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TSX drops as trade jitters continue
Canada's main index of stocks closed lower on Sunday, following U.S. stock markets, after U.S. president Donald Trump announced new tariffs against Japan, South Korea and other countries, causing trade worries among Canadian investors. The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index closed at 27,020.28, down 15.88 points or 0.06%. The TSX index fell earlier in the morning as investors waited for updates on developments in trade. The index reached new all-time records every day of the week, and it also hit another record on Monday. Wall Street's main indexes ended lower following Trump's announcements on tariffs. Greg Taylor, Chief Investment Officer at PenderFund Capital Management, said: "It is more of a warning, that these friendly countries are getting close to tariffs. And that's probably just a reminder that Canada hasn't yet gotten out of the woods." "We are starting to realize that the (worries about tariffs) have not completely disappeared, and that there will still be some uncertainty regarding earnings. Investors say, "Well, we have had such huge gains." Why don't you take a break and enjoy your profits?" Energy stocks also fell by 0.6% and healthcare stocks dropped 0.3%. Gold pared its losses following Trump's tariff announcement, causing some investors to seek out safe-haven investments. ATS Corporation, the largest individual stock on the TSX index, fell 8% as Andrew Hider, the CEO, is leaving the company. Sandstorm Gold rose 6.2% when Royal Gold announced that it would acquire the company for approximately $3.5 billion. Horizon Copper has gained 67.7% since Royal Gold announced that it had acquired the company for $196 million in cash. Reporting by Nivedita Bali in Toronto, Twesha Dhikshit and Sukrit Gupta from Bengaluru. Editing by Sahal Muhammad and Richard Chang.
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US rules could increase oil and gas production in US West
The U.S. The U.S. Interior Department proposed rule changes on Monday to allow energy companies more easily to combine oil and natural gas output from several leases using the exact same well pad. This could save the industry up to $1.8 billion annually, according to the department. The proposed rule, which would primarily affect onshore oil-and-gas drilling in the U.S. West would ease limitations on so called commingling. According to the Department, this would improve operations. The Interior Secretary was directed to approve the commingling of applications by President Donald Trump’s tax-cut law. The current U.S. Bureau of Land Management regulation restricts commingling of leases with identical mineral ownership, royalties rates and revenue distribution. Interior has said that the requirements are a barrier in areas of the West with complex mineral ownership. According to the Department, this change will allow oil and gas companies to track production more accurately and calculate royalties that drillers must pay to the federal and tribal governments for fossil fuels produced in public and tribe lands. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated in a press release that the current rules were designed for a different time. These updates will allow us to manage public resources more effectively, promote responsible energy production and ensure that taxpayers and tribal members receive every dollar owed. Western Energy Alliance is pushing for more access to commingling. They say it's one of the fastest ways to increase production in the United States. Many projects have been stalled for years because the Interior Bureau of Land Management has not approved federal and private oil in consolidated projects. Trump's "energy dominance policy" pushes the administration to reduce regulations on fossil fuels. Many of these regulations are meant to slow down climate change and pollution. (Reporting and editing by Deepababington, Timothy Gardner)
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Demand outweighs OPEC+ production increase
On Monday, oil rose by more than 1% due to signs of strong demand. This was despite a higher-than expected OPEC+ production increase for August and concerns over the possible impact of U.S. Tariffs. Brent crude futures were up 79 cents or 1.2% to $69.08 at 02:05 pm. ET (18:05 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was trading at $67.29 up 29 cents or 0.4%. Earlier in the session, benchmarks fell to $67.22 ad $65.40 respectively. Dennis Kissler is senior vice president for trading at BOK. Travel industry statistics revealed that a record number of Americans were set to travel by road and air for the Fourth of Independence holiday. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+) and its allies agreed to increase production in August by 548,000 barrels a day, a higher rate than the 411,000 bpd they increased for the previous three months. RBC Capital analysts led by Helima Crockt said in a report that the OPEC+ agreement will return nearly 80% (2.2 million bpd) of the voluntary cuts made by eight OPEC producers to the market. Analysts said that the actual increase in production has been less than expected and the majority of the supply comes from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia raised its August price of its flagship Arab Light crude on Sunday to a record high for Asia. Goldman analysts anticipate OPEC+ will announce a final increase of 550,000 bpd for September during the next meeting, on August 3. The oil industry was also under pressure when U.S. officials announced a delay in the start of tariffs, but did not provide any details about changes to rates. Investors worry that higher tariffs will slow down economic activity and reduce oil demand. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Monday that the United States would make several announcements about trade in the next 48-hours. He added that his email inbox was flooded with last-ditch proposals from countries looking to reach a tariff agreement before July 9. Jeffrey McGee is the managing director of Makai Marine Advisors. Geopolitical uncertainty continued. Yemen's Iran aligned Houthis claimed on Monday that they had destroyed a cargo vessel in the Red Sea with remote-controlled boats and rockets, their first attack on high seas of the year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Trump at the White House Monday. Israeli officials are also holding indirect talks with Hamas to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and a deal for hostage release mediated by the United States. According to an interview published on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian believes that Iran can solve its differences with the United States by dialogue. However, trust will be a problem after U.S. attacks and Israeli attacks against his country. (Additional reporting by Florence Tan, Ahmad Ghaddar and Marguerita Choy; Editing by Nick Zieminski, Cynthia Osterman and Margueritachoy)
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Dollar rises as Trump announces 25% tariffs against Japan and South Korea
The dollar gained against the major currencies as the stock markets declined on Monday, after President Donald Trump announced 25% tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea. Investors awaited more announcements regarding the White House’s trade negotiations. Treasury Bills with a longer expiration date yields edged higher. On Monday The U.S. will impose a 25 percent tariff on imports of goods from Japan and South Korea starting August 1. He also revealed the first of a series of letters he said he would send to trading partners describing the new charges they must pay. Toyota Motor and Honda Motor, both Japanese automakers listed on the U.S. stock exchange, fell by 4.1% and 3.8% respectively. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced earlier Monday that the United States would make several announcements about trade in the next 48-hours. A deadline of Wednesday has been set to complete trade agreements. "We are down (in the stocks) after the weekend and it is a crucial week for the tariffs," Peter Cardillo said, chief market analyst at Spartan Capital Securities, New York. Investors are cautious because they don't know what will happen in the future with trade deals. Tariffs will likely increase prices and slow growth. However, uncertainty about the final policies could be more of a drag on business as they postpone making decisions. S&P 500 companies will soon begin to report results for the second quarter. Trump announced in April that he would impose a base tariff of 10% on the majority of countries, and increased "reciprocal rates" up to 50%. The original deadline was this Wednesday. He also warned that the levy could be as high as "60% or 70%" and threatened to add an additional 10% for countries who align themselves with the "anti American policies" of BRICS, the group consisting of Brazil, Russia India and China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 515.77, or 1.15 percent, to 44.314.92. The S&P 500 declined 56.23, or 0.90 percent, to 6,222.20. And the Nasdaq Composite was down 195.58, or 0.97 percent, to 20,404.31. Tesla shares fell 7.4% after Elon Musk, CEO of the electric vehicle manufacturer, announced the formation a new political party in the United States called the "American Party." The MSCI index of global stocks fell 7.06 points or 0.76% to 918.65. The pan-European STOXX 600 closed with a gain of 0.44%. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. notes increased 5.1 basis points, to 4.391% from 4.34% at late Thursday. The dollar index (which measures the greenback versus a basket currencies) rose by 0.58%, to 97.53. Meanwhile, the euro fell by 0.59%, to $1.1709. The dollar gained 1.04% against the Japanese yen to reach 146.02. The minutes of the Federal Reserve's last meeting are due this week. Investors are trying to determine how many times they expect the Fed to reduce interest rates in this year, after Thursday's jobs data showed that employers had added more jobs than forecast. At a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, it is expected that the Reserve Bank of Australia will cut rates by a quarter-point to 3.60%. This would be the third rate reduction in this cycle. The markets predict rates of either 2.85% or 3.10 percent. U.S. crude oil rose by 0.7%, to $67.47 per barrel. Brent was up to $69.21 a barrel on the same day.
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Man dead after firing at US Border Patrol station in Texas
Local police reported that a 27-year old Michigan man died after police shot him dead Monday morning in McAllen, Texas. The Michigan man had opened fire with an assault weapon on a U.S. Border Patrol Station. McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said that Ryan Louis Mosqueda had attacked the facility just after 6 am. U.S. Border Patrol agents responded with fire. Rodriguez reported that a McAllen officer was wounded in the leg during an exchange of gunfire and taken to the hospital. A Border Patrol agent was also injured, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Rodriguez said that the police found more firearms and ammunition in Mosqueda’s vehicle. He said that the suspect fired dozens and dozens of shots at the building, as well as the agents inside. The vehicle was covered in writing, but Rodriguez didn't provide any details about what it said or if it indicated the motive of the attack. Rodriguez, without providing further details, said that Mosqueda was believed to be from the area, as he had been reported missing by a resident of Weslaco. This is about 18 miles to the east of McAllen. Rodriguez stated that the FBI was leading the investigation, as there had been an attack against federal officers and on a federal building. Law enforcement securing the area caused several hours of delays at McAllen International airport. Donald Trump, Republican President, has made fighting illegal immigration his top priority. He sent troops to secure the U.S.Mexico border, and launched aggressive raids on U.S. cities. Americans are concerned that the actions, supported by Trump's hardline Republican supporters, have led to arrests of noncriminals and enforcement techniques which include officers wearing masks in order to conceal their identities. Under Trump, the number of illegal migrants crossing the border has dropped to a record low. A new monthly low was reached of 6,100 in late June. (Reporting and editing by Ted Hesson, Jasper Ward and Kevin Liffey; Bill Berkrot, Chizu Nomiyama and Kevin Liffey).
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Gold Reserve Group's Citgo bid is opposed by bondholders and bidders
Three sources familiar with the preparations say that lawyers representing holders of a Venezuelan bond in default and some bidders who participated in an auction in the United States of shares of the Venezuelan parent company of U.S. refiner Citgo Petroleum, are preparing to object to its recommended outcome. The group led by Gold Reserve, which made the $7.4billion offer, could derail again the sale of Venezuela’s foreign asset. This asset was put up for auction to compensate creditors that lost billions due to Venezuela’s expropriations. The proceeds from the auction organized by the court of PDV Holding will be used to compensate 15 creditors who have been fighting to recover almost $19 billion through U.S. courts since 2017. The court officer who was overseeing the bidding process for the second time to auction off the parent company of Houston-based Citgo Petroleum following a failed bid round last year recommended to Delaware Judge Leonard Stark an offer from Gold Reserve's Dalinar Energy Corporation. Sources said that Dalinar’s offer did not include a payment agreement for holders of a Venezuelan bond which was collateralized by Citgo equity. This is likely to be the primary reason why there are objections. Sources said that the lack of clarity regarding evaluation criteria is also a concern for some bidders. Some participants believe that a pact between the bondholders and the winning consortium is essential for the transfer of shares. Others, however, say the holders must first win their case in New York's court. Stark will accept objections to Stark's recommended bid until July 9. The winning bidder may also challenge any competing bidder by revealing the terms of their offer. The final hearing for the sale process will be held on August 18. Last year, a $7.3 billion bid by an affiliate of the hedge fund Elliott Investment Management (EIM) was rejected by most creditors. This year's bidding process is a result. (Reporting and editing by Richard Valdmanis; Mark Porter, Marguerita Choy, and Marianna Pararaga)
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World Court to Issue Climate Change Opinion on July 23,
The top court of the United Nations will issue on July 23, a non-binding opinion regarding countries' legal obligations to combat climate change. This decision is expected to be cited by litigants around the globe who are pursuing climate change cases. The World Court's so-called advisory opinion, or the International Court of Justice as it is commonly known, will also address the question of whether the largest states that contribute the most greenhouse gas emissions should be held responsible for damages caused to small island countries. Last week, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights released a similar opinion finding that its twenty Latin American and Caribbean members must work together to combat climate change and refrain from taking actions that undermine environmental protections. In December, during two weeks of hearings at the World Court, wealthy nations of the north argued in general that existing climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, are non-binding and should be used to determine the responsibilities of countries. The developing nations and small islands states that bear the brunt of global warming have argued for strong measures to curb emissions, and financial support from wealthy nations. The World Court's opinion is part of the global wave of climate litigation, as more and more countries, organizations and people are turning to courts in order to take climate action. Although not binding, the court’s interpretations carry significant legal and political weight. Experts believe that the court's opinion could be a precedent for climate-change lawsuits from Europe to Latin America. (Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Richard Chang)
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Dollar strengthens as US trade negotiations focus on US stock markets.
On Monday, major stock indexes declined while the dollar gained against the most important currencies as investors waited for the next trade announcements from the White House. Treasury Bills with a longer expiration date yields edged higher. United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Monday that he would make several announcements about trade in the next 48-hours. A deadline of Wednesday has been set to complete trade agreements. The higher the rates, scheduled The new law will take effect on August 1, 2018. "We are down (in the stocks) after the weekend and it is a crucial week for the tariffs," Peter Cardillo said, chief market analyst at Spartan Capital Securities, New York. Investors are cautious because they don't know what will happen in the future with trade deals. Tariffs Prices are expected to rise and growth to slow, but uncertainty about the final policies could be more of a drag on businesses as they postpone making decisions. S&P 500 companies will soon begin to report results for the second quarter. In April, U.S. president Donald Trump announced a base tariff of 10% on most countries. The "reciprocal rates" could be as high as 50%. He also warned that the levy could be as high as "60% or 70%" and threatened to add an additional 10% for countries who align themselves with "Anti-American Policies" of the BRICS Group of Brazil, Russia India and China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 313.82 points or 0.70% to 44,508.71. The S&P 500 declined 40.14 points or 0.64% to 6,239.40. And the Nasdaq Composite lost 148.98 or 0.72% to 20,452.90. The MSCI index of global stocks fell by 3.84 points (0.41%) to 921.89 while the pan-European STOXX 600 rose by 0.37%. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10 year notes rose 3.1 basis points in the last day to 4.372%. The yield on interest-rate-sensitive two-year notes was unchanged for the day, at 3.882%. The dollar index is a measure of the value of the dollar. Measures to be taken The currency rose by 0.34% against six major counterparts to 97.294, briefly reaching a week-high. The euro fell 0.37% to $1.1735. The dollar gained 0.92% against the Japanese yen to reach 145.88. The minutes of the Federal Reserve's last meeting are due this week. Investors are trying to determine how many times they expect the Fed to reduce interest rates in this year, after Thursday's jobs data showed that employers had added more jobs than forecast. At a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, it is expected that the Reserve Bank of Australia will cut rates by a quarter-point to 3.60%. This would be the third rate cut in this cycle. The markets predict rates of either 2.85% or 3.10 percent. U.S. crude oil rose 0.6%, to $67.40 per barrel. Brent was up 1% to $68.98 a barrel.
Severe heat is closing schools, broadening finding out spaces worldwide
Hena Khan, a grade 9 student in Dhaka, has actually had a hard time to concentrate on her studies this week as temperatures surpassed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the capital city.
There is no genuine education in schools in this penalizing heat, she said. Teachers can't teach, students can't. concentrate. Rather, our lives are at danger.
Khan is one of more than 40 million students who have actually been. shut out of classrooms in current weeks as heatwaves have actually required. school closures in parts of Asia and North Africa.
As the environment warms due to the burning of fossil fuels,. heatwaves are lasting longer and reaching higher peaks as. typical temperature levels rise. In turn, federal government authorities and. public health professionals throughout the world are coming to grips with. whether to keep trainees discovering in hot classrooms, or. encourage them to stay home and keep one's cool.
Either choice has repercussions. About 17% of the world's. school-aged kids are currently out of school, according to. United Nations data, however the percentage is much larger in. establishing countries, with almost a third of sub-Saharan. Africa's children out of school compared to simply 3% in North. America. Children's test scores in the establishing world also lag. far behind industrialized nations.
Heat might make that even worse, broadening finding out gaps between. tropical establishing nations and established nations, experts. told , and even in between abundant and poor districts in. wealthy nations. But sending out children to overheated schools. could make them ill.
South Sudan already this year shuttered its schools to some. 2.2 million trainees in late March when temperature levels skyrocketed to. 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit). Countless schools in the. Philippines and in India followed suit in late April.
On the other hand, Bangladesh continues to fluctuate between opening and. closing schools for some 33 million students amid pressure to. prepare students for tests - even as temperature levels reach. unsafe levels.
A lot of the nation's schools do not have fans, the. ventilation is bad, and they may have tin roof which. does not supply good insulation, said Shumon Sengupta,. Bangladesh nation director for nonprofit Save the Children.
On Monday, one day after resuming schools which had been. closed last week due to heat, Bangladeshi authorities once again. closed all primary schools and universities in. nearly half of all districts as temperature levels reached 43C (109F).
HOTHEADS
Even if trainees continue going to classes throughout. heatwaves, their education is likely to still suffer.
High temperatures slow down the brain's cognitive functions,. lowering students' ability to keep and process information.
U.S. high schoolers, one May 2020 research study found, performed. even worse on standardized tests if they were exposed to greater. temperatures in the year leading up to the examination.
The research, published in the American Economic Journal,. found that a 0.55 C (1F) warmer academic year decreased that year's. learning by 1%.
Much of that impact disappeared in schools that had air. conditioning, stated study co-author Josh Goodman, a financial expert at. Boston University.
Someplace between 40% and 60% of U.S. schools are thought to. have at least partial a/c, according to different. studies.
Schools that do not are normally discovered in lower earnings. districts which already lag behind their wealthier counterparts. academically. In the U.S. the typical performance of the lowest. income students has to do with four years behind the highest earnings. trainees, according to a 2019 research study in the National Bureau of. Economic Research.
Goodman and his coworkers discovered a similar knowing pattern. when they looked at standardized test data in other nations.
When [students in] these locations experience a year with more. heat, they appear to have actually found out less, he said.
That is stressing, Goodman included, since as the world warms. currently hot nations transferring to a very hot climate will. suffer more than temperate countries.
Environment modification will widen the learning gaps between hot and. cool countries, Goodman stated.
Some research study suggests extreme heat in the tropics can. impact a kid's education even before birth.
Kids in Southeast Asia exposed to higher-than-average. temperature levels in utero and early in life gotten less years of. schooling later on in life, a 2019 study in the Procedures of the. National Academy of Sciences discovered.
With many individuals in the area dependant on farming, high. temperatures could hurt food production and family earnings,. said study author Heather Randell, a sociologist at the. University of Minnesota.
If crops are harmed by heat, young kids may not get. enough to consume which can stunt their development, she said, and a. household might no longer be able to manage school fees, or could. pull children out of school to help on farms.
SCHOOL RULES
The variety of days that schools are closed for severe heat. have been ticking up in the U.S., however couple of countries track such. information.
U.S. schools are now cancelling class for approximately 6. to seven school days each year for heat, compared to about. 3 to four days a years back, stated Paul Chinowsky, a civil. engineer who led a 2021 study on schools and increasing temperature levels. for the firm Resilient Analytics, which consults for governments. and NGOs.
In Bangladesh, last year, schools were closed for 6 to 7. days, stated Save the Kid's Sengupta. But this year, they. are saying it might be closed for 3 to 4 weeks.
May is generally the hottest month of the year in South. Asia.
More closures fret him, Sengupta stated. When children are. not in school, they are more susceptible to child labour and. child marital relationship, according to NGO reports.
Bangladesh Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury stated. on Tuesday that schools would be kept open on weekends if required. to complete the curriculum.
Choices on school closures, he included, will no longer be a. nationwide regulation but are to be made at the district level.
(source: Reuters)