2025-01-11 18:51
MEXICO CITY, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Mexico sent a team of firefighters to California on Saturday to help teams battling the raging wildfires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles. "The humanitarian aid group is leaving for Los Angeles, California," Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X on Saturday morning, posting photos of firefighters holding the flags of Mexico and California and standing on the runway in front of two planes. "We are a country of generosity and solidarity," she added. Six simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County neighborhoods since Tuesday have killed at least 11 people and damaged or destroyed 10,000 structures. The toll is expected to mount when firefighters are able to conduct house-to-house searches. California Governor Gavin Newsom thanked Mexico in a message on X posted on Friday after the deployment was announced. "California is deeply grateful for President Sheinbaum's support as we work to suppress the Los Angeles wildfires," he wrote. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/mexico-sends-firefighters-california-help-with-raging-blazes-2025-01-11/
2025-01-11 16:05
MOSCOW, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry on Saturday denounced new U.S. sanctions against Moscow's energy sector as an attempt to harm Russia's economy at the risk of destabilising global markets and said the country would press on with large oil and gas projects. A ministry statement also said that Russia would respond to Washington's "hostile" actions, announced on Friday, while drawing up its foreign policy strategy. The statement said the measures amounted to "an attempt to inflict at least some damage to the Russian economy, even at the cost of the risk of destabilising world markets as the end approaches of President Joe Biden's inglorious tenure in power." "Despite the convulsions in the White House and the machinations of the Russophobic lobby in the West, trying to drag the world energy sector into the 'hybrid war' unleashed by the United States against Russia, our country has been and remains a key and reliable player in the global fuel market." The measures constituted the broadest U.S. package of sanctions so far targeting Russia's oil and gas revenues, part of measures to give Kyiv and the incoming administration of Donald Trump leverage to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine. The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Gazprom Neft (SIBN.MM) , opens new tab and Surgutneftegas, which explore for, produce and sell oil as well as 183 vessels that have shipped Russian oil, many of which are in the so-called shadow fleet of ageing tankers operated by non-Western companies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the measures would "deliver a significant blow" to Moscow. "The less revenue Russia earns from oil ... the sooner peace will be restored," he said. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-says-it-will-continue-oil-gas-projects-despite-us-sanctions-2025-01-11/
2025-01-11 14:42
BELGRADE, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Gas flows from Azerbaijan to Serbia have been halted and it is unclear when they will resume, news agency Tanjug quoted Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as saying. "I got information from our Azerbaijan brothers and friends that because of force majeure, and problems they have, we as of today cannot count on 1.7 million cubic metres of gas that was coming every day," Vucic told reporters. Vucic said it was not clear when the gas flows would resume. "This means that as of today we will start spending gas reserves," Vucic said, adding that he hoped in a month or two gas flows would resume. In 2023, Serbia, which uses more than 3 billion cubic metres of gas a year, signed a deal with Azerbaijan to purchase 400 million cubic metres of natural gas per year from 2024. The rest of the gas comes from Russia. Serbia, which aims to join the European Union, is under pressure to reduce its dependence on Russia for gas and oil. Following new U.S. sanctions on Russia's oil sector, Russia's Gazprom Neft will be given 45 days to exit ownership of Serbian oil company NIS (NIIS.BEL) , opens new tab, which is among the biggest contributors to Serbia's budget. NIS is majority owned by Gazprom Neft (SIBN.MM) , opens new tab, which holds a 50% stake, and Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) , opens new tab, which holds 6.15% of shares. The Serbian government holds 29.87%, with small shareholders accounting for the remainder. Bulgaria also said earlier this week that Azerbaijan had suspended contracted gas supply from Jan. 7 until Jan. 11 because of unspecified technical reasons. The interruption came as BP's (BP.L) , opens new tab Azerbaijan unit said on Friday it had suspended the work of the Shah Deniz Alfa (SDA) platform after detecting a technical issue at the subsea gas condensate export line. BP did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday about gas exports from Azerbaijan to Serbia. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/azerbaijans-gas-flows-serbia-suspended-serbian-president-says-2025-01-11/
2025-01-11 14:34
SAO PAULO, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has signed into law a bill authorizing the development of offshore wind farms, a statement said late on Friday, a bid to strengthen the country's energy security and spark a wave of investment. The new law foresees incentives for the development of offshore energy projects in Brazilian territorial waters, the statement said. Offshore wind speeds tend to be faster and steadier than on land, a potential advantage compared with wind farms built in a continent. But offshore wind farms can be expensive, difficult to build and potentially affect marine animals and birds, according to the American Geosciences Institute. The Brazilian government said the law provides guidelines for projects and restoration of explored areas, in addition to requiring prior consultations with affected communities to ensure "respect for traditional maritime practices and local culture." More than 80% of Brazil's electricity comes from renewable sources, mainly hydroelectric, according to government data. The president vetoed provisions in the law, introduced during the congressional debate, which would maintain incentives for "more polluting, expensive and inefficient energy sources such as thermoelectric, coal and gas plants," the statement said. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-president-signs-law-authorizing-offshore-wind-development-2025-01-11/
2025-01-11 12:52
PARIS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Authorities will put the French overseas territory of Mayotte on red alert late on Saturday, Overseas Minister Manuel Valls said, as a tropical storm nears the Indian Ocean archipelago that was devastated by a cyclone last month. A red alert asks residents to stay in a solid dwelling and cut off the power supply. "The red alert will be activated this evening. The prefect will obviously make the decision in conjunction with us, but that's what's going to happen," Valls told BFM TV. "We can't afford not to, given the situation, given the state of Mayotte after the passage of cyclone Chido,” he said. In mid-December, Chido, the most devastating cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years, caused colossal damage in France's poorest department, killing at least 39 people and leaving thousands injured, according to the latest count. As of 0500 GMT on Saturday, an orange cyclone alert - calling for people to prepare adequate supplies - was already in force as Storm Dikeledi was due to cross Madagascar before heading eastwards. It was expected to pass south of Mayotte on Saturday night and on Sunday, bringing high winds and heavy rainfall. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/cyclone-battered-mayotte-be-put-red-alert-2025-01-11/
2025-01-11 12:51
MOSCOW, Jan 11 (Reuters) - A fire at an industrial plant in Russia's Volga region is under control, local authorities said on Saturday, days after the blaze, reportedly at an oil depot strategically positioned near a military air base began following a Ukrainian drone attack. The authorities on Wednesday said "an industrial plant" had been hit, without disclosing further details about the site. "The area of the fire at an industrial enterprise in Engels was reduced by 80%. The amount of smoke has also decreased significantly," the governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin said in a Telegram post on Saturday. It was not clear whether a state of emergency, declared in Engels, a city of 200,000 people some 730 km (450 miles) southeast of Moscow, was still in effect. Two firefighters died earlier this week while trying to stop the fire spreading. The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday it had set fire to an oil depot that serves an air base for Russian nuclear-capable bombers. Engels is hundreds of kilometres from Ukraine. In December 2022, three Russian air force personnel were killed when a drone was shot down there. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/fire-industrial-plant-after-drone-attack-under-control-russia-says-2025-01-11/
