2024-04-07 20:34

OSLO, April 7 (Reuters) - Norwegian industrial workers have reached a wage deal with employers, avoiding strike action, a major labour union said on Sunday. The deal will lift wages by 5.2% on average in 2024 and also involved increased educational support, said the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), the biggest of the two labour groups taking part in negotiations. The smaller Parat union, from which some 1,000 workers planned to go on strike, also said later on Sunday it had made a deal for a wage rise by the same percentage. Some 14,300 LO union members had been scheduled to take strike action, including at Aker Solutions (AKSOA.OL) , opens new tab, Adecco (ADEN.S) , opens new tab, Kongsberg Gruppen's (KOG.OL) , opens new tab Maritime unit and Aibel, partly owned by Norway's Ferd and Sweden's Ratos (RATOb.ST) , opens new tab. Get a look at the day ahead in European and global markets with the Morning Bid Europe newsletter. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/norway-industry-workers-employers-agree-52-wage-increase-2024-04-07/

2024-04-07 16:56

Russia says Ukraine attacked nuclear plant with drones Ukrainian intelligence denies it was behind attack Russia says drone hit dome above reactor No. 6 IAEA confirms attacks, says they must cease Russia calls for condemnation of incidents MOSCOW, April 8 (Reuters) - Russia said Ukraine struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station controlled by Russian forces three times on Sunday and demanded the West respond, though Kyiv said it had nothing to do with the attacks. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which has experts at the site, said it was the first time the nuclear plant, Europe's largest, was directly targeted since November 2022 and said the attack had endangered nuclear safety. Russian forces took control of the plant in 2022 shortly after their full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Both Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear accident by attacking the plant. Russia's state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, said Ukraine attacked the plant three times on Sunday with drones, first injuring three near a canteen, then attacking a cargo area and then the dome above reactor No. 6. "Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station has been subjected to an unprecedented series of drone attacks, a direct threat to the safety of the plant," Rosatom said. "The radiation levels at the plant and the surrounding area have not changed," it said. A Ukrainian intelligence official said Kyiv had nothing to do with any strikes on the station and suggested they were the work of Russians themselves. "Russian strikes, including imitation ones, on the territory of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant ... have long been a well known criminal practice of the invaders," a spokesperson for Ukraine's HUR Main Intelligence Directorate, Andriy Usov. Reuters was unable to immediately verify battlefield accounts from either side. The nuclear plant has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235 and also has spent nuclear fuel at the facility. Reactors No. 1, 2, 5 and 6 are in cold shutdown while Reactor No. 3 is shut down for repair and Reactor No. 4 is in so-called "hot shutdown", according to the plant. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova urged world leaders to condemn the act of "nuclear terrorism." Zakharova asked how many more times Ukraine would endanger nuclear safety at the plant before Western leaders took action. The IAEA said its experts had confirmed three drone attacks and that Russian troops engaged what appeared to be a drone approaching reactor No. 6. "This is a major escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must cease immediately," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement. "Attacking a nuclear power plant is an absolute no go," Grossi said. "Although the damage at unit 6 has not compromised nuclear safety, this was a serious incident that had the potential to undermine the integrity of the reactor’s containment system," he added. The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-strikes-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-power-unit-dome-russian-installed-2024-04-07/

2024-04-07 15:35

CAIRO, April 7 (Reuters) - U.S. forces destroyed a mobile surface-to air missile system in a Houthi-controlled territory of Yemen on April 6, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday. U.S. forces also shot down one unmanned aerial vehicle over the Red Sea, its statement said, adding that a coalition vessel also detected, engaged and destroyed one inbound anti-ship missile. No injuries or damage were reported. The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-military-destroys-missile-houthi-controlled-yemen-centcom-says-2024-04-07/

2024-04-07 15:31

BEIJING, April 7 (Reuters) - China's top electric vehicle forum, the World New Energy Vehicle Congress (WNEVC) will hold a conference in Sacramento, California from May 16-17, according to a statement from the Chinese Society of Automotive Engineers on Sunday. With a highly developed, low cost supply chain led by companies such as BYD (002594.SZ) , opens new tab and Geely (0175.HK) , opens new tab, China is a leading global exporter of EVs. However, concerns over subsidies have made the issue a bone of contention in relations between Beijing and Washington, as the U.S. seeks to protect its domestic EV sector from Chinese imports. The WNEVC in Munich, Germany in September was the first time the forum was held outside China. That was seen as a indication of Chinese EV makers' ambitions for expansion. Stay up to date with the latest news, trends and innovations that are driving the global automotive industry with the Reuters Auto File newsletter. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/china-top-ev-forum-be-held-california-may-2024-04-07/

2024-04-07 11:45

AHMEDABAD, April 7 (Reuters) - Adani Group has begun commercial production of wafer and ingots used for making solar power cells and modules at its factory in Gujarat and aims to make polysilicon in 2027/28 to become India's first integrated renewable energy player, a senior company official said. The Adani Group, controlled by billionaire Gautam Adani, aims to generate 45 gigawatts (GW) of renewable power by 2030, with two-thirds of that being produced at its $18.01 billion Khavda renewable energy park in Gujarat, bordering Pakistan. Expansion of renewable energy is central to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal of India becoming a net carbon zero country by 2070. "We are the first company in India which has set up ingot and wafers factory of 2 gigawatts and we have already started production," said Vneet S Jaain, a director at ANIL New Industries Ltd (ANIL). Adani currently imports polysilicon for making ingots that are converted into thin sheets called wafer, which is used to make solar power cells. China is the major producer globally of solar wafer and ingots. Adani is creating a renewable manufacturing hub at the port city of Mundra in Gujarat and will invest more than 300 billion rupees ($3.60 billion) for expanding its solar cell and wind turbine making capacities, Jaain said. It is producing 4-GW solar cells and modules that are mostly exported to the U.S., said Jaain, adding that the plan is to raise the capacity to 10 GW. ANIL produces 1.5 GW wind turbines and aims to boost output to 2.5 GW by March, and to 5GW by March 2027, he said. The Group's renewable energy generation is managed by Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL), which currently produces 11 GW of green power through various projects. Of this, 2 GW is produced by the 1.5-trillion-rupee 30-GW Khavda project. This will be the world's biggest renewable energy park when completed and will produce 26 GW of solar power and 4 GW of wind energy 2030. Of this, 2 GW is produced by the 1.5-trillion-rupee 30-GW Khavda project. This will be the world's biggest renewable energy park when completed and will produce 26 GW of solar power and 4 GW of wind energy 2030. The Khavda project's power generation will be ramped up to 6 GW by end March 2025. "After that every year we have a plan to set up around 5GW capacity," said Jaain, who is also managing director of AGEL. ($1 = 83.2930 Indian rupees) The Reuters Power Up newsletter provides everything you need to know about the global energy industry. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/adani-begins-commercial-output-wafers-ingots-solar-power-2024-04-07/

2024-04-07 11:17

Flood waters rise in Urals Ural River bursts through dam Thousands evacuated Floods expected in other regions Orsk oil refinery halts work MOSCOW, April 7 (Reuters) - Flood waters were rising in two cities in Russia's Ural mountains on Sunday after Europe's third-longest river burst through a dam, flooding at least 10,000 homes and forcing thousands of people to flee with just their pets and a few belongings. Some of the worst floods in decades have hit a string of Russian regions in the Ural Mountains and Siberia, alongside parts of neighbouring Kazakhstan in recent days. The Ural River, which rises in the Ural Mountains and flows into the Caspian Sea, swelled several metres in just hours on Friday due to melt water, bursting through a dam embankment in the city of Orsk, 1,800 km (1,100 miles) east of Moscow. The mayor of Orsk, Vasily Kozupitsa, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying a second river in the town, the Yelshanka, had also burst its banks. Measures were being undertaken to evacuate residents from affected areas. More than 6,100 people have already been evacuated from the city of 230,000, according to local authorities. Fifteen of 40 schools in the school had been flooded. Footage published by the Emergencies Ministry showed people making their way through neck-high waters, rescuing stranded dogs and travelling along flooded roads in boats and canoes. State news agency TASS reported that six adults and three children had been hospitalised in Orsk, but their condition was not life-threatening. Agencies quoted authorities as saying the Samara River in the town of Buzuluk, further west in Orenburg region, was also rising quickly. Measures were taken to keep residents safe. President Vladimir Putin ordered Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov to fly to the region. The Kremlin said on Sunday that flooding was now also inevitable in the Urals region of Kurgan and the Siberian region of Tyumen. Putin had spoken to the governors of the regions by telephone, the Kremlin said. In Kurgan city, which has a population of 310,000, authorities ordered residents of one riverside neighbourhood to evacuate urgently, saying that flood waters would soon arrive in the city. The Orenburg region's governor, Denis Pasler, said the floods were the worst to hit the region since records began. He said that flooding had been recorded along the entire course of the 2,400-km (1,500-mile) Ural River, which flows through Orenburg region and then through Kazakhstan into the Caspian Sea. Russian media cited Orenburg region authorities as estimating the cost of flood damage locally as around 21 billion roubles ($227 million) and saying that flood waters would dissipate only after April 20. In Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Saturday the floods were his country's largest natural disaster in terms of scale and impact for 80 years. North Korea leader Kim Jong Un expressed sympathy to Putin about the flood, state media KCNA said, underscoring stronger ties between Moscow and Pyongyang after the leaders met last year. "Our people will always be with the Russian people," Kim said. 'LEVEL WILL ONLY RISE' Flood warnings were issued in other Russian regions and Kurenkov said the situation could get worse very fast. "The water is coming, and in the coming days its level will only rise," said Sergei Salmin, the mayor of Orenburg, a city of at least 550,000 people. "The flood situation remains critical." Emergencies Minister Kurenkov said bottled water and mobile treatment plants were needed, while local health officials said vaccinations against Hepatitis A were being conducted in flooded areas. Local officials said the dam in Orsk was built for a water level of 5.5 metres (18 feet) yet the Ural River rose to 9.6 metres (31.5 feet). Federal investigators opened a criminal case for negligence and the violation of safety rules over the construction of the 2010 dam, which prosecutors said had not been maintained properly. The Orsk oil refinery suspended work on Sunday due to the flooding. Last year, the Orsk Refinery processed 4.5 million tons of oil. ($1 = 92.5080 roubles) The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/record-flood-waters-rise-russias-urals-forcing-thousands-evacuate-2024-04-07/