2024-10-05 21:16

Oct 5 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Milton has strengthened and is set to become a hurricane that will impact Florida's west coast next week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Saturday. The storm was about 385 miles (620 km) west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (70 kph), the Miami-based forecaster said. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tropical-storm-milton-set-become-hurricane-impacting-floridas-west-coast-2024-10-05/

2024-10-05 12:45

Oct 5 (Reuters) - Burkina Faso plans to withdraw mining permits from some foreign companies and will seek to produce more of its own gold, junta leader Ibrahim Traore said on Saturday, without specifying which permits could be cancelled. "We know how to mine our gold and I don't understand why we're going to let multinationals come and mine it," Traore said in a radio address to mark two years since he seized power in a coup. "In fact, we are going to withdraw mining permits," he said. He did not specify which permits or provide further detail. Gold is the main export of the West African country, where frustration over a long-running security crisis helped bring the junta to power in 2022. Since then, it has severed longstanding ties with Western allies and sought closer relations with Russia. London-listed Endeavour Mining, Australia-based West African Resources, Russia's Nordgold, and Canada's Orezone Gold Corporation operate in Burkina Faso. Operations have been complicated by growing insecurity. Despite the junta promising to contain groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State, the country saw a severe escalation of deadly attacks in 2023, with more than 8,000 people reportedly killed, according to U.S.-based crisis-monitoring group ACLED. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/burkina-faso-plans-withdraw-some-mining-permits-junta-leader-says-2024-10-05/

2024-10-05 12:04

DUBAI, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Iran's oil minister Mohsen Paknejad said on Saturday that he was "not worried" amid the escalating conflict in the region, the ministry's Shana news site said, after reports that Israel may strike Iran. "I am not worried about the crises that the enemies of the revolution are creating, and this trip is considered a normal work trip," Paknejad was quoted by Shana as saying. Paknejad's comments were made during a visit to Assaluyeh, a centre for Iranian installations exploiting the world's largest offshore gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar across the Gulf. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-oil-minister-not-worried-about-crisis-amid-israeli-threats-2024-10-05/

2024-10-05 11:04

Oct 5 (Reuters) - In the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Helene in the United States this week, a new storm emerged on social media - false rumors about how disaster funds have been used, and even claims that officials control the weather. Local and national government officials say they are trying to combat the rumors, including one spread by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. One of the more far-fetched rumors is that Helene was an engineered storm to allow corporations to mine regional lithium deposits. Others accuse the administration of President Joe Biden of using federal disaster funds to help migrants in the country illegally, or suggest officials are deliberately abandoning bodies in the cleanup. Republican Congress member Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X Thursday night: "Yes they can control the weather. It's ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done." The conspiracy theories come at a pivotal time for rescue and recovery efforts following the storm, one of the deadliest U.S. hurricanes this century. And the presidential election between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is just over a month away. Republicans and Democrats alike say the rumors are causing problems. "I just talked to one Senator that has had 15 calls TODAY about why we don't stop ........ 'fill in the blank,'" said Kevin Corbin, a Republican in the North Carolina Senate - a state that is one of the hardest hit by Helene. "98% chance it's not true and if it is a problem, somebody is aware and on it," he wrote on Facebook. "I'm growing a bit weary of intentional distractions," he added. White House officials on Friday accused some Republican leaders and conservative media of intentionally peddling rumors to divide Americans in a way that could harm disaster relief efforts. "Disinformation of this kind can discourage people from seeking critical assistance when they need it most," a White House memo said. "It is paramount that every leader, whatever their political beliefs, stops spreading this poison." The memo highlighted a claim by Trump during a rally this week that Biden and Harris had used federal emergency funds "on people that should not be in our country." "This is FALSE," the memo said. "No disaster relief funding at all was used to support migrants housing and services. None. At. All." In response to a request for comment for this article, the Trump campaign repeated accusations that FEMA funds had been spent on housing migrants in the country illegally. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has the funds for immediate response and recovery efforts for Helene, the White House memo said, and has provided millions of dollars in relief to those recovering. FEMA has been the target of so many falsehoods it has set up a rumor response page on its website to try to tamp them down. Helene slammed into Florida a week ago and has killed over 200 people and devastated a half dozen states in the U.S. Southeast. Some officials are trying to combat the disinformation themselves on social media. Katie Keaotamai, who works at FEMA but said she was speaking on social media in a personal capacity, explained FEMA's disaster response processes in several TikTok posts with thousands of views. Disaster events are often politicized, said Kate Starbird, co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington, adding that social media rewards "sensationalism and outrage with attention." "Manipulating the sensemaking process (e.g. spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation) and politicizing the event will both make it harder to respond and recover now — and to make informed decisions about how to prepare for and mitigate the next one," Starbird said. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-officials-struggle-quash-hurricane-helene-conspiracy-theories-2024-10-05/

2024-10-05 11:01

DONJA JABLANICA, Bosnia, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Rescuers dug through rubble in the village of Donja Jablanica on Saturday morning in search for people who went missing in Bosnia's deadliest floods in years that hit the Balkan country on Friday. The cantonal government official, Darko Juka, told reporters on Saturday that after compiling all date the government concluded 13 people had died in Jablanica area, 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) southwest of Sarajevo. On Friday Juka had said 16 had been killed. Earlier on Saturday N1 TV had reported that 21 people died and dozens were missing. An excavator removed rubble to uncover cars and houses, as rescuers stood by to see if there are any survivors. Alka Glusic, 74, lost a brother and his three immediate family members. She had stayed in another house with her sister. "That (brother's) house is gone now. There is no one there," Glusic told Reuters in tears. Heavy rain overnight halted search, Bosnian media reported, but as it stopped the search continued. In Donja Jablanica many houses were still under rubble. Nezima Begovic, 62, was lucky. Her house is damaged, but she came out unhurt. "I heard people screaming and suddenly it was all quiet. Then I said everyone is dead there," she told Reuters. Due to flash flooding on Friday a quarry above Donja Jablanica collapsed and rubble poured over houses and cars in the village. Enes Imamovic, 66, said he was woken by loud noises at around 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Friday. "Everything was white (from the stones and dust that came down from the quarry), My friend's house was gone. I heard screams," Imamovic told Reuters. The Bosnian Football Association (NFSBIH) has postponed all matches due to floods. Bosnia's election commission decided to postpone local elections this weekend in municipalities affected by floods, but to carry on with voting elsewhere. The floods follow an unprecedented summer drought which caused many rivers and lakes to dry up, and affected agriculture and the supply of water to urban areas throughout the Balkans and much of Europe. Meteorologists said extreme weather changes can be attributed to climate change. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/rescue-teams-search-missing-bosnias-floods-2024-10-05/

2024-10-05 05:46

Oct 5 (Reuters) - The Bosnian Football Association (NFSBIH) has postponed all matches in its affiliated competitions after floods and landslides killed at least 16 people in the country. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting, as torrential rain and landslides destroyed homes, roads and bridges, with search operations ongoing for missing people. "After today's emergency session ... a state of natural calamity caused by floods and landslides in Bosnia and Herzegovina was declared," the NFSBIH said on Friday. Floods have damaged infrastructure in multiple clubs, with third-tier side Brnjaci appealing for help from the local community after its home ground was submerged and club premises were flooded. "Good people, coaches, parents, veterans and first team players managed to repair the damage as much as possible. Many thanks to everyone," the club wrote on Facebook on Friday. "We hope that we will all be fine and that this too will pass." Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/bosnian-fa-postpones-all-matches-amid-floods-landslides-2024-10-05/