2025-07-13 17:07
Noem denies FEMA spending cap slowed response Trump administration considers rebranding FEMA amid scrutiny Texas floods highlight FEMA staffing and response challenges WASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) - Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday defended FEMA's response to deadly floods in Texas last week, saying her agency acted swiftly and that Texas officials had praised the administration's actions. During an interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press," Noem denied that a memo she issued in June requiring her to approve FEMA expenditures over $100,000 had caused the agency to move more slowly. Sign up here. "Those claims are absolutely false," Noem said. "Within just an hour or two after the flooding, we had resources from the Department of Homeland Security there." President Donald Trump suggested after taking office in January that his administration would abolish FEMA, formally called the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Republican president said the agency had bungled past disasters and that federal aid could go directly to states. But in the midst of U.S. hurricane season and the aftermath of the Texas floods, Trump and his top officials have taken a softer tone, indicating the agency could be rebranded. "I think he wants it to be remade," Noem said on Sunday. Flash floods swept through parts of Texas Hill Country on July 4, killing at least 120 people and leaving another 160 still missing. The disaster put a renewed focus on Trump administration moves to deemphasize FEMA. As of mid-May, the agency had lost 2,000 full-time employees - a third of its staff - due to terminations and buyouts. Noem issued a memo on June 11 that called for U.S. Department of Homeland Security agencies, including FEMA, to submit for her review any contract for more than $100,000. The memo, reviewed by Reuters, said agencies should allow at least five days for her office to review the funding requests. Reuters spoke with several current and former FEMA officials who worried the spending cap could slow down the agency's response to disasters. The deployment of national search and rescue teams managed by FEMA did not appear in the agency’s daily briefing until July 8 and four current and former officials said the spending cap had slowed it down. Following the Texas floods, one former FEMA official said Noem needed to approve resources that previously would have been deployed more quickly, including law enforcement officers used for security and crews with saws to clear debris from roads. “FEMA’s never been quick," the former official said. "This is slowing down the speed which they had before." Noem on Sunday denied a New York Times report , opens new tab that thousands of calls to FEMA from victims of the Texas floods went unanswered because Noem had not renewed the contracts. "Those contracts were in place, no employees were off of work," Noem said. "Every one of them was answering calls." An internal FEMA briefing document reviewed by Reuters said Noem had approved contracts for call center support as of July 10, but did not provide further details. New flash flood warnings were in place on Sunday across central Texas, including in Texas Hill Country, a FEMA bulletin said. U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican whose district included flood-hit areas, warned on CNN's 'State of the Union' that the region could face a lengthy recovery. "We're not out of the woods yet," he said. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/noem-defends-fema-response-texas-floods-amid-scrutiny-2025-07-13/
2025-07-13 16:58
BEIJING, July 13 (Reuters) - The world needs China to show more leadership on climate action, EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said on Sunday, highlighting the importance of cutting planet-heating emissions and reducing the Chinese economy's reliance on coal. Hoekstra is in Beijing for high-level talks with Chinese officials on environmental and climate issues at which he also wants to encourage China to stop building new coal-fired power plants and phase out use of the fossil fuel. Sign up here. "We do encourage China to take more of a leadership role going forward and really hit the road with meaningful emission reductions in the next couple of years, and also move out of the domain of coal," Hoekstra told Reuters in an interview. The number of coal power plants in the pipeline has been increasing in China - the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, according to the World Economic Forum. In the first three months this year, China's approved 11.29 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power plants exceeded the approval rate in the first half of 2024, a June report by environmental group Greenpeace showed. Last week, Hoekstra told the Financial Times the EU was holding off on signing a joint climate declaration with China unless Beijing pledges a greater commitment to reduce emissions. "We are open to looking into a potential declaration, but ... the thing that is most important about these types of statements is the content that goes into it," he said when asked about the issue, without specifying what commitment the EU hopes to see from China. Hoekstra said the EU is interested in seeking areas of cooperation with China ahead of the COP30 U.N. climate conference that will be held in Brazil in November. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/eu-wants-see-china-taking-more-ambitious-climate-action-2025-07-13/
2025-07-13 15:25
July 13 (Reuters) - Several Saudi companies, including utilities heavyweight ACWA Power and a subsidiary of oil giant Aramco (2222.SE) , opens new tab, signed power purchase agreements on Sunday for clean energy projects with a capacity of 15 gigawatts and investments worth around $8.3 billion, the Saudi state news agency (SPA) said. ACWA Power signed seven agreements as the main developer, in partnership with the Water and Electricity Holding Co (Badeel), owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Aramco Power, a unit of Aramco, according to SPA. Sign up here. The projects include five photovoltaic solar plants in the cities of Aseer, Medina, Mecca and Riyadh, and two wind power projects in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is aiming to build up to 130 gigawatts of renewable capacity by 2030, it said last year. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/saudi-firms-sign-83-billion-clean-energy-deals-2025-07-13/
2025-07-13 15:03
By Gus Trompiz and Ardee Napolitano PARIS, July 13 (Reuters) - French cheese and wine producers have warned of the damaging impact that U.S. President Donald Trump's threatened 30% tariffs on imports from the EU would have on the country's agriculture industry. Sign up here. A 30% duty would be "disastrous" for France's food industry, said Jean-François Loiseau, president of food lobby group ANIA, while Francois Xavier Huard, CEO of dairy association FNIL, said: "It's a real shock for milk and cheese producers - this is an important market for us". "It's a new environment we will have to get used to - I don't think this is temporary," Huard told Reuters on Sunday, referring to shifting rules and flaring trade tensions. He noted the industry may have to rethink its strategy relating to the markets in which it operates. France's dairy sector exports nearly half of its production, including to the United States, which imports mostly cheeses such as Brie but also fresh products like yogurt and butter. It risks losing annual sales worth tens of millions of euros, said Huard, noting the sector sells 350 million euros ($409 million) worth of dairy products to the U.S. annually. French food exporters are worried that additional import taxes could push up prices of their products beyond the reach of inflation-strapped shoppers in the United States. "Products like wine, especially, are consumed for pleasure -if you have less money to spend, you might forgo the purchase," said Yannick Fialip, head of association CNPA, which promotes French food exports. "We will be less competitive," Fialip added, noting a weaker dollar had already added pressure on exports to the U.S. The European Union said on Sunday it prefers a negotiated solution on trade with the United States, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying the bloc would extend its suspension of countermeasures to U.S. tariffs until early August. ($1 = 0.8555 euros) (This story has been corrected to rectify the estimated amount of losses in paragraph 6) https://www.reuters.com/business/french-wine-cheese-makers-say-us-tariffs-would-hit-hard-2025-07-13/
2025-07-13 13:11
July 13 (Reuters) - Syria's General Authority for Land and Sea Ports on Sunday signed a $800 million agreement with UAE's DP World to bolster Syrian ports infrastructure and logistical services, Syrian state news agency SANA reported. The agreement follows on from a memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides in May. Sign up here. The deal with DP World, a subsidiary of United Arab Emirates investment company Dubai World, focuses on developing a multi-purpose terminal at Tartous on Syria's Mediterranean coast and cooperation in setting up industrial and free trade zones. The signing ceremony was attended by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating a U.S. sanctions programme on Syria, paving the way for an end to the country's isolation from the international financial system and for the rebuilding of its economy shattered by the civil war. The removal of U.S. sanctions will also clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organisations working in Syria, easing foreign investment and trade as the country rebuilds. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syria-signs-800-million-agreement-with-dp-world-bolster-ports-infrastructure-2025-07-13/
2025-07-13 01:44
SYDNEY, July 13 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in Shanghai on Saturday for a six-day visit to three Chinese cities where regional security tensions and economic ties are likely to dominate talks. Albanese's second visit to China, where he will meet President Xi Jinping, comes after Canberra stepped up screening of Chinese investment in critical minerals and as U.S. President Donald Trump rattles the global economy with sweeping import tariffs. Sign up here. Here is a timeline of relations between Australia and China over recent years: Nov 17, 2014 - Australia sealed a landmark free trade agreement with top trade partner China, concluding a decade of negotiations. It comes into effect in late 2015. Dec 5, 2017 - Australia, concerned about Chinese influence, announces a ban on foreign political donations to prevent external interference in its politics. Aug 23, 2018 - Australia bans Huawei Technologies from supplying equipment for its planned 5G broadband network, citing national security regulations. Apr 2020 - Australia seeks support for an international inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. China's then ambassador to Australia says that in response to the call, the Chinese public would boycott Australian wine, beef and tourism. Jun 9, 2020 - China urges students going overseas to think carefully before choosing Australia, citing racist incidents, threatening a $27.5 billion market for educating foreign students. Aug 2020 - Australian citizen Cheng Lei, a business anchor for Chinese state television in Beijing, is detained. Nov 27, 2020 - China announces temporary anti-dumping tariffs on Australian wine. Shipments of Australian live lobsters, timber and barley are also blocked or restricted around this time. China's embassy lists 14 grievances with Australia, including the blocking of 10 Chinese investments on national security grounds. May 22, 2022 - Australia's Labor Party, led by Albanese, wins the general election ending almost a decade of conservative rule. Nov 15, 2022 - Albanese meets Xi on the sidelines of the G20 in Indonesia. It is the first leaders' meeting since 2016. Jan 3, 2023 - China allows three government-backed utilities and its top steelmaker to resume coal imports from Australia. Aug 5, 2023 - China ends 80.5% tariffs on Australian barley. Oct 11, 2023 - China releases Australian journalist Cheng Lei after three years in a Beijing prison on national security charges. Oct 22, 2023 - China agrees to review dumping tariffs of 218% on Australian wine. Australia pauses WTO complaint. Nov 6-7, 2023 - Visiting Beijing, Albanese tells Xi and Premier Li Qiang that a strong relationship between the two countries was "beneficial into the future". Xi says stable bilateral ties served each other's interests and both countries should expand their cooperation. Jan 18, 2024 - Australia rejects comments by China's ambassador seeking to deflect blame from China's navy for the injury of Australian military divers in an incident near Japan in November. Feb 5, 2024 - A Beijing court hands Australian writer Yang Hengjun a suspended death sentence , opens new tab, five years after he was first detained in China and three years after a closed-door trial on espionage charges. Mar 29, 2024 - China lifts tariffs on Australian wine, triggering a surge in imports. Dec 3, 2024 - China lifts final restrictions on Australian beef. Dec 12, 2024 - Australia strikes rugby league funding deal with Papua New Guinea that is contingent on its Pacific Islands neighbour rejecting security or policing ties with China. Dec 26, 2024 - China resumes imports of Australian lobster. Feb 21, 2025 - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong raises concerns with Chinese counterpart over inadequate notice given by the Chinese navy of a live-fire exercise in international waters between Australia and New Zealand that forced airlines to divert flights. May 3, 2025 - Albanese's Labor government is re-elected for a second term in national elections. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/australia-china-trade-flows-security-tensions-shape-ties-2025-07-13/
