2023-11-18 19:27

KYIV, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Russian drones hit infrastructure facilities in Ukraine in an overnight assault that caused power outages in more than 400 towns and villages in the south, southeast, and north of the country, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy congratulated the air force for shooting down what it said were 29 out of 38 Iranian-made Shahed drones in several Ukrainian regions between 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Friday and 4 a.m. on Saturday. "Your accuracy, guys, is literally life for Ukraine," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, but warned: "The closer we are to winter, the more Russians will try to make the strikes more powerful." Last winter, Russia pounded Ukraine with hundreds of missiles and drones, leaving millions without electricity, heating and water during the coldest months. The energy ministry said there was enough electricity in the system to meet the country's needs but that the drone strikes deprived 1,550 consumers of power because of damage to the grid. It said earlier that 416 settlements in the Odesa region in the south and in the Zaporizhzhia region in the southeast had been cut off due to the strikes. This year Ukraine had an unusually warm autumn. But as temperatures start to fall, officials have urged residents and businesses to prepare for renewed Russian attacks. "We do not have a right to relax," Volodymyr Kudrytskiy, head of the power grid operator Ukrenergo, told Ukrainian TV. "Certainly, all of us, energy workers and defence forces, are preparing to repel possible Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure this winter." The energy ministry said an oil refinery was hit in the Odesa region. An administrative building was also damaged and one civilian was wounded in the strike, the south military command said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. In the northern Chernihiv region, on the border with Russia and Belarus, two infrastructure buildings were damaged during the overnight strike, the military said. The energy ministry said six settlements were without power in the Chernihiv region. The drones also targeted Kyiv in the second attack so far this month, officials said, adding that all drones heading to the capital were shot down on their approach. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-launches-major-drone-attack-ukraine-infrastructure-hit-2023-11-18/

2023-11-18 16:35

NAIROBI, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Flooding and landslides in Kenya's coastal region have halted rail cargo services to and from the port city of Mombasa, the state-owned rail operator said on Saturday. Heavy rains linked to the El Nino phenomenon, followed by flash floods, have submerged towns across East Africa, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless. In Kenya, the death toll from the floods stands at at least 46, and is expected to rise. Floods and a landslide on the railway line between the capital Nairobi and Mombasa have forced Kenya Railways to close all cargo services, it said in a statement. The railway also moves cargo to other countries in the region, including Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan. Kenya Railways said limited passenger services would continue. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics showed its standard gauge railway hauled 6 million metric tons of cargo last year, from 5.4 million a year earlier. In neighbouring Somalia, 41 deaths have been recorded due to heavy rains and floods. The number displaced has almost doubled to 649,000 in the past week, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest update on Saturday. El Nino is a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific, and can provoke extreme weather phenomena from wildfires to tropical cyclones and prolonged droughts. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/kenyas-rail-operator-says-floods-landslide-disrupting-its-services-port-city-2023-11-18/

2023-11-18 07:07

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka will call for expressions of interest (EOI) in setting up nuclear power plants, its energy minister said on Friday, as it seeks cheap electricity to support its economic recovery. The primary source of energy in the island nation is from imported oil and coal, and hydropower. The government aims to produce 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and it sees nuclear power as a low-carbon option for its energy mix. It aims to be carbon neutral by 2050. "The government intends to include the safe use of nuclear energy as a part of the long-term generation plans," Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said in a post on the X social media platform, after meeting officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency in Colombo. The government "will call for EOIs for establishing nuclear power plants & modern technology", he said. Media in July cited Wijesekera as saying that Sri Lanka was assessing nuclear power plant offers from Russia, United States, India and some European countries. In 2010, the then energy secretary said Sri Lanka planned to build a one-gigawatt nuclear power plant by 2030. India and Pakistan are the only two South Asian countries to have nuclear power plants, while Bangladesh is in the process of setting them up. Russia's state-owned atomic company is building two nuclear power plants in Bangladesh. China and Pakistan signed a deal in June to build a 1,200-megawatt plant in Punjab province. Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, secured a $2.9 billion bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund in March to tackle a suffocating debt burden and its worst economic crisis since the end of colonial rule in 1948. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/sri-lanka-seeks-investors-nuclear-power-plants-2023-11-17/

2023-11-18 00:50

Applied Materials drops on news of U.S. probe Gap shares jump after Q3 results beat Indexes up: Dow 0.01%, S&P 0.13%, Nasdaq 0.08% Nov 17 (Reuters) - Wall Street's three major indexes edged up slightly on Friday as investors digested recent gains while remarks from Federal Reserve officials clouded the outlook about when the U.S. central bank might start cutting interest rates. Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr said he believes the Fed is at or near the peak of interest rate hikes, but San Francisco Fed chief Mary Daly and Boston Fed President Susan Collins highlighted the need for more evidence of cooling inflation. Adding pressure, shares of Applied Materials (AMAT.O) fell 4% after its third-quarter report and news the U.S. Justice Department is investigating allegations that the semiconductor equipment maker violated export curbs to China. Offering equities some support was a decline in the 10-year Treasury note yield, which touched a roughly two-month low during the session. The S&P 500 (.SPX), the Nasdaq (.IXIC) and the Dow (.DJI) registered their third straight week of gains. For the S&P and the Dow it was the longest weekly winning streak since July. For the Nasdaq it would be the longest weekly advance since June. "The biggest catalyst for stocks today is that we hit a two month low in Treasury yields," said Robert Phipps, director at Per Stirling in Austin Texas. While the major indexes had a muted session, Per Stirling's Phipps pointed to strength in more cyclical sectors. "Because tech stocks are weak today the S&P 500 is hiding strength in other areas of the market," he said, pointing to gains in energy (.SPNY), industrial (.SPLRCI) and financial (.SPSY) sectors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 1.81 points, or 0.01%, to 34,947.28, the S&P 500 (.SPX) gained 5.78 points, or 0.13%, to 4,514.02 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 11.81 points, or 0.08%, to 14,125.48. For the week, the S&P 500 added 2.2% while the Nasdaq composite rose 2.4% and the Dow climbed 1.9%. "We've come a long way. We need to digest some of these moves and look for what the next catalyst is. Earnings is behind us. The Fed is on hold and is going to be in December. The equity market is looking for guidance," said Jack McIntyre, portfolio manager at Brandywine Global in Philadelphia. Energy, finishing up 2.1%, was the biggest percentage gainer among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors as oil prices settled up more than 4%. The communication services index (.SPLRCL) was the biggest percentage loser as heavyweight Alphabet (GOOGL.O) fell more than 1%. Technology, the second weakest sector (.SPLRCT) was dragged down by Microsoft (MSFT.O), which fell 1.7%. ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft, said on Friday that its Chief Executive Officer would leave after the board said he was "not consistently candid in his communications". Countering its megacap peers, Amazon.com (AMZN.O) gained 1.6%. The online retailer announced it is trimming jobs at its Alexa voice assistant unit, citing shifting business priorities and a greater focus on generative artificial intelligence. The small-cap Russell 2000 index (.RUT) rallied 1.4% on the day, outperforming broader markets. The index, whose members benefit more than larger cap companies from easing of lending rates, also outperformed for the week, adding 5.4%. Retail stocks were in demand with Ross Stores (ROST.O) rallying 7.2%. The company, which sells off-price clothing and home products, raised its annual earnings forecast after topping third-quarter sales and profit expectations. Also Gap (GPS.N) shares surged 30.6% as the apparel retailer posted better-than-expected third-quarter results due to improving sales at Old Navy and easing supply expenses. ChargePoint Holdings (CHPT.N) shares slumped 35.5% as the electric-vehicle charging network provider lowered estimates for third-quarter revenue. It also named Rick Wilmer CEO. On U.S. exchanges 10.05 billion shares changed hands compared with the 11.04 billion moving average for the last 20 sessions. Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 2.65-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 2.16-to-1 ratio favored advancers. The S&P 500 posted 18 new 52-week highs and 1 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 55 new highs and 97 new lows. https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/futures-drift-higher-yields-slip-2023-11-17/

2023-11-17 23:35

PANAMA CITY, Nov 17 (Reuters) - A ship with supplies for Canadian miner First Quantum's unit in Panama was unable to dock as local boats blocked off access to the key port, the company said in a statement to Reuters on Friday. Protests have in recent weeks escalated against the miner's contract for a major copper mine operated by the company's local unit, known as Minera Panama. The ship in question has remained for several days in Panamanian waters without being able to reach the Punta Rincon port due to protests, but on Thursday the captain was forced to call the authorities because the ship needed to dock urgently, the company said. "The illegal actions carried out by small vessels in the port of Punta Rincon have affected the delivery of supplies that are required by Minera Panama, including for energy generation," the company said. The company said "the ship fully complies with all international safety regulations and its crew is safe." Panama's National Aeronaval Service (Senan) has identified the ship as the coal-carrying "CSL Tarantau." On Thursday, the ship attempted an emergency docking, but the captain aborted the attempt to avoid an accident, Senan said, without providing details on the emergency. Earlier this week, First Quantum reported that the protests blocking the port had reduced ore processing at its Cobre Panama mine, the first sign that the mine's output was at risk. On Thursday, the union for Minera Panama said it reached agreements with the company to ensure worker pay as protests kept some workers from reaching their jobs. The protests began after the Panamanian government and First Quantum signed a new contract on Oct. 20 for Cobre Panama, which contributes 1% to global copper production and 5% to Panama's gross domestic product. The demonstrators say the new terms are too generous to First Quantum and allege corrupt practices in its approval. The company has denied the allegations. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/panama-port-blockade-keeps-supplies-first-quantum-mine-company-says-2023-11-17/

2023-11-17 22:23

MANAUS, Brazil, Oct 16 (Reuters) - (This Oct. 16 story has been corrected to reflect a record low for a major tributary, not the Amazon River itself, in the headline and paragraph 1) A major tributary of the Amazon River fell to its lowest level in over a century on Monday at the heart of the Brazilian rainforest as a record drought upends the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and damages the jungle ecosystem. Rapidly drying tributaries to the mighty Amazon have left boats stranded, cutting off food and water supplies to remote villages, while high water temperatures are suspected of killing more than 100 endangered river dolphins. The port of Manaus, the region's most populous city, at the meeting of the Rio Negro and the Amazon River, recorded 13.59 meters (44.6 ft) of water on Monday compared to 17.60 a year ago, according to its website. That is the lowest level since records began in 1902, passing a previous all-time low set in 2010. After months without rain, rainforest villager Pedro Mendonca was relieved when a Brazilian NGO delivered supplies to his riverside community near Manaus late last week. "We have gone three months without rain here in our community," said Mendonca, who lives in Santa Helena do Ingles, west of Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state. "It is much hotter than past droughts." Some areas of the Amazon have seen the least rain from July to September since 1980, according to the Brazilian government disaster alert center, Cemaden. Brazil's Science Ministry blames the drought on this year's onset of the El Nino climate phenomenon, which is driving extreme weather patterns globally. In a statement earlier this month, the ministry said it expects the drought will last until at least December, when El Nino's effects are forecast to peak. The drought has affected 481,000 people as of Monday, according to the civil defense agency in the state of Amazonas, where Manaus is located. Late last week, workers from Brazilian NGO Fundacao Amazonia Sustentavel (FAS) fanned out across the parched region near Manaus to deliver food and supplies to vulnerable villages. The drought has threatened their access to food, drinking water and medicines, which are usually transported by river. Nelson Mendonca, a community leader in Santa Helena do Ingles, said some areas are still reachable by canoe, but many boats have not been able to bring supplies along the river, so most goods are arriving by tractors or on foot. "It's not very good for us, because we're practically isolated," he said. Luciana Valentin, who also lives in Santa Helena do Ingles, said she is concerned about the cleanliness of the local water supply after the drought reduced water levels. "Our children are getting diarrhea, vomiting, and often having fever because of the water," she said. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/amazon-rainforest-port-records-lowest-water-level-121-years-amid-drought-2023-10-16/