 miles) off the northern part of Vietnam's central coast as of 0300 GMT and was due to make landfall on Monday afternoon, the country's weather agency said. Sign up here. "This is an extremely dangerous fast-moving storm," the government said in a statement on Sunday night, warning that Kajiki would bring heavy rains, flooding and landslides. With a long coastline facing the South China Sea, Vietnam is prone to storms that are often deadly and trigger dangerous flooding and mudslides. Kajiki is forecast to hit provinces that are less industrialised than the area struck last year by Typhoon Yagi, which killed around 300 people and caused property damage of around $3.3 billion. The storm is projected to move inland across Laos and northern Thailand. The Vietnamese government said on Monday about 30,000 people had been evacuated from coastal areas. More than 16,500 soldiers and 107,000 paramilitary personnel have been mobilised to help with the evacuation and to stand by for search and rescue, the government said in a statement. Authorities said on Sunday that more than half a million people would be evacuated and ordered boats to remain in port. Two airports in Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh provinces have been closed, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet cancelled dozens of flights to and from the area on Sunday and Monday. Kajiki skirted the southern coast of China's Hainan Island on Sunday as it moved toward Vietnam, forcing Sanya City on the island to close businesses and public transport. China's southernmost province downgraded its typhoon and emergency response alerts on Monday morning but warned of heavy rain and isolated storms in cities in the southern part of Hainan. The Hainan provincial meteorological authority said it expected weather conditions to improve by Monday night. Local media reported that many residents in Sanya, a popular holiday resort, had taken shelter from the storm in underground garages on Sunday evening. Some large trees were brought down leaving roads strewn with broken branches by Monday morning, the reports said. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/vietnam-braces-typhoon-kajiki-it-nears-coast-2025-08-25/

2025-08-25 07:36

OSLO, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The first volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2) have been injected and stored as part of Norway's Northern Lights carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, marking the start of operations, owners Shell (SHEL.L) , opens new tab, Equinor (EQNR.OL) , opens new tab and TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) , opens new tab said on Monday. The CO2 is being stored in a reservoir 2,600 meters (8,530 ft) below the seabed, marking a major milestone for CCS, the companies said. Sign up here. "This demonstrates the viability of carbon capture, transport and storage as a scalable industry," Anders Opedal, CEO of Equinor, said in a statement. The facility is part of Norway's heavily subsidised Longship carbon capture and storage project aimed at commercialising CCS as a way to reduce CO2 emissions, especially for sectors that rely on fossil fuel input and are hard to decarbonise. The CO2 now stored was shipped from the Brevik cement factory operated by Heidelberg Materials (HEIG.DE) , opens new tab in southern Norway, and first offloaded into onshore tanks, before being sent through a 100-kilometer (62 miles) pipeline to the storage reservoir. The commenced injection completes phase 1 of the Northern Lights development, which can inject 37.5 million metric tons of CO2 over a 25-year period, or 1.5 million tons per year, and is fully booked. The partners also committed to invest 7.5 billion crowns ($743.93 million) into a second phase, which targets an additional 3.5 million tons a year. ($1 = 10.0816 Norwegian crowns) https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/norways-northern-lights-ccs-project-starts-operations-with-first-co2-injected-2025-08-25/

2025-08-25 07:10

Ukraine drone attacks target Russian energy infrastructure US vice president says Russia has made 'significant concessions' toward a settlement Federal Reserve Chair Powell signals possible rate cut in September Aug 25 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday after Ukraine stepped up attacks on Russia, fanning concerns Russian oil supply could be disrupted, while expectations for a cut in U.S. interest rates buoyed the outlook for global growth and fuel demand. Brent crude futures rose 13 cents, or 0.19%, to $67.86 at 0656 GMT, and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 15 cents, or 0.24%, to $63.81. Sign up here. Ukraine launched a drone attack on Russia on Sunday, which forced a sharp fall in the capacity of a reactor at one of Russia's biggest nuclear power plants and sparked a huge blaze at the Ust-Luga fuel export terminal, Russian officials said. In addition, a fire at Russia's Novoshakhtinsk refinery, caused by a Ukrainian drone attack, was burning for the fourth day on Sunday, the acting governor of the region said. The refinery sells fuel mainly for export and has an annual capacity of 5 million metric tons of oil, or around 100,000 barrels per day. "Given the success that Ukraine is having with its targeting of Russian oil infrastructure ... the risks for crude oil are shifting to the topside," IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that Russia has made "significant concessions" toward a negotiated settlement in its war with Ukraine. "They've recognized that they're not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv. That was, of course, a major demand at the beginning. And, importantly, they've acknowledged that there is going to be some security guarantee for the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Vance said on NBC's "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker" program. However, U.S. President Donald Trump also renewed threats on Friday that he would impose sanctions on Russia if there was no progress toward a peaceful settlement in Ukraine in two weeks. Both benchmark prices seem to lack momentum despite the Fed’s hints at a September cut, which tends to improve the risk appetite. It appears markets are largely convinced that Trump's tariffs would prove more disruptive to economic growth, which currently keeps a lid on oil prices, said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at brokerage Phillip Nova. Investors' risk appetite has improved after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday signaled a possible interest rate cut at the U.S. central bank's meeting next month. "A risk-on tone across markets boosted investor appetite across the commodities complex, aided by renewed supply-side issues across energy and metals," ANZ analysts said in a note. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-prices-climb-after-ukraine-attacks-hit-russian-energy-sites-2025-08-25/

2025-08-25 06:55

Aug 24 (Reuters) - Major brokerages, including Barclays, BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank, now expect a 25-basis-point U.S. Federal Reserve rate cut in September following Chair Jerome Powell's shift in tone at Jackson Hole toward rising risks in the labor market. Powell's remarks at the Jackson Hole symposium emphasized a change in the Fed's reaction function, with greater weight now placed on labor market risks. Sign up here. "This unusual situation suggests that downside risks to employment are rising," Powell said, warning that such risks could materialize quickly in the form of layoffs and a spike in unemployment. In notes released on Friday after Powell's speech, Barclays pulled forward its previously expected September 2026 cut to September 2025, saying his speech introduced "an easing bias" and raised the bar for not cutting. "Powell made (it) clear that the Fed intends to deliver a 'fine-tuning' rate cut in September unless the data dictates otherwise," wrote BNP economists, led by Calvin Tse. They reversed the brokerage's long-standing call for the Fed to stay on hold, forecasting cuts in both September and December. Meanwhile, both Macquarie and Deutsche Bank revised their expectations of a cut in September and December, respectively, to a 25-bp cut each in those two months. Bank of America, which expects no rate cuts this year, said "barring further deterioration of the labor market, we think that the Fed would risk a policy error if it were to cut rates," and pointed to signs of a rebound in economic activity and persistent inflation pressures. Morgan Stanley also does not expect a September cut yet, but said such a move is likely if incoming labor and inflation data confirm further softening. Markets are now pricing in an 87% chance of a quarter-point rate cut at the September policy meeting, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, up from 75% before Powell's speech. The rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is scheduled to meet again on September 16 and 17. Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, meanwhile, reaffirmed their expectations for a September cut, aligning with the broader market view that softening data may warrant policy easing. https://www.reuters.com/business/major-brokerages-pivot-sept-fed-rate-cut-powells-labor-warning-2025-08-25/

2025-08-25 06:53

Gold hit near two-week high on Friday Powell opened door to September rate cut Asia shares up on hopes for US rate cuts Aug 25 (Reuters) - Gold slipped from a near two-week high on Monday as the dollar strengthened, although rising bets of interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve following Chair Jerome Powell's dovish pivot last week, lent some support to bullion. Spot gold inched down 0.1% at $3,367.86 per ounce, as of 0632 GMT, after hitting its highest since August 11 on Friday. Sign up here. U.S. gold futures for December delivery eased 0.2% to $3,412.50. The dollar index (.DXY) , opens new tab rose 0.1% against its rivals after dropping to a four-week low, making gold less attractive to overseas buyers. "There's a decent level of support for gold around $3,350 over the near term, with Powell's dovish hints allowing gold to carve out a prominent swing low on Friday," City Index senior analyst Matt Simpson said. "A sustained rally likely requires softer PCE inflation and weaker employment data going forward. But with inflation likely to remain elevated, gold's gains could remain capped beyond the expected initial bounce." Powell on Friday signalled a possible rate cut at the Fed's meeting next month, saying that risks to the job market were rising but inflation remained a threat, and that a decision wasn't set in stone. Markets are now pricing in an 87% chance of a quarter-point rate cut in the September policy meeting, and a cumulative reduction of 48 basis points by this year-end, according to CME FedWatch Tool. Gold tends to appreciate in a low-interest-rate environment, which reduces the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion. Asian share markets rallied on Monday as investors celebrated the likely resumption of U.S. rate cuts. Investors now await U.S. personal consumption prices data on Friday, which is expected to show core inflation creeping up to its highest since late 2023 at 2.9%. Elsewhere, spot silver rose 0.3% to $38.94 per ounce, platinum fell 0.2% to $1,359.66 and palladium was flat at $1,126.41. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/gold-eases-off-two-week-peak-dollar-ticks-up-2025-08-25/