2025-10-19 20:02
Oct 19 (Reuters) - Russian forces on Sunday attacked a coal mine in southeastern Ukraine and an unidentified energy site in the north near the Russian border, the operators of the sites said, adding to a series of recent assaults on Ukraine's energy network. Private Ukrainian energy firm DTEK said Russian forces launched an attack on a colliery in Dnipropetrovsk region. The company said 192 miners were safely brought to the surface, with no injuries. Sign up here. The company said it was the fourth Russian assault in two months on coal mining operations in Ukraine. The regional energy company in the northern border region of Chernihiv, Chernihivoblenergo, said an attack there caused extensive damage and cut off electricity to 55,000 users. Emergency crews would restore power in the area once it was safe to do so, it said. Russian attacks in recent weeks have focused on Ukraine's power grid and other energy sites. Power cuts were imposed in many areas in the past week in the aftermath of an attack earlier this month that cut electricity to more than one million consumers. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-attacks-ukraine-coal-mine-second-energy-site-companies-say-2025-10-19/
2025-10-19 14:52
BRUSSELS, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The European Union's diplomatic arm, the EEAS, is urging member states to back a maritime declaration that would allow EU nations working with flag states to arrange inspections on Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, an EEAS document shows. Beefing up inspection rights is the latest EU proposal aimed at curbing Russian oil and gas revenue being used by Moscow to finance the Ukraine war. EU foreign ministers are due to meet on Monday to discuss new measures against Russia, among other topics. Sign up here. In early October, the Group of Seven industrialised economies (G7) agreed to work jointly towards this goal and target countries that help Moscow circumvent sanctions as well as those that have increased Russian oil imports. "EU Member States increasingly demonstrate a renewed momentum for more robust enforcement actions tackling the shadow fleet (for example, France's action against the Boracay vessel, previous actions by Estonia on Kiwala, Germany on Eventin and Finland on Eagle S)," the EEAS background paper said. It said the draft declaration proposes "possible bilateral agreements between the flag states and the EU on pre-authorised boardings for inspections," adding that an increase in fake flag registrations also needed tackling. The EEAS said estimates put the shadow fleet at anywhere between 600 and 1,400, with Brussels sanctioning more than 400 ships as well as entities that enable the fleet to operate. Once the EU adopts the 19th package of sanctions - likely within the next week - that figure will rise to about 560 vessels and bring forward a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports by a year to Jan. 1, 2027. The EEAS said the bloc will also target tanker re-fuelling services, so-called bunkering. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/eu-seeks-maritime-declaration-inspect-russias-shadow-fleet-2025-10-19/
2025-10-19 06:36
MOSCOW, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The Orenburg gas processing plant, the largest facility of its kind in the world, has been forced to suspend its intake of gas from Kazakhstan after a Ukrainian drone attack, Kazakhstan's energy ministry said on Sunday. Orenburg regional governor Yevgeny Solntsev had said earlier on Sunday that the plant had been partially damaged and that the drone strike had caused a fire to break out at a workshop at the plant. The fire was later put out, Russian media outlet Kommersant reported, citing the operator. Sign up here. Ukraine, which confirmed it hit a gas processing plant in the Orenburg region and an oil refinery in the Samara region, has stepped up its attacks on Russian refineries and other energy facilities since August to try to disrupt petrol supplies and deprive Moscow of funding. Ukrainian military said there were explosions and fire at the site. It is the first reported strike on the plant, which forms part of the Orenburg gas chemical complex. The facility, operated by Gazprom, has an annual processing capacity of 45 billion cubic metres and handles gas condensate from both the Orenburg oil and gas field and Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field. Kazakhstan's energy ministry said Gazprom (GAZP.MM) , opens new tab had notified it of the emergency but had yet to provide details on the extent of the damage or a timeline for resuming full operations. Nobody was reported to have been hurt in the attack. Separately, the governor of Russia's Samara region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said on social media that air defences had also been in action overnight against Ukrainian drones and that the local airport and mobile internet services had been temporarily suspended. Ukraine has previously tried to strike an oil refinery in the Samara region. Russia's Defence Ministry said in a statement that its air defence forces had shot down 45 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 12 over the Samara region, 11 over the Saratov region, and one over the Orenburg region. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-drones-cause-fire-russian-gas-plant-governor-says-2025-10-19/
2025-10-19 00:30
Oct 18 (Reuters) - Chinese tech giants, including Alibaba-backed Ant Group (688688.SS) , opens new tab and e-commerce group JD.com (9618.HK) , opens new tab, have paused plans to issue stablecoins in Hong Kong after the government raised concerns about the rise of currencies controlled by the private sector, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. Companies have put their stablecoin ambitions on hold after receiving instructions from Chinese regulators, including the People’s Bank of China and Cyberspace Administration of China, not to move ahead with the plans, the FT reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Sign up here. Hong Kong's legislature passed a stablecoin bill in May that established a licensing regime for fiat-referenced stablecoin issuers in Hong Kong, providing regulatory clarity for future participants. Under the new regime, any person who issues stablecoins in Hong Kong - or issues stablecoins backed by Hong Kong dollars, whether within or outside the city - must obtain a licence from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Ant Group said in June it would be participating in the pilot stablecoin programme. JD.com has also said it would take part in the pilot, according to the FT. PBOC officials advised against participating in the initial rollout of stablecoins over concerns about allowing tech groups and brokerages to issue any type of currency, the FT report said. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Ant Group, JD.com, PBOC and CAC did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the HKMA told Reuters on Sunday in an email that it does not comment on market rumours. Stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a constant value, usually pegged to a fiat currency such as the U.S. dollar, are commonly used by crypto traders to move funds between tokens. https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/chinese-tech-giants-pause-stablecoin-plans-after-beijing-steps-ft-reports-2025-10-19/
2025-10-18 23:04
LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Britain announced a national plan on Sunday to train and recruit hundreds of thousands of workers for industrial jobs amid growing demand in the clean energy sector. The government said that recent public and private investment in clean energy, such as renewables and nuclear, was driving a surge in demand for industrial workers, with plumbers, electricians, and welders especially sought after. Sign up here. Under the new plans, five new colleges will train young people for clean energy careers, while a national programme will help connect workers with jobs in solar installation, wind turbine manufacturing, and nuclear power. In addition, work schemes will support ex-offenders, school leavers, and the unemployed, alongside efforts to upskill existing workers, such as helping those in oil and gas transition into roles in offshore wind, nuclear energy, and the electricity grid. "Communities have long been calling out for a new generation of good industrial jobs," energy secretary Ed Miliband said. "The clean energy jobs boom can answer that call." The government is aiming to double jobs in the sector to 860,000 by 2030. The plan proposes ensuring companies receiving public funding offer fair pay and strong workplace protections across the clean energy sector. Britain hopes to largely decarbonise its electricity sector by 2030, as part of a broader effort to meet climate targets, strengthen energy security, and lower power costs by reducing dependence on costly fossil fuels. It previously announced a goal to more than double current investment in clean energy industries, aiming to exceed 30 billion pounds ($40.30 billion) annually by 2035. ($1 = 0.7445 pounds) https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/uk-launches-drive-meet-growing-demand-clean-energy-workers-2025-10-18/
2025-10-18 22:51
WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Democrats in Congress on Saturday criticized the Trump administration's decision to buy two Gulfstream G700 jets for $172 million during the ongoing government shutdown that are to be used by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other senior leaders. The U.S. Coast Guard entered into a sole-source contract on Friday, according to a government contracting website. The jets will be used for the Coast Guard’s Long Range Command Control fleet of aircraft. Sign up here. DHS said in a statement late Friday that the new jets are needed because it currently relies on a Gulfstream CG-101 G550 jet that is over 20 years old, outside of the aircraft’s service life "and well beyond operational usage hours for a corporate aircraft." The department said it would not allow the federal shutdown "to slow down this process" of replacing the jet, but Democrats want to know where the money is coming from. "Your first priority should be to organize, train and equip a Coast Guard that is strong enough to meet today's mission requirements. Instead, it appears your first priority is your own comfort," Democratic Representatives Rosa DeLauro and Lauren Underwood wrote in a letter to Noem. This week, DHS said it would pay more than 70,000 sworn police officers, including TSA air marshals but not the 50,000 TSA security personnel that operate airport checkpoints. Representative Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, called for a probe of the purchase. "Such spending is blatantly immoral — and probably illegal — and Congress must investigate," Thompson said in a statement on Saturday. Thompson said Congress rejected a DHS request for a $50 million jet earlier this year. He noted Coast Guard service members are using some mission-critical aircraft dating back to the 1980s. Bloomberg Government first reported the planned purchases earlier. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/dhs-purchase-business-jets-during-shutdown-draws-democrats-ire-2025-10-18/
