2024-01-14 06:55

Jan 14 (Reuters) - Chinese electric car-maker BYD (002594.SZ) has held talks with Brazil's Sigma Lithium (SGML.V) over a possible supply agreement, joint venture or acquisition, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. BYD met Sigma Chief Executive Ana Cabral Gardner in Sao Paulo last month, BYD's Brazilian chair, Alexandre Baldy, told the newspaper, but did not give details, citing a confidentiality agreement. BYD and Sigma did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Sigma said in January it had initiated a primary listing of Sigma Brazil on Nasdaq and the Singapore stock exchange. BYD, backed by Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N), said in July it would invest 3 billion reais ($600 million) in a new industrial complex in northeastern Brazil, with operations expected to start in mid-2024. ($1 = 4.8539 reais) https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/chinas-byd-talks-with-brazils-sigma-lithium-supply-deal-ft-2024-01-14/

2024-01-14 05:33

Jan 13 (Reuters) - The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) lifted the grid alert issued earlier in the day asking customers to reduce their consumption to avoid a power shortfall after a demand spike caused by extreme cold. The AESO earlier declared the grid alert and asked citizens to immediately reduce their electricity use to essential needs in response to ongoing extreme cold temperatures across western Canada, restricted imports and very high demand. The AESO had projected a shortfall of up to 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity during the peak evening hours and warned of potential rotating outages until demand declined or generation returned to the grid. The operator lifted the alert as of 8:40 p.m. (0340 GMT Sunday). The AESO said after the alert was issued, it almost immediately saw a 100 MW drop in electricity demand which rose to 200 MW within minutes. A massive winter storm bringing snow, ice and high winds across the U.S. States and Canada has also knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of homes across U.S. Midwest and Pacific Northwest on Saturday. Because of cold temperatures forecast through Sunday, the AESO also requested that Albertans continue to conserve energy during the peak demand period from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-grid-issues-alert-asks-citizens-cut-power-use-amid-winter-storm-2024-01-14/

2024-01-14 04:55

SYDNEY, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters on Sunday battled an out-of-control bushfire near Western Australia's capital Perth, prompting authorities to urge residents in the fire's path to flee. More than 25 bushfires were burning on Sunday in the vast state, with residents in the rural shires of Gingin and nearby Chittering, about 60 kms (37 miles) north of Perth, at risk from the fast-moving blaze, according to fire authorities. A high-risk bushfire season is underway in Australia due to an El Nino weather event, associated with events such as cyclones, droughts, heatwaves and wildfires. A state Department of Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson said 240 firefighters were battling the blaze, which was at emergency level, the highest threat rating. "If the way is clear, leave now for a safer place," the agency said on its website. The blaze, which has burnt through 417 hectares (1,030 acres) of bushland, broke out on Saturday. The nation's weather forecaster on Sunday issued a warning for "extreme fire danger" in some parts of Western Australia state amid a heatwave alert in place since Saturday. In Perth, a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) was forecast, more than three degrees above the city's average January maximum, according to data from the weather forecaster. Australia's last two fire seasons have been quiet compared with the devastating 2019-2020 "Black Summer" of bushfires that razed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hundreds-firefighters-battle-western-australia-wildfire-2024-01-14/

2024-01-14 04:46

Jan 13 (Reuters) - Alaska Airlines (ALK.N) has begun preliminary inspections on some of its Boeing 737-9 MAX aircrafts this weekend, adding that up to 20 planes could undergo inspection, the company said on Saturday. The carrier also said it would initiate and enhance its own layers of quality control to the production of the airplane and has initiated a review of Boeing’s (BA.N) production quality and control systems, including Boeing’s production vendor oversight. Alaska Airlines said that it engaged in a candid conversation with Boeing’s CEO and leadership team earlier in the week to discuss their quality improvement plans to ensure the delivery of the highest quality aircraft off the production line for Alaska. The airline said that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will require more data from Boeing before it approves the airline manufacturer's proposed inspections and the maintenance instructions used to conduct the final inspections to safely return the 737-9 MAX to service. The FAA on Friday extended the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes indefinitely for new safety checks and announced it will tighten oversight of Boeing itself after a cabin panel broke off a new jet in mid-flight. Under more stringent supervision, the regulator will audit the Boeing 737 MAX 9 production line and suppliers and consider having an independent entity take over from Boeing certain aspects of certifying the safety of new aircraft that the FAA previously assigned to the planemaker. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/alaska-airlines-begins-preliminary-inspections-up-20-boeing-737-9-max-2024-01-14/

2024-01-14 04:45

KINSHASA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi's UDPS party won 66 seats in the December parliamentary election, placing it ahead of 44 other parties that won one or more seats in the 500-member house, provisional results showed on Sunday. The increased number of UDPS seats, up from 35 in the 2018 election, along with gains by allied parties, could enable Tshisekedi to maintain his ruling big tent Sacred Union coalition, giving him the majority needed to name a new government. The coalition controlled over 390 seats in the outgoing legislature. Provisional results announced by Congo's national election commission early on Sunday showed that parties led by some of Tshisekedi's allies including Senate President Modeste Bahati Lukwebo, Defence Minister Jean Pierre Bemba and Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe won 35, 17, and 32 seats respectively. The results of the legislative vote follow the Constitutional Court's confirmation of Tshisekedi's landslide re-election in the disputed Dec. 20-24 general election that was marred by allegations of fraud, logistical shortcomings and disruptions. Opposition parties and independent observers have raised concerns about the election's transparency, citing chaotic voting conditions and a murky tabulation process. Several western governments made similar observations in congratulatory statements to Tshisekedi, who is set for another five years as leader of Africa's second-largest country after a first term hampered by economic woes and a security crisis in the eastern regions. The fallout of the vote threatens to further destabilise Congo, the world's third-largest copper producer, and the top producer of cobalt, a battery component needed for the green energy transition. Congo's opposition parties have repeatedly blasted the election as fraudulent and called for a re-run - a demand authorities have dismissed. The electoral commission has defended the poll's credibility, although it invalidated votes cast for 82 of the 101,000 legislative candidates over alleged fraud and other issues earlier this month. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/president-tshisekedis-ruling-party-leads-congo-legislative-election-2024-01-14/

2024-01-14 01:56

MEXICO CITY, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Pascal Wehrlein emerged victorious in the season-opening Mexico City E-Prix, a win for the Porsche driver that was confirmed after an investigation into a possible technical infringement. The German took the Season 10 opener in Mexico City ahead of Envision Racing's Sebastien Buemi and Jaguar TCS Racing's Nick Cassidy, who rounded out the podium. "Pascal’s position will remain as the finishing order," a spokesman said to Reuters. Wehrlein's victory follows his third pole position at the shortened version of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, when he overtook Buemi in the final part of qualifying. The result puts him in the lead of the championship with 28 points. "A pretty good day with pole position and the race win," Pascal said. "Our focus in the off-season was especially in qualifying, as that was one of our weaknesses in the last half last season. I hope we did a good step forward. Let's see if it's just Mexico City or if we can confirm that in the next couple of events," he added. Wehrlein and reigning British champion Jake Dennis of Andretti, who finished ninth, were investigated after the race for a possible unspecified infringement in the opening laps of the event. The next race will take place in Diriyah on Jan. 27. https://www.reuters.com/sports/formula1/wehrlein-claims-mexico-city-e-prix-win-pending-investigation-2024-01-14/