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Cuba keeps schools closed, workers home during healing from power failure, cyclone
Cuba said on Wednesday it would keep schools closed and inessential workers home through Sunday as the crisisracked Caribbean island nation had a hard time to recover from the collapse of its power grid last Friday and Typhoon Oscar today. The island's far eastern province of Guantanamo was especially hard hit by Oscar, that made landfall as a. classification one typhoon and unleashed more than 15 inches of rain. in some areas. The cyclone was devalued to a tropical storm. before veering north to the Bahamas earlier this week. The storm, combined with an almost extraordinary electrical. grid collapse on Friday, developed a nightmare situation in a. country already suffering dramatic food, fuel and medication. shortages. The crisis prompted scattered demonstrations throughout Havana and. elsewhere in the country. Authorities said late on Tuesday seven individuals had died as a. outcome of the storm. Cuba's armed forces had actually saved almost 500. individuals from remote locations isolated by floodwaters or landslides,. with upwards of 4,000 homeowners still housed in shelters. Flash floods destroyed homes, roads, agricultural lands and. already decrepit facilities throughout the major. coffee-producing region. Wind and rain had actually damaged a minimum of. 2,280 homes, state-run media reported. Communications were still spotty in rural areas, and the majority of. the eastern province stayed without power as emergency situation employees. tidied up tangles of downed power lines. The United Nations said on Wednesday it would support Cuba. in recovery efforts following Oscar. The storm had likewise made complex the healing of Cuba's. already precarious electrical grid. Cuba supported its. electrical service on Tuesday, but warned that blackouts would. continue as before the grid collapse. Cuba's outdated power plants, having a hard time to keep the lights. on, reached a full crisis this year as oil imports from. Venezuela, Russia and Mexico dwindled, culminating in last. Friday's grid collapse. A generation deficit of about one-third total demand was. expected on Wednesday, the nationwide electrical company said,. leaving numerous Cubans still in the dark.
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How close are Turkey's Erdogan and Russia's Putin?
Here are a few of the concerns underpinning ties in between Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, who met on Wednesday in Russia on the sidelines of the summit of the BRICS organizing which NATOmember Turkey has voiced interest in joining: WARY REGARD Relations between the long-serving Turkish and Russian presidents are in some cases tense, however they have both rebuffed U.S. impact and in varying methods have actually formed military disputes from the South Caucasus to Syria and North Africa. Erdogan has stated his relationship with Putin is based on a. joint understanding, mutual trust and regard. Putin has. called Erdogan a strong leader and dependable partner while. likewise stating he has not constantly discovered him simple to handle. Their two nations, both with Black Sea coasts, have broadened. cooperation on trade, tourist and energy given that Russia's. full-scale invasion of Ukraine, although Turkey has opposed. Moscow's intervention and provided Kyiv with attack drones. Military powerhouse Russia and local power Turkey. supported opposing sides in wars in Syria and Libya, and were. not constantly on the same page in conflicts between Armenia and. Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh area. In Syria, Putin backed President Bashar al-Assad while. Erdogan backed rebel fighters. To head off the hazard of direct. confrontation in early 2020, they struck one of a series of. ceasefire deals after 34 Turkish soldiers were eliminated in an air. strike in Idlib, where Russian jets were patrolling. In 2019, Turkey outraged its NATO allies by buying Russian. S-400 missiles, air defences that the Western defence alliance. had actually alerted were incompatible with its systems and a security. risk. In reaction, Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey's. defence markets and ousted it from an F-35 fighter jet. program where it was a manufacturer and buyer. Ankara has not used the S-400 batteries since then, however says. they are at the prepared. ENERGY, ELECTIONS AND FOREX RESERVES When energy rates soared with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. in early 2022, Turkey was vulnerable as an importer of nearly. all its energy needs with an economy struck by a currency crash. that sustained inflation and diminished its forex. reserves. Russia, Turkey's biggest gas supplier, threw Ankara a lifeline. by permitting it to postpone payment of gas imports till 2024, a. move that sources said concealed to $4 billion in payments. The offer assisted Turkish authorities preserve enough reserves. to stabilise the lira till a May 2023 election that Erdogan. directly won. Afterwards, the currency hit brand-new lows. Right before the vote, Erdogan's opposition accused Russia of. interfering in Turkey's internal affairs and stated his party had. evidence - without exposing any - that it was behind the. release of deep-fake online content. Both the Kremlin and Erdogan dismissed the allegation and. continued broadening energy cooperation, including at Turkey's. Akkuyu nuclear reactor. Russia's nuclear energy company. Rosatom built the plant, the opening of which has been postponed. after Germany kept key parts. In 2022, Putin proposed producing a Russian gas center in. Turkey that would help it reroute exports, after European. nations curbed imports over the Ukraine war. Turkey is working out the proposition and might take advantage of its. comprehensive gas infrastructure to end up being an alternative supplier. to countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary and Moldova, with which. it signed separate deals in 2023. SANCTIONS, TRADE AND OLIGARCHS Turkey has opposed sanctions on Russia and opened its doors. to Russian travelers and migrants, including oligarchs seeking. safe houses for their luxury yachts and investments. Russians are now. the leading foreign purchasers of Turkish homes. Bilateral trade has actually reached record levels, with Turkish. exports to Russia up 17% to $11 billion in 2023, according to. the Turkish Stats Institute data. Ankara has actually faced Western allegations that Russia is getting. war-related items such as chips and semiconductors by means of Turkey. and the United States; European nations have actually imposed sanctions. on numerous Turkish entities - and threatened more. Ankara has said nothing that transits its area is used. in Russia's war in Ukraine. Earlier this year, Turkish exporters to Russia faced more. payments issues. The Kremlin stated it understood Turkish. banks tightening rules on Russian clients, and has been working. with Turkey to find equally appropriate services. DIPLOMACY Turkey has actually kept close ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, hosted. talks between them in 2022 and placed itself as a natural. facilitator of future peace talks. Putin and Erdogan have actually held a number of calls and a handful of. conferences given that the war started, contacts that supplied the Russian. president a platform together with a NATO leader and NATO with a. trusted line to Moscow. Highlighting his balancing act with Russia and NATO, Erdogan has. declared support for Ukraine signing up with the military alliance but. postponed Sweden's subscription bid. Turkey's diplomacy and control of the straits linking the. Black Sea to world markets put it at the centre of an agreement. in between Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations on safe passage. of Ukrainian agriculture exports and enhanced Russian exports. The U.N. declared Erdogan's function in co-brokering the 2022. Black Sea Grain Initiative, which it stated assisted relieve world. hunger by freeing up exports of 2 top international producers. Putin quit the deal in July 2023, in spite of pleas by Turkey to. both sides, mentioning obstacles to Russian food and fertiliser. exports and questions about the locations of Ukrainian. grain. In recent months, Turkey has actually also voiced a desire to join. the BRICS group, which initially included Brazil, Russia,. India, China and South Africa, and has actually expanded to include. Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Ankara sees BRICS as a chance for more financial. cooperation with member states, instead of an option to. its Western ties and NATO subscription. Then U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake informed Reuters in June. that while he hoped Turkey would not sign up with BRICS, such a relocation. would not alter its alignment with the West.
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Dissatisfied Canada lawmakers vent disappointment in conference with PM Trudeau
Dissatisfied legislators from Canada's judgment Liberals on Wednesday vented their disappointment in a closeddoor conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who they blame for the celebration's poor survey proving, participants said. While Trudeau is in no immediate threat, the encounter is amongst the most severe political obstacles he has dealt with during his 9 years in power. Significant celebrations typically satisfy on Wednesdays, but the circumstances this time are unusual. A smiling Trudeau, who emerged saying the party was strong. and unified, insists he will lead the Liberals into the next. election, which should be held by the end of October 2025. Public. opinion studies suggest that with him at the helm, the party. will lose to the official opposition Conservatives. This is something that I believe has actually been simmering for some. time, and it is essential for people to get it out, stated. Immigration Minister Marc Miller, a close Trudeau ally. What was occurring there ... is really about MPs informing. the prime minister the fact, whether he likes to hear it or. not, he told press reporters. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp stated 24 of the celebration's 153. lawmakers had actually signed a letter contacting Trudeau to go. Distress with Trudeau bubbled up after the party lost two. of its best parliamentary seats in special elections in June. and September. Some lawmakers are likewise unhappy with what they. complain is the bad state of preparation for the next election. Backbench Liberal John McKay stated the conversation had been. honest. Fellow Liberal Nathaniel Erskine-Smith stated Trudeau. still had time to turn things around. It's very essential that when you have numerous coworkers. expressing frustration ... that feedback is listened to, he. told press reporters, saying Trudeau required to come back to the. legislators with a strategy. There is no system to oust Trudeau. Unlike Australia,. where leaders are elected by legislators, Canadian party chiefs. are selected by members at an unique convention. A Nanos Research survey launched on Oct. 15 put the. Conservatives on 39% public assistance, with the Liberals on 23%. and the rival left-leaning New Democrats on 21%. Such a result. on election day would offer the Conservatives a comfortable. majority.
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Brazil to sign compensation deal with miners over 2015 dam disaster on Friday
Brazilian authorities will sign on Friday a longawaited reparation deal with miners Vale , BHP and Samarco over the 2015 Mariana dam collapse, the country's presidential workplace said on Wednesday. The arrangement will be checked in an event participated in by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at 9 a.m. local time (1200. GMT) on Oct. 25, Lula's office said. Vale, BHP and Samarco said recently that the deal was. expected to consist of an overall compensation of 170 billion reais. ($ 29.9 billion), with 100 billion reais of that to be paid. through 20 years directly to public authorities. The collapse of the dam at an iron ore mine owned by. Samarco, a joint venture in between Vale and BHP, unleashed a wave. of tailings in a catastrophe that killed 19 people, left hundreds. homeless, flooded forests and contaminated a significant river. The three mining companies have actually for years been negotiating a. settlement agreement with Brazilian authorities, hoping an offer. would end several court actions on the matter.
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GE Vernova to eliminate some Vineyard Wind blades after quality checks
GE Vernova will get rid of some turbine blades installed at the Vineyard Wind overseas wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts following quality checks triggered by the failure of a blade in July, the company stated on Wednesday. The business has been disallowed from producing power or resuming full building and construction at Vineyard Wind, the first significant U.S. offshore wind development, given that a turbine blade broke and sent particles into the water that cleaned up on neighboring beaches. The turbine maker blamed a production flaw for the break, and has actually spent months checking blades with ultrasound images and drones. Out of an abundance of care, GE Vernova intends to eliminate some blades from the Vineyard Wind farm while reinforcing other blades as needed to support the security and functional readiness of this project, GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind stated in a joint declaration. The companies likewise said they were approved approval today to resume installation of new blades at the job once specific security and operational conditions are met. They did not give a. timeline for when they expect those conditions to be satisfied. Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between Avangrid. and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. Avangrid is a. unit of Spain's Iberdrola.
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Trudeau, trailing in surveys, satisfies legislators dissatisfied with his management
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday fulfilled lawmakers from his ruling Liberals, a few of whom blame him for the party's poor showing in the surveys and desire him to give up after nine years in power. While Trudeau is in no immediate danger, considering that he can not be pushed out, the public screen of unhappiness is among the most serious political obstacles he has dealt with. Significant celebrations generally fulfill on Wednesdays, however the scenarios this time are unusual. Trudeau insists he will lead the Liberals into the next election, which need to be held by the end of October 2025, even though studies of public opinion suggest that with him at the helm, the celebration will lose severely to the main opposition Conservatives. A Nanos Research study survey released on Oct. 15 put the Conservatives on 39% public assistance, with the Liberals well behind on 23% and the rival left-leaning New Democrats on 21%. Such an outcome on election day would give the Conservatives a. comfy majority. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp said 24 of the celebration's 153. lawmakers had actually signed a letter contacting Trudeau to go. Ken McDonald, a Liberal parliamentarian from Atlantic Canada. who is not standing in the next election, stated ahead of the. meeting that some of those who signed the letter are stressed. because of the polling that is going continuously down. Wayne Long, another lawmaker from the same area, stated if. the party had a new leader it could beat the Conservatives, who. blame Trudeau for rising costs and a real estate crisis. There is no mechanism to oust Trudeau. Unlike Australia,. where leaders are chosen by legislators, Canadian celebration chiefs. are picked by members at an unique convention. Misery with Trudeau bubbled up after the party lost two. of its safest parliamentary seats in unique elections in June. and September.
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QUOTES-Canada reserve bank officials speak after rate cut
The Bank of Canada on Wednesday reduced its essential benchmark rate by 50 basis indicate 3.75%, its initially bigger-than-usual move in more than 4 years, and hailed signs the nation has actually returned to a period of low inflation. Here are some quotes from central bank officials: BANK OF CANADA GUV TIFF MACKLEM ON DECLINE IN INFLATION Headline inflation has actually boiled down substantially. Yes, part of that is international oil prices - we saw a big decrease particularly in gasoline prices - which can be unstable. But if you look beyond that there are some more essential aspects. Core inflation has actually continued to slowly ease mostly as we expected. MACKLEM ON SHELTER RATE INFLATION If you look at shelter price inflation it's still raised however it has actually begun to come off which has actually increased our self-confidence that will gradually continue to ease. MACKLEM ON INFLATION FORECAST Inflation has come down a little faster than we anticipated, however if you look at our forecasts over the last year, things have developed broadly in line with what we expected. We are happy to see that inflation has actually come back a little quicker. Showing that we've taken a 50 basis point cut today. That should assist ... bring demand and supply back into balance in the economy. MACKLEM ON RATE-SETTING DELIBERATIONS We had an excellent discussion. We always chew through the options. But what I can tell you exists was a clear consensus that it was appropriate to take a bigger step today, cut 50 basis points. MACKLEM ON MONETARY POLICY If you look over the in 2015, the main message is: it hasn't been simple. Greater rate of interest have actually been tough on Canadians, but monetary policy has actually worked, and it's worked mostly as we've expected. DEPUTY GUV CAROLYN ROGERS ON QUANTITATIVE TIGHTENING Our position on quantitative tightening up (QT) really hasn't altered. We have actually constantly said it'll operate in the background and it'll support our rate cuts ... The method to analyze the choice we made today has to do with normalization. ROGERS ON CHANGES TO QT We've had the advantage of time and more information and more discussion. And I think the cut that we made today actually shows that increasing self-confidence that we're heading in the right direction. So, QT is also heading in the right direction. We do not prepare any instant modifications to it.
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QUOTES-Canada central bank officials speak after rate cut
The Bank of Canada on Wednesday minimized its crucial benchmark rate by 50 basis points to 3.75%, its initially bigger-than-usual relocation in more than four years, and hailed indications the nation has actually gone back to an era of low inflation. Here are some quotes from reserve bank officials: DEPUTY GUV CAROLYN ROGERS ON QUANTITATIVE TIGHTENING UP Our position on quantitative tightening up (QT) really hasn't changed. We have actually always stated it'll operate in the background and it'll support our rate cuts ... The way to analyze the decision we made today is about normalization. ROGERS ON CHANGES TO QT We've had the advantage of time and more information and more conversation. And I think the cut that we made today truly shows that increasing confidence that we're heading in the ideal direction. So, QT is likewise heading in the right instructions. We don't prepare any immediate modifications to it. BANK OF CANADA GUV TIFF MACKLEM ON DECREASE IN INFLATION Heading inflation has boiled down considerably. Yes, part of that is international oil prices - we saw a huge decrease particularly in fuel rates - which can be unpredictable. But if you look beyond that there are some more basic aspects. Core inflation has actually continued to slowly reduce mainly as we anticipated. MACKLEM ON SHELTER PRICE INFLATION If you take a look at shelter rate inflation it's still elevated but it has actually begun to come off which has actually increased our self-confidence that will slowly continue to reduce.
Shell obstacle upsets Nigeria's quest to tempt financial investment
Nigeria's choice today to block Shell's $2.4 billion sale of its onshore properties has actually sent out a negative signal to financiers the nation urgently needs to strengthen its allimportant oil sector, analysts said.
President Bola Tinubu has actually been seeking with some success to charm foreign financial investment as Africa's most populous country grapples with a fiscal crisis.
However today the upstream regulator amazed many in the market by declining to approve Shell's $2.4 billion handle the Renaissance consortium, dominated by regional companies.
It did not offer reasons for its choice and Shell has yet to comment. The business has ties that extend back more than half a century and is among the most significant investors in Nigeria's. oil, which is the foundation of its economy and biggest foreign. currency earner.
A similar offer by Exxon Mobil to offer onshore assets to. Seplat Energy was approved this week, but just after a wait of. more than 2 and half years.
Clementine Wallop, director for sub-Saharan Africa at. political threat consultancy Horizon Engage stated the problem of. getting regulative approval encountered the president's mission. to win outside investment.
On the one hand, you have a government that states we're open. for service. We wish to improve the ease of doing business. We. want to engage with the world's biggest energy financiers, and on. the other hand, there have been these long hold-ups to the. approvals, Wallop stated.
The hold-ups have actually been an impediment to the success of the. Tinubu program's huge investment push. It has had an effect. outside the energy market too.
DOWN PATTERN
As Nigeria's economy has actually failed to recuperate from the shock of. the pandemic and its effect on oil demand, total foreign. financial investment inflows was up to $3.9 billion in 2015 from $5.3. billion in 2022, data from the National Bureau of Data. showed. That continued a downward trend that began five years. back when investors pumped in $24 billion.
The oil possessions Shell is offering are either producing below. capacity or not producing at all, however would be improved by. investment.
The federal government says boosting oil production - which stays. below 1.35 million barrels of oil daily (bpd) against a target. of 2 million bpd - would assist to reduce dollar scarcities.
The absence of foreign currency and plunge in the value of the. naira has led multinational companies beyond oil, including. Procter & & Gamble, GSK Plc and Bayer AG, to either leave Nigeria. or designate third parties to distribute their items.
MTN, Africa's greatest telecoms operator, and soap maker PZ. Cussons, on the other hand, have actually attributed losses to Nigeria's currency. crisis.
To get the much-needed investment, swifter regulatory. approval would help, experts state, although they also cite other. concerns, including power lacks and corruption that could be. more complicated to deal with.
I believe that the country requires to do more to draw in. financial investments in the (oil and gas) sector. One of such is. enhancing the speed at which regulative approvals are granted,. Ayodele Oni, energy legal representative and partner at Lagos-based Bloomfield. Law Practice stated.
Some financiers, nevertheless, are encouraged.
Kola Karim, CEO of power and energy group Coastline Energy. International, which has operations in Nigeria, said the possessions. purchased by Seplat were low hanging fruit which could rapidly be. turned around to enhance production.
He also stated executive orders, including one last month that. raised to $10 million the quantity oil firms can spend without. going to tender, would assist cut down timelines for projects.
For the first time in a very long time, there's a huge positioning. from government and the oil companies, Kola said.
(source: Reuters)