2025-07-20 06:17
BEIJING, July 20 (Reuters) - China's exports of rare earth magnets to the United States in June soared by more than six times from May, a sharp recovery in the flow of critical minerals key to electric vehicles and wind turbines after a Sino-US trade deal. Outbound shipments to the United States from the world's largest producer of rare earth magnets surged to 353 metric tons in June, up 660% from May, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Sunday. Sign up here. That came after pacts reached in June to resolve issues around shipments of rare earth minerals and magnets to the United States, with chipmaker Nvidia's (NVDA.O) , opens new tab plan to resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China as part of the talks. China, which provides more than 90% of global supply of rare earth magnets, decided in early April to add several rare earth items to its export restriction list in retaliation for U.S. tariffs. The subsequent sharp falls in shipments in April and May, due to the lengthy times required to secure export licences had rattled global suppliers, forcing some automakers outside China to halt partial production due to shortage of rare earths. In total, China exported 3,188 tons of rare earth permanent magnets last month, up 157.5% from 1,238 tons in May, although the June volume was still 38.1% lower than the corresponding month in 2024. Shipments of magnets are likely to recover further in July as more exporters obtained licences in June, analysts said. During the first half of 2025, exports of rare earth magnets fell 18.9% on the year to 22,319 tons. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-exports-rare-earth-magnets-us-skyrocket-june-2025-07-20/
2025-07-20 06:01
HALONG BAY, Vietnam, July 20 (Reuters) - The death toll from a tourist boat accident in Vietnam's Halong Bay climbed to at least 38 with several people still missing, the government said, as rescuers continued to search for survivors while bracing for the approach of Typhoon Wipha. The vessel capsized on Saturday afternoon carrying 48 tourists and five crew members in one of the worst boating accidents in recent years in the popular tourist area. Sign up here. "At least 38 of those on board have been confirmed dead and 10 rescued," the government said in a statement. The official Vietnam News Agency reported that all the tourists were Vietnamese, including several children. Dozens of rescuers, including border guards, navy personnel, police and professional divers, have been deployed. Although the sea had calmed, weather conditions limited visibility, making rescue operations difficult. Rescuers managed to retrieve the sunken boat, the government said. The accident took place around 2 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Saturday, soon after Typhoon Wipha entered the South China Sea. Authorities reported strong winds, heavy rainfall and lightning in the area at the time of the incident, adding that these conditions were not yet influenced by the approaching typhoon but were due to wind patterns over the northern region. Halong Bay, about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Hanoi, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Boat tours are particularly popular. In 2011, the sinking of a tour boat in Halong Bay killed 12 people, including foreign tourists. Typhoon Wipha, the third to hit the South China Sea this year, is projected to make landfall along Vietnam's northern coast early next week. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/death-toll-vietnam-tourist-boat-accident-climbs-38-2025-07-20/
2025-07-20 04:16
SEOUL, July 20 (Reuters) - Two people have died and a further two were missing in the South Korean resort town of Gapyeong on Sunday, after a landslide engulfed houses and flooding swept away vehicles during a period of heavy rainfall. This brings the nationwide death toll to 14 with 12 people missing since the rain began on Wednesday. Sign up here. The rainfall is likely to stop on Sunday and be followed by a heat wave, the government weather forecaster said on Sunday. The heavy rainfall, which had earlier lashed southern parts of South Korea, moved north overnight, it said. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/death-toll-rises-14-south-korea-heavy-rain-triggers-landslide-flooding-2025-07-20/
2025-07-19 16:44
HANOI, July 19 (Reuters) - At least 27 people died after a tourist boat capsized in stormy weather in Vietnam's Halong Bay on Saturday, state media reported. The boat, carrying 53 people, tipped over at around 2 p.m. local time (0700 GMT), as Storm Wipha approached the country across the South China Sea. Strong winds, heavy rainfall and lightning were reported in the area. Sign up here. Most of the tourists were from the capital, Hanoi, local newspaper VnExpress reported. There was no official announcement on the nationality of the tourists as emergency crews kept looking for survivors. Rescue teams found 11 survivors and recovered 27 bodies, eight of them children, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said, citing local authorities. Halong Bay, about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Hanoi, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Boat tours are hugely popular. Storm Wipha, the third typhoon to hit the South China Sea this year, is projected to make landfall along Vietnam's northern coast early next week. Weather linked to the storm also disrupted air travel. Noi Bai Airport said nine arriving flights were diverted to other airports, and three departing flights were temporarily grounded on Saturday. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/least-27-killed-after-vietnam-tourist-boat-capsizes-halong-bay-2025-07-19/
2025-07-19 14:32
DUBAI, July 19 (Reuters) - A fire broke out on Saturday at a unit of Iran's Abadan refinery, killing one employee, before being brought under control, the Iranian oil ministry's news agency reported. It said operations were unaffected. Sign up here. "According to initial technical probes, the cause of the fire was a leak in one of the pumps in Unit 70, and no evidence of sabotage or human intervention has been observed so far," SHANA said. Several workers suffered burns, and as many as three were in serious condition, Abadan governor Khosrow Pirhadi told state TV, adding that worn-out parts at the refinery may have caused the incident. Local news agencies carried videos showing large flames and plumes of dark smoke rising from part of the refinery, Iran's oldest crude processing facility. Abadan is in the southwestern Khuzestan province, currently among the hottest places in the world with temperatures close to 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit). The refinery, like almost all Iranian oil and gas processing plants, needs major works and renovation after decades of international sanctions. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/fire-irans-abadan-refinery-contained-one-dead-2025-07-19/
2025-07-19 13:40
WARSAW, July 19 (Reuters) - Polish authorities said they had fixed a fault in air traffic control systems that briefly disrupted take-offs in Warsaw and other cities on Saturday morning, and operations were returning to normal. Warsaw's Chopin Airport said take-offs and landings were running as usual by midday. Earlier outages had forced authorities to limit the number of flights in Polish airspace. Sign up here. Airports in Krakow, Katowice and Gdansk had also reported issues through the morning. "The temporary problems were caused by a fault that was promptly resolved," the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) wrote in a statement, without providing further details on the fault. "After implementing all necessary procedures, the primary air traffic management system was restored," the agency said. Backups had kept safety systems running through the outage, it added. Earlier, the Interior Ministry said the security agency had investigated the outage and made routine checks for sabotage. Poland and other countries have accused Russia of stepping up disruption and sabotage campaigns since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 - accusations that Moscow has denied. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/poland-fixes-fault-that-briefly-disrupted-flights-officials-say-2025-07-19/
