2024-04-28 15:18

TURIN, April 28 (Reuters) - Italy sees a role for nuclear energy, alongside renewable energy sources, to meet the country's net zero emission target by 2050, Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on Sunday. Nuclear energy is a controversial issue in Italy where nuclear-fired power plants were banned after Italians voted in a 2011 referendum against a law for a national nuclear programme. Pichetto, who will head negotiations among energy ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) most industrialised countries starting on Monday in Turin, said that nuclear energy would allow Italy to protect the environment, but also reach complete independence on the energy front. "A contribution from nuclear energy in our energy mix would help Italy a lot in meeting the net zero target by 2050," Pichetto said at an event ahead of the G7 energy meeting. The issue also risks being divisive at the talks with other G7 countries, Italian diplomatic sources said, adding Germany was resisting a push by Italy to agree for broad support for nuclear energy as a transition from fossil fuel. At the event, Pichetto expressed support for the development of so-called small nuclear reactors, which nuclear advocates say could reduce costs and help decarbonise highly polluting sectors such as steel production. The energy ministry on Sunday announced Italy would join a European industrial alliance to develop such reactors. Speaking about national efforts for decarbonisation, Pichetto said Italy was ready to bring forward its deadline to shut coal-fired plants as a way to convince other G7 partners - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Japan - to agree a target date to phase out the most polluting fossil fuel. Italy, which heads the G7 rotating presidency this year, currently plans to turn off its coal-power plants by 2025, except on the island of Sardinia, for which the deadline is 2028. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/italy-sees-role-nuclear-energy-meet-green-goals-minister-says-2024-04-28/

2024-04-28 13:25

RIYADH, April 28 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is committed to sourcing lithium from overseas as it looks to produce EV batteries and invest in the electric vehicle sector, a senior minister said in an interview, noting attempts to secure domestic supplies were at an early stage. Saudi Arabia, whose economy has for decades relied on oil, has spent billions attempting to turn itself into a hub for EV manufacturing as part of defacto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's attempts to diversify the economy. "Lithium is a very important mineral that happens to be part of a very important part of the supply chain, especially for batteries," Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef told Reuters in an interview on Sunday. "I wouldn't imagine that we would live without it," he said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's special meeting in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has begun to explore extracting lithium from sea water and from salinated discharges from the kingdom's oil fields in cooperation with Aramco, but it did not know yet if these initiatives would be successful. "There are some signs which are encouraging, but we need to do more," said Alkhorayef. "For something to be economically feasible there are two things we need to look at: the size of deposits and concentration. We do not have enough evidence to say that we have the right size of deposits and concentration." Last year Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), and its flagship mining company Ma'aden formed a joint venture called Manara Minerals to invest in mining assets abroad. "I'm quite confident that Saudi Arabia's natural resource needs will be satisfied one way or another," said Alkhorayef, in response to a question on international lithium investments. "Either through the products that we have in the country or through imports, be it Manara investing or other partners." Saudi Arabia's embassy in Santiago approached Chile's mining ministry about hosting a delegation from the Middle Eastern country later this year to discuss potential investments in Chile's mining sector, Rodrigo Urquiza, the ministry's head of international affairs, said last week. Chile's Mining Minister Aurora Williams on Thursday declined to be more specific about which metals could be of interest to Saudi Arabia. Alkhorayef said he was not aware of any discussions with Chile on its lithium licenses. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/saudi-arabia-set-securing-lithium-ev-ambitions-2024-04-28/

2024-04-28 12:44

DHAKA, April 28 (Reuters) - Schools in Bangladesh reopened on Sunday despite a heatwave continuing to sweep the South Asian nation, with temperatures expected to climb above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in the days ahead, according to the weather department. Schools that had closed last week reopened on what is the first day of the week in Bangladesh, despite the latest 72-hour heat alert being extended until April 30. Due to the recent holidays to mark Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, students received extended leave, including for the heat alert, leading schools to worry about students' preparations for year-end exams. "Our academic activities are being hampered due to this long break including Ramadan and Eid holidays. This is the time for academic studies for final exams at the end of the year," Bornali Hossain, principal of Meherunnesa Girls' School, told Reuters Television. "We will try our best to catch up till the government provides the next directive." Daily assemblies will not be held until further notice, and the portion of class activities held outside the classroom and exposed to sunlight will be limited, the education ministry said. Parents still worried about the health of their children, however. "The weather is unbearable. What will happen if my daughter gets sick?" asked Sumana Ahmed, the mother of a six-year-old. Scientists say climate change is contributing to more frequent, severe and longer heatwaves during the summer months. The authorities have been encouraging residents to stay indoors and drink water. "My home is far. My younger daughter's class breaks early, but the elder one is still in school. Both of our two-way journeys by buses are tiresome due to the unbearable heatwave," said Kamrun Nahar, a mother of two students. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bangladesh-reopens-schools-amid-scorching-heatwave-2024-04-28/

2024-04-28 11:39

BENGALURU, April 28 (Reuters) - Indian spice maker MDH said its products are safe for consumption, and the company has not received any communication from regulators and authorities in Hong Kong or Singapore about alleged contamination in its products. Hong Kong this month suspended sales of three MDH spice blends and an Everest spice mix for fish curries. Singapore ordered a recall of the Everest spice mix as well, saying it contains high levels of ethylene oxide, which is unfit for human consumption and a cancer risk with long exposure. "We reassure our buyers and consumers that we do not use ethylene oxide at any stage of storing, processing, or packing our spices," MDH said in a statement on Sunday. Reuters on Saturday reported the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was gathering information on products of MDH and Everest. MDH and Everest spices are among the most popular in India and are also sold in Europe, Asia and North America. Following the moves in Hong Kong and Singapore, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is checking the quality standards of the two companies. India's Spices Board, the government's regulator for spice exports, has sought data on MDH and Everest exports from authorities in Hong Kong and Singapore, and was working with the companies to find the "root cause" of the quality issues as inspections started at their plants. MDH said India's FSSAI and Spices Board have not received any communication or test report from authorities in Hong Kong or Singapore. This reinforces that allegations against MDH are baseless, unsubstantiated, and not backed by any concrete evidence, the statement said. Everest has previously said its spices are safe for consumption. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-mdh-says-its-spices-safe-after-quality-allegations-2024-04-28/

2024-04-28 10:55

April 28 (Reuters) - Turkey is in talks with US energy giant ExxonMobil (XOM.N) New Tab, opens new tab over a multibillion-dollar deal to buy liquefied natural gas, in an effort to curb its dependence on Russian energy, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The country is seeking to build a "new supply portfolio" that will make it less reliant on any single partner, Turkey's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told the FT in an interview. Turkey would secure up to 2.5 million tonnes of LNG a year through a long-term deal under discussion with Exxon, Bayraktar told FT. The pact could last for a decade, he added. Bayraktar said the commercial terms of the Exxon deal were still under discussion. Turkey's reported deal with Exxon comes at a time when Russian exports to Europe are falling as Europe increases its LNG purchases from global producers to cut its imports of Russian pipeline gas in response to the conflict in Ukraine. Russian exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe fell 1.9% to 15.8 million metric tons in 2023, according to LSEG data. Turkey, which has little oil and gas, is highly dependent on imports from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, as well as LNG from Algeria, Qatar, the United States and Nigeria. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/turkey-talks-with-exxonmobil-over-multibillion-dollar-lng-deal-ft-reports-2024-04-28/

2024-04-28 10:37

CAPRI, Italy, April 28 (Reuters) - Famed for its blue seas, breathtaking views and cove-studded coastline, the Mediterranean island of Capri has been a tourist haven since the early years of the Roman empire. Unlike in the imperial heyday, when emperors made it their exclusive playground, Capri now attracts visitors from around the world, clogging its narrow alleys, packing the piazzas and blocking the beaches during the hot summer months. As many as 16,000 tourists a day pour onto the rocky isle in peak season, outnumbering the 12,900 residents. Most are day trippers, but increasing numbers stay the night as ever more homes are given over to holiday lets, bringing its own problems. "Capri is becoming a dormitory for tourists," said Teodorico Boniello, head of the local consumers' association. "There are more people coming than we can cope with and families can't set down roots because they can't afford to stay." Capri is a microcosm of many European holiday hotspots. Locals depend on visitors for their livelihoods, but the advent of mass tourism risks turning their picture-perfect beauty spots into blobs of shuffling humanity. Some Italian towns and islands are starting to push back, albeit gently. Venice last week became the first city in the world to introduce an entrance fee for visitors in peak periods, Florence has banned new holiday lets in the city centre and the Cinque Terre park on the Italian Riviera started charging 15 euros for access to a popular coastal footpath to tackle overcrowding. Capri has doubled its own visitors' fee from 2.5 euros to 5 euros, which outsiders pay when they catch a ferry from nearby Naples or Sorrento from April through to October. "We are looking to persuade more people to visit during winter," Capri Mayor Marino Lembo told Reuters, sitting in his office with the smog of Naples hanging far in the distance. But such a fee looks unlikely to dissuade tourists from travelling to an island which has more than four million tagged photos on Instagram, drawing in an endless flow of visitors eager to add the same views to their social media pages. Moreover, locals say it will do nothing to help ease the housing crisis, which forces many essential workers, including teachers and medics, to live on the mainland. EARLY STARTS Antonio De Chiara, 22, wakes up every morning at 5.20 a.m. in his hometown near Naples in order to be sure to catch the 7.00 a.m. ferry, which takes 50 minutes to reach Capri. Around 400 other commuters join him on the ride across the bay. Barely out of Naples, those on a tight schedule start queuing in the aisles to ensure they are first off the boat to grab a seat on one of a handful of small buses that head up the hill to town. Stragglers risk a lengthy wait. "It would be lovely to live in Capri, but it is very difficult. Even if I could find a place, the rent would take up all my salary," said De Chiara, who recently got a job as a child therapist on the island. Stefano Busiello, 54, teaches maths in a Capri high school but lives in Naples and has commuted back and forth for 20 years. "I have never even tried to find a house here. I could never afford one and things are getting harder." Only 20% of staff in his school actually live on Capri, he said, with everyone else arriving on the ferries -- a daily grind that means most of his colleagues stay no more than two or three years before seeking a transfer to mainland schools. Roberto Faravelli, who runs a Bed and Breakfast near the port, says people like himself might be willing to rent their properties to workers if the region offered incentives to close the gap on lucrative holiday lets. "The government needs to encourage homeowners to offer long-term rents. What we lack is anyone trying to resolve these problems," he said. But mayor Lembo did not expect the authorities to intervene. "It is unfortunate, but this is the market economy at work." POST-COVID SURGE Vacation rental platform Airbnb lists more than 500 properties on Capri against around 110 in 2016. This is just the tip of the iceberg, with local families renting out their properties during the summer months on unregulated portals. "This short-term rental market is chaotic. There are no controls," said Lembo. Despite obvious resentment over the lack of viable housing, Capri has not yet witnessed the sort of protests seen elsewhere -- such as Spain's Canary Islands, where thousands took to the streets this month to demand limits on tourist arrivals. The end of the COVID pandemic has seen tourism surge across Europe as global travellers seek to make up for lost time. Italy had near record overnight stays in 2023, according to data collated by the Florence centre of tourism studies, and was the 5th most visited country in the world in 2023, with tourists drawn to its quaint villages and culture-rich cities. But none were built for mass travel. In the morning during high season, a fleet of ferries disgorge up to 5,000 visitors into Capri's tiny port in just two hours. Everyone wants to head up to the town of Capri and the smaller Anacapri, but the buses can only carry 30 people at a time and the funicular 50. "You can easily wait two or even three hours to get up the hill in summer. The quays get packed. Noone can move," said Boniello, flicking through videos on his phone of people crammed one against the other. Lembo acknowledges the problems, but denies tourism is ruining an island his ancestors have lived on for centuries. "I don't agree with nostalgics who say Capri was more beautiful 100 years ago. There was misery and poverty back then. Now there is wealth, and that is thanks to tourism." ($1 = 0.9381 euros) Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/tourists-move-italians-are-squeezed-out-holiday-island-capri-2024-04-28/