2024-06-30 08:37

NEW DELHI, June 30 (Reuters) - The death toll from this week's sudden heavy rain has climbed to 11 in New Delhi, including four citizens who drowned in submerged underpasses, the Times of India reported New Tab, opens new tab, while flight operations stuttered in the Indian capital. New Delhi, which endured one of its worst heatwaves in history earlier this month, faced the biggest downpour in decades on June 28, with rainfall in a single day surpassing the city's average for the entire month. The torrential rain caused a fatal roof collapse at one of the three terminals of Delhi's main airport, disrupted flights, flooded underpasses, and led to massive traffic jams, power and water outages in parts of the city. Nearly 60 flights were cancelled from New Delhi's main airport in the last 24 hours, according to data from flight tracking platform Flightaware. Operations were largely normal on Sunday, with most flights from the affected terminal diverted to the other two, an airport official said but did not rule out possible flight cancellations in the course of the day. The Delhi airport is one of the country's biggest and busiest. Terminal 1, the now-closed terminal, is mostly used by low-cost carriers IndiGo, operated by Interglobe Aviation (INGL.NS) New Tab, opens new tab, and SpiceJet, and currently has a capacity to handle 40 million passengers annually. An Indigo spokesperson did not comment on the flight cancellations and a SpiceJet spokesperson did not immediately respond to a phone call. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/eleven-dead-indian-capital-after-heavy-rain-flight-operations-stutter-2024-06-30/

2024-06-30 07:24

SYDNEY, June 30 (Reuters) - Anglo American (AAL.L) New Tab, opens new tab said on Sunday it was battling an underground fire at its Grosvenor metallurgical coal mine in Australia's Queensland state after a blaze ignited there on Saturday. The mine site is in the coal mining town of Moranbah, located approximately 1,000 km (621 miles) north of state capital Brisbane. It is the same mine where an explosion in May 2020 critically injured five workers. "We are continuing to manage a combustion event underground at Grosvenor Mine, following a localised ignition at the longwall on Saturday," Anglo American said on Facebook on Sunday. "Our priority is to safely extinguish the underground fire, which emergency response teams are managing from the surface." The site was closed, with only essential emergency services team members in attendance, it said in an earlier Facebook post. Anglo American said work had started to temporarily seal the mine from the surface, which was a "critical step" in stopping smoke from the fire impacting residents in the town of 9,425 people. "Due to the highly complex and evolving nature of this event, this will take time as we need to ensure the safety of all emergency teams undertaking this work," the company said. All mine workers were safely evacuated after the fire ignited. A spokesperson for Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said the agency was not at the incident, which was being handled by the mine. Queensland Mines Minister Scott Stewart said there would be a "full and thorough investigation" into the fire, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported on Sunday. The Grosvenor mine produced 2.797 million tons of metallurgical coal in 2023, making up 17% of Anglo American's coal output, according to its annual report. The company is the world's third largest exporter of metallurgical coal. At the mine, the company uses the longwall mining method, a method used to extract long panels of coal in a single slice. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/anglo-american-battles-underground-fire-australian-coal-mine-2024-06-30/

2024-06-29 20:03

DORTMUND, Germany, June 29 (Reuters) - Germany and Denmark's Euro 2024 last-16 match in Dortmund on Saturday was halted for around 20 minutes due to adverse weather conditions, as thunder and lightning raged overhead in the first half. Hail stones began to fall on the pitch after referee Michael Oliver took the players off the pitch in the 35th minute with the score at 0-0. "Due to adverse weather conditions, the match has been suspended," screens inside the stadium read. After a 20-minute stoppage, the players returned to the pitch for a brief warm-up before the game restarted. A group match between France and Ukraine at Euro 2012 was delayed for almost an hour due to thunderstorm before the game was completed. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/germany-v-denmark-suspended-due-thunderstorm-hail-2024-06-29/

2024-06-29 19:26

June 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Saturday that tropical storm Beryl has intensified into a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, and cautioned that it may undergo rapid strengthening as it approaches the Caribbean island of Barbados. Hurricane Beryl is expected to bring destructive winds and a life-threatening storm surge to the Windward islands, the forecaster said in an advisory. The center of the hurricane is expected to move across the Windward islands late Sunday night and Monday. Beryl formed over the central tropical Atlantic on Friday, and was located about 720 miles (1,159 km) east-southeast of Barbados, carrying maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, NHC said. NHC issued a hurricane warning for Barbados, adding that hurricane conditions are expected beginning Sunday night. It also warned of a potential hurricane threat for much of the Windward islands, and, tropical storms may occur in Martinique, Dominica, and Tobago. "A life-threatening storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 5 to 7 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore flow near where Beryl makes landfall in the hurricane warning and watch areas," the forecaster said. "Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves," NHC added. Beryl is moving west at 22 mph, NHC said, and forecasts that it would produce total rainfall of three to six inches (7.5 to 15 cm) across Barbados and the Windward islands on Sunday night and may continue into Monday. It also may bring 1 to 4 inches of rain over portions of southeastern Puerto Rico, which is expected to happen on Monday night into Tuesday. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/tropical-storm-beryl-expected-become-major-hurricane-nhc-says-2024-06-29/

2024-06-29 16:38

ATHENS, June 29 (Reuters) - A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds raged uncontrolled on the Greek island of Serifos on Sunday, prompting authorities to order several hamlets to evacuate. Nearly a dozen firefighters with four fire engines battled the fire on the Aegean island that broke out on low vegetation but spread quickly amid strong winds, and more were expected to join them through the night, a fire brigade official said. With hot, windy conditions across much of the country, about 50 wildfires broke out on Saturday and authorities advised people to stay out of forest areas. A wildfire in a mountainous forest area just outside the Greek capital eased earlier on Saturday but some 160 firefighters were still battling to extinguish the flames, officials said. Gusts exceeding 100 kph (62 mph) hampered their efforts to contain the fire on Mount Parnitha, some 20 km (12 miles) north of Athens, which had threatened to spread to a nature reserve, while water-carrying plans stopped operating through the night. "The fire has no active front but we still have a long way to go and will work on it all night," Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said in a televised statement. No homes were threatened by the fire. Winds are not expected to weaken before Sunday, meteorologists said. Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country, but they have become more devastating in recent years as summers have become hotter, drier and windier, which scientists link to the effects of climate change. After last summer's deadly forest fires and following its warmest winter on record, Greece developed a new doctrine, which includes deploying an extra fire truck to each new blaze, speeding up air support and clearing forests. A big part of Mount Parnitha's nature reserve, full of pines and fir trees, was destroyed by a large fire in 2007. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/wildfire-fanned-by-strong-wind-rages-forest-area-near-athens-2024-06-29/

2024-06-29 15:48

CAIRO, June 29 (Reuters) - Egypt is looking to raise its target for the renewable share of energy generation to 58% by 2040 in an updated strategy for expanding green power, Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker said on Saturday. Shaker told an Egypt-EU investment conference that the government hoped to publish the new strategy in the next two to three months. Egypt previously had a target to generate 42% of its power through renewables by 2030. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/egypt-looking-raise-target-renewable-energy-58-by-2040-2024-06-29/