2024-11-18 11:27

KYIV, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Ukrainians in the Black Sea port city of Odesa on Monday morning had been without power for 24 hours and further cuts were planned across the country after a massive Russian missile strike over the weekend damaged energy infrastructure. Russia unleashed its largest missile attack on Ukraine in almost three months on Sunday, killing seven people and further hobbling an already damaged energy system. "The situation is most difficult in Odesa and Odesa district. Unfortunately, it is not yet technically possible to supply power to the critical infrastructure in the Kyivskyi and Primorskyi districts of the city," power distributor DTEK wrote on the Telegram messenger. As of Monday morning some 400,000 homes had power restored while 321,000 consumers remained without service, DTEK said. Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said the water supply and heating was being gradually restored across the city with 445 shelters offering necessary services to residents. Kiper later said a Russian attack on the city on Monday had killed at least 8 civilians and injured 18. Russia has attacked the Odesa region for months, hitting port and energy infrastructure. Attacks in the autumn of 2022 left the region without electricity for several days and also triggered curbs on energy use in the winter of 2023. Temporary power cuts across the country were announced on Sunday between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. by national grid operator Ukrenergo which said workers were repairing the damage as quickly as possible. Engineers restored power to almost 150,000 consumers following yesterday's attack, the energy ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. Authorities said most regions would face blackouts on Monday of up to eight hours, including the capital Kyiv. Power cuts of six hours were expected in the central Ukrainian region of Cherkasy and cuts of four to six hours in Sumy in northern Ukraine. No cuts were planned in five western regions. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-brings-back-long-rolling-power-cuts-after-major-russian-strike-2024-11-18/

2024-11-18 11:24

Delhi pollution hits season high City's chief minister calls it 'medical emergency' Visibility drops, Delhi flight operations affected Residents complain of burning eyes, breathing difficulties Such pollution can hurt Indian growth story, economist warns NEW DELHI, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Toxic smog engulfed much of northern India on Monday and pollution readings in New Delhi hit their highest of this pre-winter season, after dense fog overnight. Visibility dropped to 100 metres in the capital and at least eleven flights were diverted. Operations at airports and railway stations continued, but with delays, officials said. Delhi's chief minister Atishi, who goes by only one name, called the situation in northern India "a medical emergency". "For any responsible government in India, the top priority should be pollution control in cities like Delhi," economist Kaushik Basu said in a post on social media platform X. Atishi's government has directed all schools to move classes online and tightened restrictions on construction activities and vehicle movements, but despite the polluted air, many Delhi residents continued their daily routines. "Morning walk usually feels good, but now the air is polluted and we're forced to wear a mask ... There is a burning sensation in the eyes and slight difficulty in breathing," Akshay Pathak told the ANI news agency. The winter blanket of smoke and fog descends each year as cold air traps dust, emissions and smoke from illegal farm fires, where stubble left after harvesting rice is burnt to clear fields in surrounding states. "In addition to diminishing the quality of life, this kind of pollution, left unchecked, can bring India's growth story to an end," Basu said of the problem. India's Supreme Court, which has been hearing cases on tackling the problem, directed all states in the Delhi region to immediately take a call on suspending offline classes for students up to grade 12, legal news website Livelaw reported. Delhi's 24-hour air quality index (AQI) reading was at 491, classified as "severe plus", the highest this season, India's pollution control authority said. By afternoon, the AQI in at least four stations in Delhi had touched 500, with many others between 490-500. India's weather department has forecast similar conditions on Tuesday as well. India's Central Pollution Control Board defines an AQI reading of 0-50 as "good" and above 401 as "severe", which affects healthy people and "seriously impacts" those with existing diseases. Farm fires this season have contributed as much as 40% of Delhi's pollution, SAFAR, a weather forecasting agency under the ministry of earth sciences has said. Swiss group IQAir ranks New Delhi as the world's most polluted city with air quality at a "hazardous" 1,081. The concentration of PM2.5 - particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or less in diameter that can be carried into lungs, causing deadly diseases and cardiac issues - was 130.9 times the World Health Organisation's recommended levels, it said. Experts say the scores vary because of a difference in the scale countries adopt to convert pollutant concentrations into AQI, and so the same quantity of a specific pollutant may be translated as different AQI scores in different countries. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/shrouded-smog-delhi-pollution-reading-is-highest-this-year-2024-11-18/

2024-11-18 11:09

SAN VICENTE DE TAGUA TAGUA, Chile, Nov 18 (Reuters) - An emerging group of farmers and growers in Chile, known as seed guardians, aim to protect the traditional crops of their ancestors, keeping them safe from industrial agriculture and genetic modification. The guardians collect, trade and plant hundreds of seeds to preserve forgotten varieties of tomatoes, corn and other vegetables that were historically farmed by the indigenous Mapuche people. One such guardian, Ana Yanez, said the varieties the guardians aim to save are dwindling due to changing environments or farmers opting for higher-yield varieties. "We are rescuing the seeds and knowledge of our ancestors," said Delfin Toro, another guardian. "How they harvested, how they sowed, the dynamics of the moon, when to plant, when to harvest." The guardians are finding clients at high-end restaurants. Pablo Caceres, a seed guardian and chef at Vik Winery's Pavilion restaurant in the Millahue Valley in central Chile, said he normally finds no more than five varieties of tomatoes at markets and fairs. "This year we'll have 26 varieties of tomatoes and we think that there are more than 200," Caceres said. This diversification could also help crops adapt to new terrain and areas affected by a changing climate. Ricardo Pertuze, an agronomist at the University of Chile, said new varieties are needed when climate change makes a crop's current location unsuitable. The genetic diversity the guardians are collecting are essential to find those varieties, Pertuze said. Wilson Hugo, an official at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, said the trend of safeguarding traditional seeds exists in other nations such as India, China, sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in countries of the former Soviet Union. "We have to congratulate them and support them and that's probably not enough," Hugo said. "We need more of them, we need to do more of this kind of work." Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/chiles-seed-guardians-grow-protect-forgotten-food-varieties-2024-11-18/

2024-11-18 10:59

LONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Britain's domestic energy price cap is expected to inch up by 1% in January, with geopolitical tensions and weather disruptions keeping wholesale energy prices high, analysts at Cornwall Insight said on Monday. Energy regulator Ofgem sets a cap on household energy bills each quarter using a formula that reflects wholesale energy prices and also takes into account suppliers' network costs and environmental and social levies. Britons had hoped energy prices would cool to help them cope with a cost of living squeeze and after the government removed some energy bill support for many older people this winter. “Supply concerns have kept the market as volatile as earlier in the year... While we may have seen this coming, the news that prices will not drop from the rises in the Autumn will still be disappointing to many as we move into the colder months,” Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, said. Cornwall Insight forecasts Ofgem’s price cap will rise in January to 1,736 pounds ($2,190.14) a year based on average use, up from 1,717 pounds a year now. Energy regulator Ofgem had already increased the cap by 10% for the October to January period. Wholesale gas and power prices are a major part of the formula Ofgem uses to calculate the price cap and they have remained high this year due to concerns over supply relating to conflict in the Middle East and flows to Europe from Russia via Ukraine which are expected to cease at the end of the year. Cornwall said the cap is expected to fall slightly in April and again in October next year. Regulator Ofgem is expected to announce its price cap level for January at the end of the week. ($1 = 0.7926 pounds) Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/britains-energy-price-cap-rise-1-january-forecasts-cornwall-insight-2024-11-18/

2024-11-18 10:29

Nov 18 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports in September rose to their highest level in three months, data from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI) showed on Monday. The country's exports in September rose by 0.080 million barrels per day (bpd) to 5.751 million bpd from 5.671 million bpd in August. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest exporter of crude. At the same time, Saudi's production fell to 8.975 million bpd from 8.992 million bpd in August. Saudi refineries' crude throughput rose by 0.035 million bpd to 2.756 million bpd, the data showed, while direct crude burning decreased by 296,000 bpd to 518,000 bpd. Riyadh and other members of OPEC provide monthly export figures to JODI, which publishes them on its website. On the other hand, OPEC cut its 2024 global oil demand growth forecasts, highlighting weakness in China, India, and other regions, marking the producer group's fourth consecutive downward revision in the 2024 outlook. The IEA forecasts global oil supply to exceed demand by more than one million barrels per day in 2025, even if cuts remain in place from OPEC+. Supply curbs by OPEC and its allies, including Russia, remain in place until December, when some members are scheduled to start unwinding one layer of cut. Meanwhile, Saudi cut its December price for the flagship Arab light crude it sells to Asia by 50 cents to $1.70 a barrel above the Oman/Dubai average. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/saudi-arabias-crude-oil-exports-september-hit-three-month-peak-2024-11-18/

2024-11-18 10:09

MUMBAI, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee ended nearly unchanged on Monday, supported by the central bank's market intervention as portfolio outflows and a decline in most Asian currencies weighed on the local unit. The rupee closed at 84.3850 against the U.S. dollar, nearly unchanged from its close of 84.3950 in the previous session. The currency hovered in a 2-paisa band through the day while its regional peers were down between 0.1% to 0.3%. Asian currencies had kicked off Monday's trading session on a positive note but most were unable to hold onto their gains through the session. The dollar index was steady at 106.7. Dollar sales by state-run banks, on behalf of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), helped the rupee avoid losses, traders said. The central bank has been leaning on interventions in the non-deliverable forwards (NDF) market in a bid to limit the rupee's decline while also not spending reserves heavily, a senior treasury official at a foreign bank said. The use of non-deliverable forwards by the RBI has overtaken spot market interventions, Reuters had reported earlier. India's foreign exchange reserves declined for the sixth consecutive week to $675.65 billion as of Nov. 8, down more than $29 billion from their record high of $704 billion hit in late September. The central bank's market interventions have helped the rupee avert sharp falls in the face of sustained outflows from local equities as well as a surge in the dollar and U.S. bond yields post Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. Presidential elections. The dollar index is up more than 2.5% in November so far while the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield touched an over-5-month high of 4.50% last week. "Our perception remains that market positioning is quite stretched on dollar longs, and the greenback remains at risk of some technical correction in the near term," ING Bank said in a note. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/rupee-holds-ground-cenbank-intervention-counters-outflows-dip-asia-fx-2024-11-18/