2025-10-25 19:06
VALENCIA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia on Saturday and called for conservative regional leader Carlos Mazon to resign over his handling of flash floods that killed 229 people a year ago. Displaying banners with messages such as "Mazon to prison" and chanting, "They didn't die, they were murdered," protesters filled the centre of Valencia for the 12th time since the flash floods occurred almost exactly one year ago. Sign up here. "I have lost everything, but what matters is not the material losses but the human losses. And they could have been avoided," 71-year-old flood survivor Cristina Guzman Trabero told Reuters. "And we are here demanding justice. We don't want anything else." Residents of the affected areas accuse the regional government of issuing an alert too late after buildings were already under water and many people were drowning in the most catastrophic flood-related event in Europe since 1967. A judicial investigation is under way into the emergency response. On Thursday, the court summoned a local journalist who had lunch with Mazon on the day of the floods - October 29, 2024. Spanish authorities said on Thursday that the body of a 56-year-old man had been found buried in mud a year after he was swept away by the water. The catastrophic floods were caused by a destructive weather system, known locally as DANA, in which cold and warm air meet and produce powerful rain clouds, a pattern believed to be growing more frequent due to climate change. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/protesters-urge-regional-spanish-leader-quit-year-after-deadly-floods-2025-10-25/
2025-10-25 17:09
TUNIS, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Tunisians marched through the capital Tunis on Saturday to protest a severe environmental crisis , opens new tab caused by pollution from a state chemical plant in Gabes, as protests that began there widen outside the southern city. The protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations that have underscored growing public frustration over the government’s handling of pollution and worsening state of public services, marking the biggest challenge to President Kais Saied since he seized all power in 2021. Sign up here. Residents of Gabes have reported rising rates of respiratory illnesses, osteoporosis and cancer, which they blame on toxic gases from the state chemical group’s phosphate plants, which dump thousands of tons of waste into the sea daily. The latest wave of protests in Gabes was triggered this month after dozens of schoolchildren suffered breathing difficulties caused by toxic fumes from a plant that converts phosphates into phosphoric acid and fertilizers. Protesters in Tunis carried banners and chanted slogans in solidarity with residents of Gabes, calling the response of authorities "repression." The government said it arrested people for violence. "It’s that simple, the people of Gabes want to breathe," Hani Faraj, a protester from the “Stop Pollution” campaign, told Reuters. "Gabes is dying slowly ... We will not remain silent. We will escalate our peaceful protests." Saied's administration fears protests in the capital could spark unrest elsewhere in Tunisia, deepening pressure as it struggles with a prolonged economic downturn and political instability. Saied has described the situation in Gabes as an "environmental assassination,” blaming criminal policy choices by a previous government. In an effort to quell the protests, he has called for repairs to the industrial units to stop leaks as an immediate step. Health Minister Mustapha Ferjani said this week the government would build a cancer hospital in Gabes to deal with rising cases. However, protesters have rejected the fixes as temporary, and are demanding the polluting facilities be permanently shut and relocated. Environmental groups warn that tons of industrial waste are discharged daily into the sea at Chatt Essalam, severely damaging marine life. Local fishermen have reported a sharp decline in fish stocks over the past decade, threatening a vital source of income for many in the region. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/hundreds-protest-tunisias-capital-over-worsening-pollution-crisis-2025-10-25/
2025-10-25 16:14
Oct 25 (Reuters) - French oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) , opens new tab said it, along with its project partners, had lifted force majeure on their $20 billion Mozambique LNG project, four years after an Islamist militant attack brought construction to a halt. Notice was sent to the Mozambican government via letter on Friday, a TotalEnergies press officer said. Sign up here. The company said, however, the project would only be relaunched once the government had approved an updated budget and schedule. "Before fully relaunching the project, Mozambique's council of ministers needs to approve an addendum to the plan of development," the company said. TotalEnergies, the project's operator and leading shareholder, forecasts the 13 million metric-ton-per-year project will come online in 2029, around five years later than initially expected. COSTS RISE BY AT LEAST $4 BILLION? Costs related to security and the four-year halt had added at least $4 billion to the project's stated $20 billion price tag, Indian shareholder Bharat Petroleum said last year. Shareholders have been in negotiations with the Mozambique government to decide how the additional costs should be split. Contracts have been agreed to sell nearly 90% of the project's future output, TotalEnergies has said, with long-term buyers including China's CNOOC, France's EDF, and British major Shell (SHEL.L) , opens new tab. A portion of the gas is reserved for Mozambique's state energy company ENH. Major discoveries of offshore gas lured investors to Mozambique - where companies including Italy's ENI (ENI.MI) , opens new tab and U.S major ExxonMobil (XOM.N) , opens new tab also have stakes - but the project's resumption will focus attention on whether Mozambique can provide the political stability and security needed to exploit those reserves. The project, known as Mozambique LNG, is 40% complete. Remaining works will take place in "containment mode", with workers allowed in by air or sea only for security reasons, TotalEnergies told a September 29 Investor Day. Mozambique LNG is owned by TotalEnergies (26.5%), Japan's Mitsui (20%), ENH (15%), Bharat Petroleum (10%), Oil India (10%), ONGC Videsh (10%), and Thailand's PTTEP (8.5%). https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/totalenergies-partners-lift-force-majeure-20-billion-mozambique-lng-project-2025-10-25/
2025-10-25 14:05
BERLIN, Oct 25 (Reuters) - A senior lawmaker from Germany's Social Democrats, a junior partner in Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition government, called on Saturday for a change of China policy after Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul postponed a trip to Beijing. Wadephul, a member of Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), cancelled the trip on Friday after Beijing confirmed only one of his requested meetings, a move that pointed to rising tensions over trade and security matters. Sign up here. "The short-term cancellation of the trip to China does not bode well for an improvement in tense German-Chinese relations," said Adis Ahmetovic, foreign policy spokesperson for the Social Democrats (SPD). "We need to rethink Germany's China strategy. More than ever, we need an active, strategic foreign policy that focuses on dialogue, clarity and long-term interests," he said. Germany is Europe's biggest economy. China is Germany's biggest trading partner and the largest economy in Asia. The only meeting Beijing had confirmed during Wadephul's planned trip had been with his direct counterpart, Wang Yi. A German foreign ministry spokesperson, commenting on the trip's postponement on Friday, also said Germany was concerned about constraints placed on rare earth exports. WADEPHUL UNDERLINED IMPORTANCE OF FAIR TRADE Wadephul told Reuters this week he planned to urge China to relax export restrictions on rare earths and semiconductors during his trip, which had been due to start on Sunday, and underlined fair trade as a cornerstone of successful relations. In a strategy on China agreed in 2023, Berlin urged the "de-risking" of the two countries' economic relationship, calling Beijing a "partner, competitor and systemic rival". China provides Germany with critical components such as rare earths and chips, two areas that have been subject to severe bottlenecks as global trade tensions intensify. "Direct dialogue with China is particularly important in a phase of global tension," Ahmetovic said. Talks should be deepened "especially on issues of peace, security, the economy, trade and human rights," he said. Juergen Hardt, foreign policy spokesperson for the CDU, said China was trying to use trade policy as a means of exerting pressure and that Wadephul had been right to postpone the trip. "The German government is not playing along with this game," he said, adding that Germany continued to value good and fair relations with Beijing. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/germany-should-rethink-china-strategy-spd-lawmaker-says-2025-10-25/
2025-10-25 10:43
BRUSSELS, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The European Union is developing a new plan to curb its reliance on Chinese critical raw materials, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday, as she criticised Beijing for its expanded restrictions on the export of rare earths. The European Union has for years attempted to reduce its dependence on China for the minerals that are needed for the transition to cleaner energy, the defence sector and electric vehicle production. Sign up here. Von der Leyen said the EU would seek to speed up critical raw materials partnerships with countries such as Australia, Canada, Chile, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. The plan would also include greater efforts to recycle critical raw materials in products sold in Europe, she said. "The aim is to secure access to alternative sources of critical raw materials in the short, medium and long term for our European industries," she told a conference in Berlin. The scheme, called RESourceEU, would be similar to a plan the EU developed after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine to cut its reliance on Russian energy, known as REPowerEU, she said. "We will focus on everything from joint purchasing to stockpiling. We will boost investment in strategic projects for the production and processing of critical raw materials here in the European Union," she added. On October 9, China imposed export restrictions on rare earths and battery materials. Western governments and analysts view the increased curbs as part of China's response to trade tariffs imposed by the United States. But von der Leyen said it also had a huge impact on Europe, in industrial sectors, including automotive, defence, aerospace, AI chips and data centres. "If you consider that over 90% of our consumption of rare earth magnets comes from imports from China, you see the risks here for Europe and its most strategic industrial sectors," she said. "In the short term, we are focusing on finding solutions with our Chinese counterparts. But we are ready to use all of the instruments in our toolbox to respond if needed," she said. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/eu-steps-up-efforts-cut-reliance-chinese-rare-earths-2025-10-25/
2025-10-25 10:08
Food banks already strained by high food costs and demand Shutdown leaves Congress unable to fund November food aid benefits More than 41 million SNAP and nearly 7 million WIC recipients at risk of lapse WASHINGTON/CHICAGO, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Cynthia Kirkhart, the CEO of Facing Hunger Foodbank in Huntington, West Virginia, has already had to explain to customers this year why the organization is rationing bags of potatoes. The food bank, which also serves households in Kentucky and Ohio, has had to shrink its allotments as higher food costs and surging need strain its budget. Sign up here. Now facing the prospect of nearly 300,000 West Virginians missing November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps, due to the federal government shutdown, there is little more she can do. "You remove SNAP dollars, and people have no resources. We're in some real trouble," Kirkhart said. Nine food banks and anti-hunger groups in eight states told Reuters they will struggle to absorb higher demand if November SNAP benefits are not distributed. The shutdown, now the second-longest in history, has prevented Congress from funding the benefits, which reach more than 41 million Americans. Hunger in the U.S. is already on a multi-year rise. The administration of President Donald Trump has cut some federal food bank funding and hiked SNAP work requirements, which could push some people off the program. States warned this week that hunger could surge if SNAP benefits lapse. The shutdown also threatens benefits for nearly 7 million participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the benefit cliff is "an inflection point for Senate Democrats." Democrats have withheld votes on a spending bill in an effort to keep healthcare prices from spiking for many Americans. Democrats and Republicans have blamed the other for the shutdown. BRACING FOR IMPACT Food banks have already seen record demand in recent years as food price inflation and the long tail of the COVID-19 pandemic strain household budgets. More than 50 million people received food from food banks, pantries and other charitable sources in 2023, compared to roughly 40 million in 2019, according to Feeding America, a national food bank network. Food providers have boosted fundraising, trimmed hours and pared back offerings to try to keep up. But their role has always been to supplement government aid, not replace it. MANNA FoodBank in Mills River, North Carolina, has seen its highest-ever demand as the community continues to rebuild from the destruction of Hurricane Helene, which also destroyed the group's warehouse, said Claire Neal, the group's CEO. "The reality is, there's not a ton we can do on our own. For every meal we provide, SNAP provides nine. We can't make up the difference, and philanthropy can't replace government support," Neal said. Some organizations are still hoping to fundraise ahead of a potential November surge, like the United Way of New York City, which has opened an emergency fund to quickly funnel money to low-income households if needed, said president and CEO Grace Bonilla. "Those lines (at food banks) are going to get much longer. We’re just bracing ourselves for the impact," Bonilla said. NO FEDERAL ACTION Mayors and House Democrats this week urged Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to fund November benefits using a SNAP contingency fund estimated by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to contain about $5 billion. That amounts to 60% of the cost of one month of the benefits. The USDA on Friday said it would not tap into the funds and instead would reserve them for responding to natural disasters and other emergencies. In the absence of federal action, some states have stepped in. California and New York said they would send money to food banks. Virginia on Thursday declared a state of emergency to fund November benefits. But others have found little option for aiding SNAP recipients. Alaska's Department of Health website said the agency explored using state money for benefits but found it impossible. "Reprogramming the federal system to instead draw funds from the state treasury is not feasible due to vendor and system timeline constraints," according to the website. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-food-banks-brace-surge-shutdown-threatens-benefits-2025-10-25/
