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Nickel prices rise on fears over sulphur supplies via Hormuz
Nickel reached a three-week peak on Thursday as concerns over traffic disruptions?throughout the Strait of Hormuz sparked fears of sulphur shortages and threatened a key raw material for production. The benchmark three-month nickel on the London Metal Exchange rose 2.57%, to $17.235 per metric ton at 0700 GMT. The price had risen by up to 3.14% in the previous session. This was the largest increase since May, and the highest since June 23. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded nickel contract was up 3.01% to 132,940 Yuan ($19641.85) per ton. "Sulphur?tightness?expectations are fermenting once again." This is mainly due to an increase in the?cost expectation for high-pressure acid leaching, which is a process that is used to extract nickel ore. Indonesia, which is the world's largest nickel producer, depends on the Middle East to provide about 75% the sulphur needed in sulphuric acids for leaching metals from ore. The U.S.-Iran blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as military operations, have caused a disruption of shipments along this vital shipping route. The copper price was stable, helped by a weaker U.S. Inflation data and the?hopes for a more dovish Federal Reserve. Supply concerns and recent withdrawals from LME warehouses also helped. The metal rose by 0.27% at the LME, and fell by 0.23%?at the SHFE. Data released on Wednesday revealed that U.S. producer prices had their largest decline in 14-months in June. This is the latest in a series of U.S. reports which have dampened expectations for Fed rate hikes. Reduced borrowing costs tend to boost economic activity, which in turn can help metal demand. Aluminium grew by 0.68% on the LME, while zinc climbed 0.85%, and lead rose 1.19%. Tin also gained 1.35%. Aluminium was unchanged on SHFE. Zinc lost 0.68%. Lead added 0.38%. Tin fell 1%.
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Russian regions report death and injuries after another Ukrainian drone attack
As Kyiv continues its campaign against the 'Russian energy infrastructure, authorities in three Russian regions have reported deaths and injuries caused by Ukrainian drones and rocket strikes. Mikhail Yevrayev, the governor of 'Yaroslavl Region,' 250 km (155 miles) east from Moscow, where an oil refinery has been repeatedly attacked, said one man was killed and four others injured. He claimed that 19 drones had been?downed in the area, but did not specify which targets they were aimed at. Russian media reported that there were casualties in the Volga River region of Saratov after a drone attack on the city of Engels. Engels is home to an airbase which has been repeatedly attacked by Ukraine over the past few years. The governor of Bryansk Region, in Russia's west, near the Ukraine border, confirmed that a 15 year old girl and her grandma were killed by a rocket attack on the village Suzemka. A third person was injured. In recent weeks, Russia has experienced acute fuel shortages in all 11 time zones as long-range Ukrainian drone attacks hit its oil refineries. Ukraine claims it wants to limit the oil revenues that Russia uses to fund its four-year war on its neighbor, despite the fact that thousands of Ukrainians have been killed in Russian strikes across the southeast Ukraine. Both sides deny that they are targeting civilians. Officials in Ukraine said that Russian 'ballistic missiles' struck two districts of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv at dawn on Thursday. The fires started and two people were killed. Reporting by Felix Light, writing by Philippa Fletcher; editing by Philippa Light
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The tourist season has hit the Greek islands and they are experiencing a drought.
Seven Greek Islands in the Aegean have declared drought emergency this year. This is to conserve?water, as climate change causes summers to be hotter and rain more irregular. Authorities are now wondering if there will be enough rain to support the thousands of tourists that strain water supplies just as locals are in dire need. Astypalaia is an island in the shape of a butterfly, located east of mainland Greece. It relies on bottled drinking water and was not affected by the rains that fell in the north and west of Greece, giving the country the wettest winter it has experienced since 2022. According to local authorities' data, Astypalaia, in the southeast Aegean region, experienced the second-driest year since 2020. This created a dilemma for local officials. The island's only water reservoir, built in the 1990s, is surrounded by dry hills with sparse low shrubs. FARMERS RETURN TO WELLS In April, authorities cut off Evdokia Paltianou's access to a manmade lake in order to conserve?water. Her orchard's vegetables withered because she had to rely solely on the brackish water she pumped out of her well. Palatianou said, "Unless it rains I won't be planting anything" as he stood next to an old tree that was once full of mandarins in the village of Livadi on the coast, which is the main fertile area of the island. The lake that supplies water to Livadi, and the main tourist city of Chora (the island's capital), for household use, irrigation, and other purposes, contains now around 150,000 cubic meters, or a sixth its storage capacity. It would last about five and half months if you consume 900 cubic meters per day in summer. Komineas reported that the authorities declared a water crisis in May in order to expedite a temporary desalination facility with a daily production of 600 cubic meters for Chora. They also blocked irrigation to farmers in Livadi in order to protect the lake's reserve until autumn. He said that they would reconnect farmers if the Livadi Reservoir is refilled with rain. CONSUMPTION SOARS IN THE HIGHEST SUMMER MONTHS The Copernicus European Drought Observatory's map of Astypalaia, which was published in June, shows the area in orange as an early indicator of drought. In the village of Analipsi, on the east coast of the island, farmers fill tanks with water or use borehole water that is low quality. Desalination plants that supply tap water in the area were unable to meet the needs of a population that grew from 1,400 people in midsummer to 7,000 by the end of summer. A second temporary facility, located in?Chora, was built in anticipation of a permanent desalination system that will be constructed at the end of this year. On Greek islands, dozens of desalination units are being installed. ?omineas admitted that the temporary plant was expensive, but said it was necessary in case of drought. He said, "I was worried about what would happen if it didn't rain again this year." HOTELS CONSIDER RESOURCE-SAVING MEASURES Some hoteliers in Astypalaia are already taking action to save water. Maria Alkalai (42), who runs a hotel in Chora with views of the castle, the Aegean sea and the hillside, offers guests who choose to skip the daily cleaning a five-euro voucher. She said that "clients have embraced" the idea. She imagined a second island hotel that would have a cistern to collect rainwater in place of a pool or jacuzzi. Stavros papastavrou, the Environment Minister, has approved 15 million-euros ($17million) for desalination and grid upgrades, as well as water tanks, on nine of Greece's 200+ inhabited islands. This includes 1.5 million euros for Astypalaia. He briefed Luxembourg's environment ministers on water resilience in June. He said that water was not a theoretical issue for Greece. It is about the security of the country, its economic growth, and protecting local communities. According to the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” in Athens, droughts could worsen by 2049 due to global warming and increased water scarcity.
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British Steel is nationalised by Britain to protect domestic steelmaking
In an attempt to protect the future of steel production, the UK government announced in a statement on Thursday that it had 'nationalised' British Steel, which was previously owned by Chinese investors. British Steel's public ownership is necessary for the UK to safeguard its national interests, according to the government. "British Steel" is a part of the fabric and strength of Britain. The decision today secures the future for steelmaking in Britain, protects "skilled" jobs and safeguards an important national capability," said Keir starmer, the outgoing prime minister. In April 2025, the 'government' took over the operational control of British Steel, from its Chinese owners Jingye. This was done to prevent the closure of Scunthorpe, a steelworks located in northern England, and protect the 2,700 jobs in the plant, as well as thousands of others in the supply chain. The plant is the last primary steelmaking facility in the country. It supplies rail, construction and automobile industries. However, it has struggled in recent years with high energy prices in Britain and an oversupply of steel on the global market. Starmer stated that his government would introduce legislation in May of this year to allow the company to be taken over by the state after it failed to find a buyer. The company was privatised under Margaret Thatcher's regime in 1988. It said that the government appointed a leadership team to 'focus on stabilising operations and managing health and safety. They will also maintain production and work with management, unions, and staff in order to make British Steel an economically sustainable and low-carbon enterprise. Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, said: "British Steel now belongs to the British people and our focus is the future." (Reporting and editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Sonali Paul, and Akanksha Kushi from Bengaluru)
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Bonds cheer lower inflation as Asian shares drop on chipmaker drag
?Asian stocks fell on Thursday, as a selloff in chipmakers obscured stellar earnings by industry leader TSMC. Meanwhile,?bonds benefited again from a benign reading of?U.S. Inflation that reduced the likelihood of a rate hike. As the U.S. finished its latest attacks on Iran, oil prices dropped. In recent days, the Middle East has been rife with hostilities. Washington launched attacks against Iran while Tehran targeted U.S. bases located in Kuwait and Jordan. Brent crude futures last fell 0.5% to $84.5 per barrel, but rose 11% in the past week. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), world's biggest contract manufacturer of advanced AI chip, reported a 77% increase in the second?quarter profit to a record which was far beyond market expectations. TSMC's stock rose 1.2% ahead of the results but it was not enough to reverse the decline in Asian chipmakers. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan fell 1%, while South Korea's KOSPI dropped 6.2% due to weakness at Samsung, which was down 6.6% and SK Hynix (down 9%). Japan's Nikkei dropped 3%. China's Hang Seng Index broke the trend by gaining 1.8%. Brian Heavey is an equity trader at JPMorgan. He wrote in a report that he was "seeing aggressive pullbacks in Memory/Hardware". Don't believe there is a 'negative headline' that's driving the semis/hardware sale. "It just shows how high the bar is for semis earning." Overnight, ASML shares, the world’s largest supplier of equipment used to manufacture high-tech computer chip, ended 0.4% lower despite its raising their 2026 sales predictions and pledging a capacity increase. Wall Street gained overnight when investors shifted from semiconductors to Magnificent Seven stocks, banks and other major lenders after strong earnings. Asia, however is more susceptible to the chip selling-off due to its greater exposure to semiconductor stocks. Stock futures for the entire region are up by 0.2%. In Asia, Wall Street futures were mostly flat. BONDS CHEER COOL INCLAIMATION Surprisingly weak U.S. consumer inflation data a day before added to the benign figures for the PPI in June. The markets have now priced out an imminent rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve to only 10% from 43% at the beginning of the month. Oil prices are rising on renewed Middle East hostilities, and the 'pullback' in inflation could only be temporary. Bond investors focused, however, on the cooler inflation data. The yield on two-year Treasury bonds increased by 2 basis points, to 4.1514%. They had fallen 14 bps in the previous two days. Ten-year Treasury yields increased by 1 basis point to 4.5594% after falling 7 basis points over the last two days. The dollar fell, except against the beleaguered Japanese yen. The dollar index remained steady at 100.52 after dropping 0.4% overnight to its lowest level since June 18. The yen was hovering at 162.15, just below the 40-year low of 162.84, as speculators remain cautious of Japanese intervention. The pound reached a two-month high on the expectation that Andy Burnham will choose a conservative finance minister when he is named Labour Party leader, which is expected to happen on Friday. The pound was unchanged at $1.3532 after a 1% increase overnight. Gold fell 0.8% to $4,027 per ounce. (Editing by Christian Schmollinger & Lincoln Feast)
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Kashagan Oil Operator says arbitration prevents Kazakhstan from enforcing fine
The operator of Kazakhstan's Kashagan Oilfield announced?on Thursday? that an international arbitral tribunal has issued a restraining order prohibiting Kazakhstan from enforcing an environmental fine. The Kazakh Justice Ministry announced on Tuesday that Kashagan's operator must pay a fine of $4.90 billion ($2.3 trillion tenge) by July 20, 2012. The country is involved in arbitration with oil companies that work on its oilfields. It accuses them of environmental violations and corrupt practices. The North Caspian Operating Company, Kashagan’s operator, stated in a statement: "The Arbitral Tribunal has issued a Restraining Order which prohibits the Republic to take any measures to enforce fines?while arbitration is still pending." "NCOC, the Contracting Companies and their representatives reject the fine and the allegations that underlie it and will contest them by any means available." North Caspian Operating Company, a joint venture between Shell, TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil, as well as China's CNPC is a multi-national?venture. Kazakhstan won an arbitration in January concerning the Karachaganak?field. It was seeking to recover around $4 billion. (Reporting and writing by Mariya Goreyeva, Felix Light and Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by Jacqueline Wong & Tomaszjanowski)
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Gold drops as Mideast conflict dampens inflation hopes
Gold prices fell?on Friday as a Middle?East conflict escalated, fueling fears that the U.S. Federal Reserve might raise interest rates in this year. This tempered recent optimism about easing inflation. By 0518 GMT, spot gold had fallen 0.8% to $4,029.29 an ounce. U.S. gold for August delivery fell 0.4% to $4034.40. The latest escalation of the?U.S.Iran conflict has not been reflected in June's inflation numbers, according to Jigar Trivedi. He is a senior research analyst with IndusInd Securities. After reimposing its naval blockade, the U.S. launched a series of two-wave attacks against Iran's missile and coastal defence sites. Iran responded by attacking U.S. military bases in neighboring countries as part of what it termed an "existential conflict" with America. The oil price has risen by 11% this week alone, raising concerns about inflation. Gold is often seen as a hedge against inflation, but it's no longer attractive in an environment of high interest rates. U.S. consumer inflation and producer inflation both slowed down in June amid a drop in energy prices, confirming that inflation had been?subsiding' before the recent escalation of the Middle East conflict. However, the financial markets did not believe that a Fed rate increase this year was possible due to the moderated inflation. CME FedWatch Tool data shows that traders still price in a 73% chance for a Fed hike in December. Fed Governor Lisa Cook stated on Wednesday that she was "prepared to take action" if the inflation rate does not begin to fall soon. Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh also declared his determination for inflation to be brought down, without revealing how. Investors will be watching for comments from 'Dallas Fed president Lorie Logan, and 'Fed vice chair Philip Jefferson later today. Silver fell by 1.2% elsewhere to $57.07 an ounce. Palladium fell 0.4% to $1,308.49 and platinum dropped 0.6% to 1,664.75 (Reporting and editing by Subhranshu Sahu, Rashmi Anich and Swati verma from Bengaluru)
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The IEA warns that China's restrictions on rare earths threaten $6.5 trillion in Western industry
International Energy Agency warns that the full implementation of China’s rare earth export restriction could put $6.5 trillion in downstream production outside of the country at risk. China, the world's largest producer?of?rare Earths, increased export controls in?October of last year, to include additional materials, and introduced new licensing requirements. However, they agreed to postpone implementation for one year. Rare earths is a grouping of 17 metals that are used in small amounts but essential for products such as cars, aircrafts, electronics and weapons systems. The IEA's Global Critical Minerals outlook report stated that if the controls are fully implemented, an estimated $6.5 trillion?of manufacturing across the automotive and high-tech sectors, as well as the defence, energy, and defence sectors, could be affected by supply disruptions. According to the report, nearly half of all economic impacts would be attributed to the U.S. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, said: "Our analysis shows that vast amounts of economic value are dependent on relatively small quantities?of critical minerals. Their supply chains remain highly concentrated and therefore vulnerable." The agency warned about the risks posed by China's planned controls on exports of graphite, an important material used in batteries for electric vehicles, which had been announced at the time but later delayed. The report stated that a full implementation of graphite controls would put around $300 billion?of downstream production in countries outside China at risk. China accounts for more than 90% of the global graphite production. Western governments are trying to create alternative supply chains for critical minerals. According to the IEA, public financing commitments of new?projects have more than quadrupled from 2023-2025. They now total $65 billion. New rare earth refinery projects in the U.S. The agency reported that Malaysia and China reduced China's share of the global market from 90% to 85% in the last year. If the planned projects are completed on time, this share could drop to 70% by 2035. Reporting by Eric Onstad. Mark Potter (Editing by Mark Potter).
Brazil's seed collectors fight Amazon deforestation
Restoration projects in Brazil have increased 160% since 2020
Wildfire-fueled deforestation breaks records
Restoring soil with seed is a cost-effective alternative
By Andre Cabette Fabio
Oliveira, a seed collector from Mato Grosso is among the?more that 700 members of the Xingu Seeds Network who are working to recover forests and savannas in this major agricultural state.
After the Brazilian government committed to restore 12,000,000 hectares of natural areas (or 30,000,000 acres) by 2030, as part of its climate goals in the 2015 Paris Agreement, forest restoration is now taking hold. This is thanks to the support of civil society, businesses, and increased funding.
Data from the World Resources Institute revealed that 2024 will be the worst year ever for the global loss of tropical forests. Brazil accounted for 42%, after having lost 2.82 million acres, mainly due to fires.
In the Amazon, wildfires are rarely spontaneous. Most of them are started by land grabbers and farmers.
"One day, I went looking for my seeds and, when I arrived, I was shocked to see that there wasn't a single branch. Oliveira said that everything had been ripped apart while she was working in her garden in Nova Xavantina, a city in central Brazil.
"We feel so sad because we don't know what you are going to do about it." She said this as she placed the seeds into a machine and pulled a lever in order to break their shells.
Alternative to Seed Lining
The Xingu Seeds Network is a group of mostly women who come from rural areas, towns, cities and large Indigenous territories. They fight against biodiversity and tree losses in areas where soybean and grain fields and cattle pastures are expanding.
In 2007, the network of collectors was formed in response to a request from Indigenous communities of the Xingu River Basin to farmers to save the drying streams in the area.
It promotes an alternative method to seedlings called "muvuca" which involves sowing native seeds to give plants that are best adapted to local conditions a chance to flourish.
Muvuca, which does not require irrigation, is cheaper than seedlings.
Xingu Seeds Network, a group of 27 seed-collecting organizations, has helped to replant 10,800 hectares in forests and savannahs.
These initiatives, however, are far from being able to stop the rapid deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and other Brazilian ecosystems.
Bruna 'Dayanna Ferreira is the director of Xingu Seeds Network. She said, "In one month my neighbor alone?cutdown what we had restored over ten years."
CLIMATE CHANGE BUFFER
By restoring natural areas, you can capture carbon and release water vapor, which helps to form clouds, which reflect sunlight and produce rain.
Scientists have stated that this buffers global warming effects and prevents rainforests drying out and reaching tipping point, after which they could become savannah like ecosystems.
Brazil's restoration of forest, savannahs, and other ecosystems by seedlings or seeds has grown by 160% since 2021.
The Brazilian Restoration Observatory, a non-profit organization, reported in December that the area is currently just 204,000 acres, with 19% of it in the Amazon.
According to the observatory, areas undergoing natural regeneration - when nature regenerates without human interference - are much larger, totaling more than 19 million hectares.
Tropical forests require an average of twenty years to recover 80% of their carbon before they were cleared. In a study from 2021, recovering Amazon?forests are destroyed on average after eight years of regrowth.
In November, the government released its National Native Vegetation Recovery Plan, which identified 3.5 millions hectares in forests, savannahs, and other ecosystems that are regrowing on land protected by environmental laws, where they stand a better chance of survival.
Thiago Silva, the forest director of the Environment Ministry, said: "Most restoration occurs through secondary forests (naturally regrowing). We need to monitor and protect these areas."
FOREST INCENTIVES
Ferreira said that, with human-assisted regeneration still gaining momentum, the amount seeds collected by members of the Xingu Seeds Network exceeds the demand for planting.
She said that "our capacity to collect seed is much larger than the demand we receive, and this rule is among all seed-collecting network in Brazil."
Belote explained that even though natural regrowth can be the fastest way to achieve large-scale recovery on a large scale, promoting restoration through a market could help divert incentives from deforestation.
He said: "We must think of large-scale reforestation as a way to earn money... in order to show that it is competitive with deforestation."
Since last year, the government has allocated 274 million reais (50 million dollars) to restore 7,980 acres of Indigenous territory and public land that was allotted to smallholder farmers.
A part of the investment will be used to plant trees to produce food. This includes acai berries, cocoa and acai berries, both native to Amazon.
According to Forests & Finance, this funding pales in contrast to the $207 billion in publicly subsidized credits to agricultural production in Brazil that has driven forest loss over the past decade.
On the way to Nova Xavantina, there are towering silos as well as an air-conditioned storage facility that can hold up to 450,000 bags for soybean planting. This is a powerful symbol of the monoculture dominance in the region.
The nascent market for restoration is already changing the lives of those who work in it.
Oliveira said that her family has built three small homes and bought a car and motorcycle with the money she earned from collecting seeds. She was a housekeeper prior to joining Xingu Seeds Network.
Her depression has been helped by her work in the natural world.
(source: Reuters)