2025-10-01 12:47

WARSAW, Oct 1 (Reuters) - A Polish court decided on Wednesday that the Ukrainian diver wanted by Berlin over his alleged involvement in explosions which damaged the Nord Stream gas pipeline, must be kept in custody while a decision is made on whether to transfer him to Germany. Described by both Moscow and the West as an act of sabotage, the explosions marked an escalation in the Ukraine conflict and squeezed energy supplies on the continent. No one has taken responsibility for the blasts and Ukraine has denied any role. Sign up here. Volodymyr Z. was detained near Warsaw on Tuesday. He will now be kept in custody for seven days. Germany's top prosecutors' office said Polish police had acted upon a European arrest warrant that it had issued. Its statement said the diver was one of a group of people who were suspected of renting a sailing yacht in the German Baltic Sea port of Rostock and planting explosives on the pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany, near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022. He faces accusations of conspiring to commit an explosives attack and of "anti-constitutional sabotage", the German prosecutors added. In August, Italian police arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the attacks. That man, identified only as Serhii K., plans to take his fight against extradition to Italy's highest court after a lower court ordered his transfer to Germany, his legal team said. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/polish-court-says-ukrainian-wanted-nord-stream-case-must-remain-custody-2025-10-01/

2025-10-01 12:41

SOCHI, Russia, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that the situation with supply of fuel on the domestic market is under control on the whole, while some regions are experiencing shortages of the fuel. Several regions in Russia reported shortages of certain popular types of gasoline, including in the country's far east, Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, as well as Nizhny Novgorod, east of Moscow. Sign up here. Ukraine has knocked out chunks of Russia's refining capacity via drone attacks. Russia is the world's third-biggest oil producer after the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. "We are witnessing some problems with supplies across some regions, while the energy ministry and the regions are jointly solving the problems in manual mode," Novak told reporters. To ensure supply on the domestic fuel market, the government has introduced diesel exports ban for traders and extended the export restrictions for gasoline until the end of the year. Novak also said that some oil refineries are being modernised and will be put into operations this and next year, which will ensure fuel supply. "If supply exceeds demand, we will certainly open up export markets," Novak said. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russias-novak-situation-with-domestic-fuel-supply-is-under-control-2025-10-01/

2025-10-01 12:19

Europe's top forecaster collects 800 million observations a day Access to quality data is central part of managing risks Will provide AI forecasting support for developing countries COPENHAGEN, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Europe's top weather forecaster said on Wednesday it had opened access to real-time data in a move that will support early warning systems for extreme weather events across the globe. As climate change drives more frequent and intense weather, from heatwaves to floods and storms, getting access to quality data remains a central part of efforts to understand and manage the risks. Sign up here. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, backed by 35 mostly European countries, collects 800 million observations a day to help predict the weather, and oversees one of the world's largest meteorological data archives. As part of a regional push by some European countries to move to open data, the centre will make available about 16 times as much data in an unrestricted fashion as it does currently, but retain data service charges for users who take large volumes, its data policy lead said. As the world gears up for the next round of climate talks in Brazil in November, adapting to climate extremes and getting data to those most impacted so they can better prepare remains a key need for developing countries. Against this backdrop, the centre said it would also waive service fees to support some early warning forecasting for members of the World Meteorological Organization and would see how AI forecasts could assist developing countries with less access to their own national data or processing. "If you have this disruptive technology, there's always the danger that countries that are less well-resourced get left behind," Florian Pappenberger, the director-general-elect for the centre, said. “We're aware that there's a large part of the globe where accessing machine learning forecasts is challenging." https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/forecaster-opens-access-real-time-data-boost-extreme-weather-warnings-2025-10-01/

2025-10-01 12:09

KYIV, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Ukraine's state energy firm Naftogaz signed a 300 million euro ($352 million) loan deal with the European Investment Bank for gas purchases ahead of the winter heating season, the company said on Wednesday. Naftogaz has stepped up efforts to secure additional funding to purchase sufficient gas to get Ukraine through winter after Russian strikes on production facilities cut domestic output by 40%. Sign up here. As part of the agreement, Naftogaz pledged to reinvest an amount equivalent to the EIB loan into renewable energy and decarbonisation projects. "300 million euro from the EIB is substantial and practical support that will help us guarantee the country’s energy resilience ahead of the winter," said Naftogaz CEO Sergii Koretskyi. He said that the company was pumping gas into underground storage for winter as planned, and that its storage targets are now about 95-98% met. The government has said Ukraine needs at least 13.2 billion cubic metres of gas for the 2025/26 heating season which starts in mid-October. The loan will allow the purchase of around 0.6 billion cubic metres of gas, Naftogaz said. Ukraine was forced to start importing gas back in the spring of 2025, due to attacks by hundreds of drones and missiles targeting the country's production facilities. Koretskyi says that gas purchased with the loan can be of any origin except Russian. He said that this year Naftogaz significantly increased imports of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG), which accounted for 8% of total imports. Koretskyi said the company had purchased 0.5 billion cubic metres of U.S. LNG, most of which has already been delivered to the country. ($1 = 0.8516 euros) https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ukraines-naftogaz-gets-300-million-euro-loan-gas-purchases-winter-2025-10-01/

2025-10-01 12:07

BRUSSELS, Oct 1 (Reuters) - The European Commission will propose cutting steel import quotas by nearly half and hiking duties on volumes above those levels to 50% in line with tariffs imposed by the U.S. and Canada, two sources briefed on details told Reuters on Wednesday. The measures will be part of a new package for the steel sector due to be unveiled on October 7. Sign up here. Stephane Sejourne, the Commission's executive vice president for industrial strategy, briefed steel associations and unions on Wednesday ahead of the announcement. Henrik Adam, president of European steel association Eurofer and vice president of Tata Steel, told a press conference that Sejourne had reassured attendees their message had been understood, without divulging details. EU STEEL IMPORT SAFEGUARDS SET TO EXPIRE Steel imports into the EU are currently limited by safeguards, but these are set to expire in mid-2026 in accordance with World Trade Organization rules. Steel groups have been pressing for a halving of the current quotas and a tariff of 50% excess volumes from 25% now. They say quotas now are 26% above original levels, while demand has declined. The rate would put the EU in line with Canada and the United States, though the latter's tariffs apply from the very first ton. The EU and Western allies are trying to contain excess capacity the OECD says will hit 721 million metric tons in 2027, notably due to subsidised Chinese factories. The EU is also investigating market trends for potential aluminium safeguards as well as export duties on scrap metal. The new steel import curb system could help secure a deal with the United States to replace 50% U.S. tariffs with a quota system, as outlined in the end-July U.S.-EU deal. The EU said it would work closely with Washington in a "metals alliance" to ring-fence their respective production from China. EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic met U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Asia this month to revive the talks. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/eu-plans-cut-steel-import-quotas-hike-tariffs-2025-10-01/

2025-10-01 11:44

Oct 1 (Reuters) - Conagra Brands (CAG.N) , opens new tab beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter sales and profit on Wednesday, helped by resilient demand for its pantry staples such as Slim Jim meat snacks and Act II popcorn. Consumers opting to cook at home due to rising living costs have helped boost sales for packaged foods companies such as Conagra. Sign up here. However, tariff-led inflation and macroeconomic uncertainty have been posing a threat to the company's sales, along with competition from cheaper private-label brands. "We continue to navigate a challenging environment as we're still dealing with persistent inflation and tariffs, both of which have drifted higher than our original expectations," CEO Sean Connolly said in a statement. "Against that backdrop, consumer sentiment remains weak and we still see value-seeking behavior." Reiterating its annual forecasts, Conagra said it expects an overall rise of about 7% in the cost of goods sold, including a 3% hit from tariffs. The company said the forecast includes a 50% tariff rate on imported tin plate steel and aluminum, along with a 30% rate on limited imports from China. Shares of the company rose about 2% in premarket trading, paring earlier gains, after the company said tariff-driven pricier inventory would weigh on the current quarter's operating margins. Conagra posted revenue of $2.63 billion for the quarter ended August 24, beating analysts' average estimate of $2.62 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Its quarterly adjusted earnings of 39 cents per share also exceeded expectations of 33 cents. https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/conagra-beats-quarterly-sales-estimates-2025-10-01/