2024-07-28 05:47

July 28 (Reuters) - Three tanks at an oil storage depot in Russia's Kursk region caught fire as a result of a Ukraine-launched drone attack, acting regional Governor Alexei Smirnov said on Sunday. A fire at one of the tanks was quickly extinguished, but 82 firefighters were involved in trying to put out fires at the other two tanks, using 32 pieces of equipment, Smirnov said on the Telegram messaging app. The drones also damaged a couple of residential buildings in the region, injuring one person, Smirnov said. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war Russia launched against its smaller neighbour in February 2022. Kyiv's General Staff said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had struck the Polevaya oil depot in the Kursk region, resulting in "powerful explosions" and a fire and were still assessing the full impact of the attack. Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram that its air defence systems destroyed two drones over the Kursk region. Reuters could not independently verify the various reports. Kyiv has said its strikes on Russia's energy, military and transport infrastructure are in response to Moscow's continued attacks on Ukraine's territory. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-oil-depot-kursk-region-fire-after-ukraine-drone-attack-2024-07-28/

2024-07-28 05:37

BEIJING, July 28 (Reuters) - Continued heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Gaemi triggered a landslide that killed 12 people in southern China, caused flash floods in the northeast and railway disruptions elsewhere, state media reported on Sunday. Cyclonic winds from Gaemi, downgraded from a typhoon, had mostly dissipated by Sunday, but many parts of China remained under alert for flooding risks caused by earlier rains. Remnants of Gaemi's vast cloud-banks could still dump rain on already waterlogged cities, forecasters warned. The 12 were killed in the landslide near Hengyang city in Hunan province on Sunday morning that trapped 18, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Six injured survivors were rescued. Hunan provincial authorities issued a flood warning as heavy rains continued through Sunday. Two officials, including the deputy mayor of Linjiang city in Jilin province, went missing during flood rescue efforts, CCTV said, citing city authorities. More than 27,000 people in northeast China were evacuated and hundreds of factories suspended operations. The most powerful storm to hit the country this year lashed towns on coastal Fujian province on Friday with heavy rains and strong winds as it began its trek from the southeastern coast into the populous interior. Jilin province, bordering North Korea, issued upgraded warnings for heavy rains and flash floods on Sunday morning. Linjiang authorities shut schools, factories and businesses on Sunday, warning that "major flood disasters may occur". Rail services were suspended in southern China's Guangdong province and Hainan island, while some passenger rail lines resumed in the southern provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi as the storm moved north. Gaemi, which killed dozens as it swept through Taiwan and worsened seasonal rains in the Philippines, has affected almost 630,000 people in Fujian, with almost half of them being relocated, state news agency Xinhua reported. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/remnants-typhoon-gaemi-trigger-flash-floods-northeast-china-2024-07-28/

2024-07-28 00:54

July 27 (Reuters) - Thousands of firefighters were battling a rapidly growing wildfire in northern California on Saturday after the blaze more than doubled in size in a 24-hour span. The Park Fire had burned more than 350,000 acres (141,640 hectares) about 90 miles (144 km) north of the state capital city of Sacramento as of Saturday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Cooler temperatures and more humid air were expected in the region, potentially helping efforts to slow the spread of the fire, which was 10% contained as of Saturday evening. The fire has destroyed 134 structures, authorities said. Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for multiple communities in several counties, including a warning for Paradise, the town that was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest in the state's history. U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the fire and has directed his team to do everything possible to support efforts to fight it, a White House official said. A man was arrested on Thursday on suspicion that he started the Park Fire by pushing a flaming car into a gully on Wednesday afternoon. The fire was the largest of dozens of active blazes across the country that have burned more than 2 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. In Oregon, several fires were burning, including the Durkee Fire, which had scorched more than 288,000 acres in the eastern part of the state, authorities said. A firefighter died after a single-engine tanker crashed near the Falls Fire in southeastern Oregon, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement on Friday. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/california-wildfire-explodes-becomes-largest-us-2024-07-28/

2024-07-27 23:53

TORONTO, July 27 (Reuters) - Progress has been made suppressing fires in the Canadian tourist town of Jasper, with the remaining ones expected to be put out by the end of the day, authorities said on Saturday. The fires - caused by a massive wildfire that is sweeping through Alberta's mountainous Jasper National Park - are said to have destroyed about a third of the town. "Jasper townsite fire suppression has been progressing well, and we are anticipating that all remaining fires within the townsite will be extinguished today," Parks Canada, the government agency that manages the country's national parks, said on X. "Power is being restored to parts of the downtown core and critical infrastructure today. This will speed up further damage assessment and recovery." Still, the status of the wildfire in Jasper National Park remains classified as "out of control," the government agency said, adding that it is the largest wildfire in more than 100 years in the park. The town and park, which draw more than 2 million tourists a year to this area of the Rocky Mountains, were evacuated on Monday. There are 157 wildfires currently burning across Alberta, according to the latest update from the province. Still, that is six fewer than reported on Friday. "Cooler, rainy weather is helping the firefighters in their efforts of trying to put out some of these wildfires," said Melissa Story, provincial wildfire information officer, Alberta Wildfire. "We all must be patient. We know this will take some time but rest assured good progress is being made." Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/fires-canadas-jasper-town-coming-under-control-say-authorities-2024-07-27/

2024-07-27 23:45

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 27 (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told a bitcoin conference on Saturday that the U.S. must dominate the sector or China would, his latest move to court advocates of cryptocurrency, which Beijing has restricted and which he once dismissed as a "scam." Speaking at the Bitcoin 2024 convention in Nashville, Trump positioned himself as the pro-cryptocurrency candidate ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, saying he would make the U.S. the world's cryptocurrency leader and embrace friendlier regulations than likely Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. The Republican Party has promised lighter regulation for crypto, and Trump has slammed Democrats' attempts to regulate the sector. "If we don't embrace crypto and bitcoin technology, China will, other countries will. They'll dominate, and we cannot let China dominate. They are making too much progress as it is," Trump said. China has cracked down on cryptocurrency and there are strict controls on capital movement across its border. But people there are still able to trade tokens such as bitcoin on crypto exchanges, and Chinese investors can also open overseas bank accounts to buy crypto assets. Trump said he would establish a crypto presidential advisory council and create a national "stockpile" of bitcoin using cryptocurrency the U.S. government currently holds that was largely seized in law enforcement actions. "Never sell your bitcoin," Trump said. "If I am elected, it will be the policy of my administration, the United States of America, to keep 100% of all the bitcoin the U.S. government currently holds or acquires into the future," he said. Trump added that he would like to see expanded bitcoin mining by U.S. firms, even though he called cryptocurrency a "scam" in 2021. The price of bitcoin initially eased after Trump's speech, but then rebounded and was last quoted up 0.94% at $68,182. Trump also reiterated that he would commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, who is serving a life sentence for creating and operating the website Silk Road, which allowed users to secretly buy and sell drugs and other illegal products. Ulbricht's time served was "enough," Trump said to applause and chants of "Free Ross" from the crowd. Countries around the world, including the U.S., have shown concern that privately operated, highly volatile digital currencies could undermine government control of the financial and monetary systems, increase systemic risk, promote financial crime and hurt investors. Digital asset proponents say that cryptocurrency users are becoming a growing political force this election cycle, although it is unclear just how many users would prioritize crypto over other issues at the ballot box. Some crypto advocates are backing Trump, and any move by the U.S. to create a national bitcoin reserve likely would be seen by them as major move to legitimize cryptocurrency. Jack Mallers, CEO of global bitcoin app Strike, told Reuters that Trump's proposal to create a strategic bitcoin reserve was an "unbelievable vote of confidence." Meanwhile, crypto executives are upset with the Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement actions under U.S. President Joe Biden. The agency has alleged that several crypto companies, including Coinbase (COIN.O) , opens new tab and Binance, facilitate the trading of digital assets on their platform that should have been registered as securities, which the firms deny. A group of nearly 30 Democratic lawmakers and Congressional candidates sent a letter to the Democratic National Committee and Harris on Saturday, urging them to take a "forward-looking" approach to digital assets. "From an electoral standpoint, crypto and blockchain technologies have an outsized impact in ensuring victories up and down the ballot," they wrote. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/trump-cites-china-competition-vowing-create-bitcoin-stockpile-2024-07-27/

2024-07-27 21:01

COPENHAGEN, July 27 (Reuters) - A glacial flood in southern Iceland inundated a ring road on Saturday, causing a section at one end of the nearby bridge to give way and tear apart, the country's meteorological office said in a statement. "It is clear that it is an unusually large flood," the Met Office said. There were no reports of injuries. Aerial footage from the country's coast guard on public broadcaster RUV showed a vast flat area of uninhabited land covered by muddy water, while another video showed a torrent rushing under the bridge on the highway. The road stretching from the coastal town of Vik south of the Myrdalsjokull glacier to the town of Kirkjubaejarklaustur, some 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) further east, was closed due to the flood, according to the Icelandic Road Administration's website. It was not yet clear when the flood would reach its peak, the Met Office said. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/glacial-flood-causes-road-give-way-southern-iceland-2024-07-27/