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Rescue teams find three additional bodies following central Texas flooding
According to Kerr County officials, the death toll has risen to 87 as three more bodies were recovered by search and rescue teams in the hills of central Texas that had been ravaged by floods. Teams from the federal government, states adjacent to Kerr County, and Mexico have joined efforts in search of survivors. The local effort has been hampered by downpours and thunderstorms. The teams are working through the missing persons lists and have yet to find a survivor since Friday. At least 109 people, including dozens children, have died in the floods. At a press conference, Lieutenant Colonel Ben Baker from the Texas Game Wardens stated that the work was extremely dangerous and time-consuming. It's dirty. "The water is still there." The Guadalupe River was flooded by torrential rains that began before dawn Friday. It burst through its banks, killing dozens of people and leaving behind piles of trees, debris and cars. The local and federal emergency officials were questioned for days about whether or not they could have warned the flood-prone Texas Hill Country residents sooner. Sheriff Larry Leitha announced at a Kerr County press conference that 56 adults and 30 kids have died in the county. More than two dozen other victims are still unidentified. Authorities are still unsure if the 87th person is an adult or a child. Some flood victims slept at Camp Mystic near Hunt, a riverside Christian summer camp for girls. Five children and one counselor were still missing on Tuesday. The sheriff refused to answer questions regarding emergency management and preparedness in the county. He also declined to reveal who was responsible for monitoring weather alerts, issuing flood warnings or evacuation orders and distributing a flood order. He said that his office began receiving 911 calls at 4 am and 5 am on Friday morning, several hours after a local National Weather Service station had issued a flood alert. Leitha explained that they were in the process "of trying to put together" a timeline. According to local media and sheriffs, the floods have killed another 22 people. Seven of them were in Travis County; seven in Kendall County; five in Burnett County; two in Williamson County; and one in Tom Green County. A spokesperson for Republican President Donald Trump confirmed that he plans to visit the region devastated by flooding this week. Democrats in Washington are calling for an investigation to determine if the Trump administration's cuts at the National Weather Service impacted the agency's response. (Reporting from Jonathan Allen in New York, Rich McKay and Deepababington in Atlanta. Editing by Rod Nickel & Deepababington).
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EIA: US natgas production and demand will reach record highs by 2025 before declining in 2026
The U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Short-Term Energy Outlook, released on Tuesday, predicted that the U.S. Natural Gas output and demand would both reach record highs by 2025. However, they will then decline in 2026. EIA projects that dry gas production will increase from 103.2 billion cubic feet per day in 2024, to 105.9 in 2025, before slipping to 105.4 in 2026. This compares to a record of 103.6 bcfd for 2023. The agency also predicted that domestic gas consumption will rise from 90.5 bcfd, a record in 2024, to 91.4bcfd by 2025 and then ease back to 91.1bcfd by 2026. The EIA's June forecast of 105.9 billion cubic feet per day for supply in 2025 has not changed, but its July forecast is higher than the 91.3 billion cubic feet per day forecast. The agency predicted that average U.S. LNG exports will reach 14.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in 2025, and 16.0 billion cubic feet per day in 2026. This is up from 11.9 bcfd at a record in 2024. The EIA predicted that U.S. coal output would increase from 512.1 million short tonnes in 2024 - the lowest level since 1964 - to 519.9 millions tons in 2020, before dropping to 475.1million tons in 2030, the lowest level since 1962. EIA predicted that carbon dioxide (CO2) emission from fossil fuels will rise from a low of 4,777 billion metric tonnes in 2024, to 4.836 in 2025, as oil, gas and coal use increases. Then, the emissions would ease to 4.775 in 2026, as oil, gas and coal use decreases. (Reporting and Editing by Franklin Paul, David Gregorio and Scott DiSavino)
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Second quarter copper production at Ivanhoe Congo Mine jumps
Ivanhoe Mines said that its production at the Kamoa-Kakula Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo increased by 11% on an annual basis to 112,009 tons of copper during the second quarter. The output increased despite the seismic problems that disrupted operation earlier this year. The Canadian miner resumed its operations in June, and reduced its production guidance for 2025 by almost 30%. It now expects to produce between 370,000 and 420,000 tonnes. Open Mineral's Senior Africa Commercial Officer, Zack Hartwanger said: "Ivanhoe’s rapid ramp-up, and its steady outlook, underscore Kamoa Kakula's status as one of the world's lowest-cost, high-margin producers of copper." Robert Friedland, Ivanhoe's Executive Co-Chairman, said that "operational recovery plans" are in full swing at Kamoa/Kakula. Ivanhoe started mining low-grade areas in the western part of Kakula. It is currently producing ore that contains 3-4% copper. A two-stage dewatering program has been implemented to gain access to the eastern sections. According to the statement, mining operations on the west side resumed in early June and ramped up to 300,000.00 tons per month by the middle of June. The company announced that it would invest $70 million into high-capacity infrastructure for de-watering, and five submersible pump will arrive from China in the next month. Ivanhoe stated that mining in areas with a higher grade of copper (approximately 5%) on the western side would resume by the end of this year. The operational turnaround comes as Kamoa-Kakula prepares for the September ramp up of its 500,000-ton-per-annum copper concentrate facility. The first anode is expected to be produced in October. The facility will change the operation from an exporter of concentrates to a producer 99.7% pure Copper Anodes, according to the company. The Kamoa Kakula Complex is one of the largest copper mines in the world, and crucial to global supply due to the rising demand for energy transition metal. The copper price has risen by more than 8% this year in comparison to the same time last year. Yassin Kombi reported. Maxwell Akalaare Adombila contributed to the reporting and writing. Editing by Pratima Deai and Mark Potter.
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Investors react to tariff developments as stocks and yen continue to fall.
The major stock indexes were little altered on Tuesday, as investors digested Donald Trump's latest tariff announcement. Meanwhile, the yen continued its decline against the dollar due to planned 25% duties on Japanese goods. Trump wrote to 14 countries on Monday, including Japan and South Korea. He warned them that they would face a sharply increased tariff rate for imports from the United States, starting at a new date, August 1. The market has not reacted as strongly as it did in April after Trump announced his sweeping tariffs. Market watchers predict that countries will seek to reach trade agreements with the United States prior to the new deadline. Sources said that European stocks were stable, and the European Union would not receive a letter stating higher tariffs. The EU could also reach a deal with the United States by Wednesday. It's a slow day. Yesterday, people digested tariff news and we saw weakness. "People are on hold for now until the second-quarter earnings report is released," said Peter Tuz of Chase Investment Counsel, Charlottesville, Virginia. S&P 500 companies are soon to report on the quarter ending June 30. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 101.09 points or 0.23% to 44,305.27. The S&P 500 declined 2.26 points or 0.04% to 6,227.72. And the Nasdaq Composite increased 1.33 points or 0.01% to 20,413.83. The MSCI index of global stocks fell by 0.36 points or 0.04% to 919.57. The pan-European STOXX 600 rose by 0.33%. The hope of a trade deal boosted risk appetite on Tuesday, as MSCI’s broadest Asia-Pacific index outside Japan rose by 0.5%. Japan's Nikkei recovered from its early losses and ended the day 0.26% higher. Southeast Asia's largest economies are facing some of the highest U.S. Tariffs. South Korean shares posted their biggest daily gain in the past two weeks, and the won strengthened by 0.4%. Since Trump in April capped what he termed reciprocal tariffs for trading partners to 10% for a period of three months, allowing for negotiation, the lack of progress has been looming over markets. Two agreements have been made, with Britain, and Vietnam. In June, Washington, and Beijing, agreed on a framework for tariff rates. The minutes of the Federal Reserve's last meeting will be published on Wednesday. The central bank is taking a wait and see approach to monetary policies. The export-dependent Japanese currency, the yen, fell to a two-week-low of 146.65 against the dollar. It also fell against other currencies. The dollar's last gain against the yen was 0.6%, at 146.9. The Australian dollar rose as the central bank of Australia defied expectations by keeping its cash rate at 3.85%. Investors are awaiting Treasury's sale of $119 billion of coupon-bearing bonds this week. The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10 year notes rose 3.6 basis points to 4.431% last week, its highest level since June 20, U.S. crude oil rose by 0.19%, to $68.06 per barrel. Brent increased to $69.86 a barrel.
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The death toll from the Texas floods continues to rise as rescue efforts continue
According to county officials, the death toll has risen to 87 in Kerr County as the search and rescue effort continues in central Texas. The disaster that has claimed more than 100 lives is still ravaging the area. The Guadalupe River burst into flames as torrential rains fell before dawn Friday, killing dozens and leaving behind piles of trees, debris and cars. At a recent press conference, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha announced that at least 56 adults and children had been killed. More than two dozen other victims have yet to be identified. The authorities have not yet determined whether the 87th person was an adult victim or a child. Five children and a camp counselor were still missing on Tuesday. Some of the victims spent their summers at Camp Mystic, near the river. Local officials were questioned about whether they should have warned of the dangers of flash floods that occurred in Texas Hill Country earlier. Thunderstorms have hampered local efforts in searching for survivors. Rescue teams from Mexico and neighboring states have joined the local effort. At the press conference, Lieutenant Colonel Ben Baker from the Texas Game Wardens stated that the work was extremely dangerous and time-consuming. It's dirty. "The water is still there." A spokesperson for Donald Trump said that he plans to visit the region in question this week. Reporting by Jonathan Allen from New York, Rich McKay from Atlanta and Rod Nickel in Atlanta.
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EDF, the French nuclear company, will invest $1.5 billion in Britain's Sizewell-C nuclear project
The French government and British government announced on Tuesday that EDF, a French nuclear energy company, will invest approximately 1.1 billion pounds ($1.5billion) in the Sizewell project in Britain. EDF is already a shareholder in this project. The announcement came as French President Emmanuel Macron was on a visit of state to Britain. This is the first European leader to be in Britain since Brexit. Britain wants to replace its aging nuclear facilities with new ones to improve energy security, and to meet its climate goal of zero net emissions by 2050. Sizewell C is expected to produce enough electricity for around 6,000,000 homes once it's operational. Keir starmer, British Prime Minister, said that "this investment brings us closer to realizing the benefits for the British people." The British government The project has already received 17.8 billion pounds but is still looking for investors. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero stated that the UK Government would remain a major shareholder in the project, ensuring we had oversight of the development and limiting any delays. EDF, a state-owned company, said that its investment will give it a 12.5% stake in the project. State-owned EDF said its investment means it will have a 12.5%? EDF's reports for 2024 showed that they had a 16.2% stake, which is equivalent to 652 millions of euros invested. As the UK government invested more and other investors joined, it was expected that the stake of the company in the project would change. The UK government purchased the Chinese firm's shares in the Sizewell C Project by 2022, due to security concerns. Sizewell C will be the second nuclear plant in Britain built in over two decades after EDF’s Hinkley Point C. Hinkley Point C has faced delays and cost increases and is expected to begin operations in 2029 at a cost estimated between 31 and 34 billion pounds, based on 2015 prices. EDF previously stated that Sizewell C will be about 20% cheaper than Hinkley C.
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Marshall Islands drop fossil fuels as focus of UN climate change motion
The U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a motion Tuesday on climate change, human rights and the Marshall Islands retracted a divisive amendement that asked states to commit to a phased-out fossil fuels. The motion calling for countries to "contribute to global efforts" to combat climate change was passed by consensus. This follows the 2021 council recognition of access to a healthy and clean environment as a right. The original language had revealed divisions amongst the 47 members, after the Marshall Islands, which is one of the most vulnerable countries to rising sea levels and has made an amendment to it to mention the exiting of fossil fuels, as agreed by the states at the COP28 Climate summit in December 2023. Doreen Debrum, Marshall Islands ambassador to the U.N. at Geneva, said to the council: "My country, like many of its Pacific neighbours, places a premium on collaboration and dialogue. We were willing to acknowledge this by withdrawing the amendment." The motion instead referred to the "imperative of defossilizing economies" in a note, allowing it to pass without a vote whose outcome was not certain. The decisions of the council are not legally enforceable, but they help to shape global standards. Three diplomats claim that oil producing countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait (a voting member), had previously voiced their opposition to this phrasing during negotiations. Riyadh instead called for "multiple paths" to reduce emission. Kuwait's foreign ministry or Saudi Arabia's international press offices did not respond to requests for comment. The diplomatic missions of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in Geneva failed to respond immediately. Sebastien duyck, the human rights and climate campaigner at the Center for International Environmental Law said: "We regret the council's continued failure to call for an equitable phase out of fossil fuels - the root cause for the crisis." Campaigners have accused leaders in climate action such as the European Union of scaling back their policies while dealing with the effects of an early summer heatwave. After disengaging from the Council this year, the U.S. did not take part in the formal vote. (Reporting and editing by Alison Williams; Emma Farge)
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Ghana launches taskforce to stop gold smuggling
John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana, launched on Tuesday a taskforce backed by the security forces in order to combat illegal gold trading. Africa's largest producer is trying to recover billions lost due to smuggling. Ghana's task force is the first national initiative to combat gold smuggling. The government had previously tried to clean up artisanal gold mining, but this was unsuccessful in preventing illegal extraction or preventing the revenue losses that most African gold producers suffer. Ghana created a new board called GoldBod this year to centralise the gold trading. Mahama, at the inauguration for the new taskforce, said that this has led to official exports in 2025 of 55.7 tonnes of gold worth $5 billion. Mahama stated that the money would not have returned to Ghana if traders had taken it out and left the foreign currency outside. Mahama announced that to encourage public participation with the new antismuggling taskforce, which will include both police and soldiers, informants would receive 10% of the gold value seized through their tips. Mahama said Ghana will implement a national gold traceability system by 2026 and move to refined gold exports. A certified assay lab by the International Organization for Standardization will be used to ensure quality and capture more value. The country also plans to create a manufacturing hub to maximize gold's value. West African governments strive to increase revenue by taking advantage of the rising commodity prices. Military-led countries are adopting aggressive policy, including rewriting the mining codes, securing assets, and renegotiating contract, while democracies such as Ghana and Ivory Coast pursue measured reforms, through higher royalty rates and enhanced revenue sharing deals. According to data, gold prices have increased by 25% in the past year, peaking at $3,500 an ounce in April. (Reporting and editing by Emmanuel Bruce, Robwell Corey-Boulet, Franklin Paul and Maxwell Akalaare Adombila)
WGC reports that gold ETFs attracted the largest inflow for five years in the first half of 2025.
The World Gold Council reported that from January to June, physical gold exchange traded funds experienced their biggest semi-annual inflows since the first half 2020.
Investors sought refuge from political and economic instability in gold ETFs after a trade war was sparked by President Donald Trump's tariff policies. These ETFs account for the majority of demand for precious metals.
After three years of high interest rate outflows, the active first half of 2024 follows a modest inflow of net funds into gold ETFs.
The WGC, a global industry group whose members are gold miners, reported that gold ETFs had an inflow in the first half 2025 of $38 billion. Their collective holdings increased by 397.1 tons of gold.
The total amount of grain held by the end June was the highest since August 2022. The previous record was 3,915 tonnes in October 2020.
According to the WGC, U.S. listed funds led inflows with 206.8 tonnes in the first six months, while Asia listed funds attracted 104.3 tons.
The WGC reported that "despite slowing momentum in June and May, Asian investors purchased a record amount gold ETFs for the first half of this year, contributing a staggering 28% of net global flows, with only 9% the total assets managed around the globe."
The spot gold price is up 26% in this year after hitting a record of $3,500 an ounce per troy. (Reporting and editing by Rod Nickel; Polina Devlin)
(source: Reuters)