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Environmental plastics may cause cardiac risk, suggests study
In a small study, we also describe an experimental vaccine that prevented pancreatic carcinoma in people with high genetic risks. Higher levels of plastic in blood linked with heart attacks A small Italian study suggests that heart attack survivors have higher levels in their blood of tiny plastic particles compared to those who never had a heart attack and people whose blood vessels supply the 'heart' are normal. Researchers say that the study of 61 subjects adds to the growing evidence that environmental pollutants may affect cardiovascular health. According to a study published in the European Heart Journal, micro- and nanoplastics have been detected in 84% heart attack survivors. Patients with heart attacks had more plastic types in the blood. Polyethylene was the most common plastic type, and is used widely in consumer goods and packaging. Researchers also collected information on the smoker status of the patients and the pollution exposure they had experienced in the previous two years. Smokers and patients exposed to high levels of pollution over a long period were more likely than others to have microplastics present in their blood. Those who smoke or are exposed to high levels of air pollutants have plastics in their blood. Only 12.5% of those patients do not smoke and did not experience higher levels of pollution. In a press release, Professor Emanuele Barato, from Sapienza University of Rome, and Sant'Andrea University Hospital, said that the findings "do not prove" that microplastics are responsible for heart attacks. However, they do reveal a strong link between microplastics and cardiovascular disease. The accompanying editorial states that while cardiovascular effects from plastic exposure have been largely speculative up until recently, new clinical evidence has shown that plastic particles are able to enter the bloodstream and accumulate in the vascular tissue, while laboratory experiments indicate that they trigger mechanisms that cause vascular injury. The editorial concludes that "despite substantial uncertainties, the convergence between epidemiological, medical, and mechanistic data suggests that plastic contamination may represent an underestimated cardiovascular risk factor." PANCREATIC CANCER VACINE PROMISING AT EARLY STAGE TRIAL Researchers report that an experimental vaccine targeting the most common genetic driver of pancreatic carcinoma prevented the cancer in high-risk individuals from developing the disease in a trial. Cancer Discovery reported that the study was believed to be a first-inhuman demonstration of a vaccine targeting KRAS mutations being able to safely generate lasting immune response. KRAS mutations can be found in the majority of pancreatic cancers as well as pre-cancerous lesions. Researchers at John Hopkins University are developing a vaccine called mKRAS VAX that will cause the immune system recognize and destroy cells with any of six mutations. Twenty participants with a high genetic risk of pancreatic cancer, and an abnormality in the pancreas identified by imaging, received four doses over a period of 13 weeks. The vaccine activated immune cells in 18 participants (90%) that were capable of "recognizing and remembering KRAS mutants. The immune cells were detectable up to two years after vaccination. After a median follow up of 16.5 month, none of the participants developed pancreatic carcinoma or a high-risk lesion that required surgical removal. The vaccine has been found to be safe with only mild or moderate side effects. These include injection site reactions, fatigue and flu-like symptoms. Investigators point out that the study is primarily designed to evaluate safety and immune responses and does not prove that the vaccine prevents cancer of the pancreas. In a statement, Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee from the John Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center said: "This is only the beginning. But the findings suggest that your immune system is becoming activated." "We still have a lot to do but this is an excellent start in the prevention of crime, something that no one thought about before." In 2020, the?KRAS vaccination was tested on patients who underwent surgery and were at a high risk of recurrence. This study concluded that when the vaccine triggered a strong immunity response, patients were disease-free for a minimum of five years. This study was prompted by the success of 2020 testing. Researchers have conducted a second study in which they will test the vaccine on patients who are undergoing surgery for high-risk pancreatic cysts. The researchers will be able to observe how the vaccine-induced immune cell directly affects precancerous tissue in this new study. Sign up for the newsletter to receive it in your email inbox. (Reporting and editing by Nia Williams; Nancy Lapid)
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Hungary uses water to protect UNESCO bird sanctuary amid drought
The Hungarian authorities are 'channeling' water into a large area of the Hortobagy Park National Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in order to prevent its marshlands from drying out due to this year's severe dry spell. Hortobagy, or "Puszta", is a tourist magnet in eastern Hungary. It consists of plains and wetlands and is a stopover for thousands of birds that migrate to Africa. They build nests here and breed before flying south as the autumn approaches. The largest marshland is "Fekete ret", which was once part of the?former Tisza floodplains, and its lower lying parts were irrigated with floodwaters. The area dries up for the very first time in 2013. In 2022, during the last severe drought, the area dried up completely. More than 800 hectares were destroyed. Lajos Gal, regional unit manager at the 'Hortobagy Directorate of National Parks, with over?three decades experience in marshes, said that the groundwater level in the area had been decreasing continuously. "This year is very special because heat came very early and we began the year with an extremely large water deficit. The spring did not rain... and the swamps could not be filled. "This year, we were able to obtain water from the Water Department for ecological water replenishment. Gal stated that about 2,000,000 cubic meters of water have been channeled into the marshes, and is still flowing out of the Nyugati canal. The entire area would have been completely dry without this irrigation canal. Migratory Birds Affected Climate change, and the resulting?lessening of precipitation, have had a long-lasting impact on bird migration patterns. "The spring migrations are starting earlier... "The spring migrations?are starting earlier... He said that many species of birds he saw as a child have almost disappeared. However, he added, "There are also species like the little pygmy Cormorant which I almost never saw when I was growing up, but there is now a nice population in the Black Meadow." Gal suggested that a long-term fix should be sought and the water flowing into Hungary should also be retained to the maximum extent possible. This will ensure the survival and health of the wetlands which can create a microclimate as well as affect the groundwater balance. (Writing and editing by Gareth Jones.)
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UN warns that transporting dead bodies in Congo could spread Ebola
U.N. migration agency warned on Friday that transporting 'Ebola victims bodies' between different areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo for funerals in their own communities, or to other parts of the country, could spread a virus. As of July 14, more than 2,000 Ebola deaths and 700 cases had been reported in Congo and Uganda. Around two-thirds were outside of hospitals or clinics, according to the International Organization for Migration. This often fatal virus spreads by direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected humans or animals. Symptoms include high fevers, vomiting, internal bleeding, and internal bleeding. This?epidemic was caused by the 'Bundibugyo' strain of the virus. Ebola is highly contagious even after death. This makes funeral practices an important component in outbreak control. Andrew Mbala, from IOM, said: "If we do not manage the dead bodies properly and if we do not engage the community...?then there will be a greater spread within the local community." IOM officials said that transporting bodies between districts in the?Congo is a challenge, as many families want to bury their relatives at home. "There hasn't been a crossing of dead bodies to another country but we have seen many crossings of?dead body? within the country," said Mbala. IOM warns that such movements could spread the virus if they are not handled properly.
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Official: Zimbabwe's only lithium salt plant is unable to process metal from third parties
An official stated on Friday that Zimbabwe's only lithium sulphate facility, owned by China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt?, has no capacity to process minerals from other producers. This is ahead of an export ban for concentrates next year. Africa's largest lithium producer will implement a ban in January to encourage miners to process the battery metal at home, creating higher-valued export earnings and more jobs?in its economy. The government told lithium miners to send their concentrates directly to local plants. One of the plants in Zimbabwe, owned by Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and operated by Prospect Lithium -Zimbabwe has not yet been completed. Its operator claims that it does not have capacity to process 'third party material. We don't have the capacity to process minerals from other sources. "Our concentrator plant produces about 400,000 tons of ore per year, so we do not have room for other players," said mine manager Mthokozisi Gaiath during a mine visit by Mines Minister Polite Kambamura. He added, "For the moment, this plant (sulphate plant) only has a capacity that can manage what we make at the concentrator plants." Kambamura, who spoke during the visit to Japan, insisted that the ban on exporting concentrates would still be implemented early next year. The January 2027 deadline remains in place. We cannot discuss a delay at this time. We urge all producers not to miss that deadline," said the minister. Sinomine Resource Group’s Bikita Mining and Kamativi?Company (the Zimbabwean subsidiary of China’s Yahua Group) are currently building plants that are unlikely to be ready by the end of January 2027. Chinese companies dominate Zimbabwe's Lithium?sector, after investing around $2 billion since 2021 in mining and processing facilities. This has helped the Asian giant consolidate its grip on the global supply chain for battery metal. (Reporting and writing by Philimon Bolawayo, Editing by Jan Harvey).
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India's JSW Steel beats its quarterly profit forecast on the back of firmer prices and steady volumes
India's JSW Steel reported a?profit in the first quarter that was more than twice as high, exceeding analyst estimates. Net profit margins also improved due to a?resilient volume and?firmer domestic prices, which outweighed the?pressure?from higher coal costs. The top steelmaker in the country reported on Friday a net profit of 482.79 million rupees (46.51 billion rupiahs) for the three-month period ended June 30. LSEG data shows that analysts had predicted an average of 31.11 billion rupees. Elara Capital analysts said that prices of flat steel products like hot-rolled and cold-rolled coils rose in India both sequentially and on an annual basis, due to a weaker rupee as well as higher Chinese export offers. According to Jefferies, the expansion of capacity across Indian steelmakers led to a healthy annual volume growth. JSW Steel said that its sales volume increased 4% on an annual basis during the third quarter. Analysts had expected 448.07 million rupees. Revenue from operations increased by 9.8%, to 473.64 milliards of rupees. Steelmaker's net profits margins jumped from 5.12% to 9.91%, thanks to better realisations. The domestic flat steel price, which makes up the bulk of JSW’s product mix, has held up better than the prices of long?steel, but the rising costs of coking coal and iron ore, two key raw materials have moderated some of the benefits. The cost of materials consumed increased by 18.4%, resulting in an increase of 3.7% for total expenses to 418.30 Billion Rupees. The company's capex guidance for fiscal 2027, which is 220-240 billion rupees (US$1), remained the same. ($1 = 96.3350 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Anuran Sadhu in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)
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Gas plant in France at risk of failure due to high temperatures
The Mediterranean Sea's high temperatures, which have limited the availability of cooling water for gas plants in southern France, could lead to a gas plant going offline on Thursday evening. This would add further pressure to an energy system that is already under stress due to reduced nuclear output. Early summer heatwaves have caused temperatures to rise to unheard of levels in Europe, leading water shortages, fires and even deaths. The French utility EDF has issued a?restriction? notice for its 930 megawatt Martigues power plant. This is the first time in this summer that an electricity plant powered by gas could be?at-risk of being shut down due to heat. EDF said that an exemption had been granted for the gas plant to continue operating beyond the normal threshold of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). This was until September 15th, but the extended limit was already at risk. Due to high river temperatures, the outage will add to the 4.9 Gigawatts of nuclear?capacity that was unavailable on Thursday evening. A further 2.5 GW of nuclear capacity is unavailable due to low river levels. Temperatures are expected to fall, but the drought is worsening The French energy mix is dominated by nuclear power, which accounts for about 70% of total energy supply. About 14% of France’s total capacity is affected by the nuclear outages. Thibault Laconde is the founder of Callendar Climate Data Analytics. "We've seen two waves in climate-related outages that were unprecedented?in severity and timing. Due to high temperatures on Friday, additional nuclear reactors will regulate their output. Meanwhile, an outage at 'the Bugey 3' reactor is expected to be resolved on Friday evening when temperatures begin to cool. The heat-related outage at Golfech 2 in southern France should end by July 25. Low water levels in the Meuse River, which is part of a water sharing agreement with Belgium, have forced the Chooz plant to shut down around 2.5 GW. MeteoFrance has said that the heatwave in France is likely to continue to recede over the next few days. By the weekend, the high temperatures are expected to be confined mainly to the southeast. It added that the drought had worsened every day since May due to a lack of rainfall and exceptionally high temperatures. Reporting by Forrest Crellin, Editing by Nina Chestney Joe Bavier Jan Harvey
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Gold prices drop the most in six weeks as inflation fears are fueled by Middle East conflict
Gold is on track to suffer its largest weekly loss in six weeks on Friday as the escalating U.S. - Iran conflict has pushed up oil prices. This will increase inflationary pressures, and strengthen the case for higher U.S. rates. Gold spot was up 0.6% to $3,993.22 an ounce at 0758 GMT. It had been as low as it has been since July 1, earlier in the day. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery gained 0.1% to $ 3,996.90. The metal is down 3% this week, the biggest drop since June 1. This week's softer U.S. inflation data has not been enough to offset the Middle East conflict. Tim Waterer is the chief market analyst for?KCM Trade. He said that gold has made tentative moves higher today, after seeing the metal drop below $4,000 attracted bargain hunters. Waterer stated that "geopolitical risk in the Middle East is still present with inflation and yield fears being the predominant forces holding back gold". The oil price has risen by about 12% in the past week due to supply concerns raised by the escalated conflict between Iran and the United States. Oil prices are on the rise, which could increase inflation fears and interest rate increases. In a high interest rate environment, non-yielding assets like gold tend to struggle as investors move towards assets that offer higher returns. Lorie Logan, the Dallas Federal Reserve president, became the first member of Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh’s new colleagues to publicly call for a rate increase. Fed Vice-Chair Philip 'Jefferson' also said he was open to raising interest rates if inflation did not improve in the near future. According to the CME FedWatch?Tool, traders are pricing in 73% of a rate increase in December. This week, gold discounts in India reached a new high as buyers remained on the sidelines in anticipation of lower prices. Premiums in China were largely stable. Silver spot fell?0.1% per ounce to $55.45, platinum dropped 1.9% to 1,586.63, and palladium was down 1% at $1,237.47. All three metals are headed for a loss this week. (Reporting from Pablo Sinha in Bengaluru and Swati verma; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Sherry Jacob Phillips)
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Metals like copper and industrial metals are falling as Middle East conflict weighs on the demand outlook
Copper and the base metal complex as a whole fell on Friday due to deteriorating risk sentiment from the Middle East conflict. This prompted inflation fears and cast a shadow on the demand outlook. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 1.01%, to $13,461 per metric ton at 0715 GMT. Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell by 0.73%, to 103 550 yuan (15,284.13) per ton. Copper, also known as "Dr Copper", fluctuated throughout the week. In London, it is expected to end the week with a marginal gain of 0.08%. As a result of the breakdown of the peace talks, and the increasing fighting between Iran and the U.S., shipments have been disrupted through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude prices have risen by nearly 12% in the last week, a result of the breakdown of peace talks and the escalation?of fighting between Iran and America. Gold, which does not yield, was on track for its worst weekly loss in the past six weeks despite a slight?uptick on Friday. This is because of bets that rising inflation would keep rates high for longer. The economic activity of industrial minerals is dampened by higher interest rates. The market's sentiment was boosted by a series of economic data that showed a softer June. The demand for copper is also being supported by the recent withdrawals of LME stockpiles and by a?good interest in buying from China, which is the largest consumer. The Yangshan premium On Thursday, the, which tracks "buying interest" there, was at its highest level since May 2025, at $95 per ton. LME Nickel fell?2.26%, while SHFE nickel dropped 1.57%. Nickel's decline erased a large part of the rally that occurred on Monday, when prices rose due to concerns about raw material supplies. Aluminium, zinc, and lead all fell in value on the?LME. Tin also dropped by 1.76%. Aluminium ticked up 0.09% on SHFE. Zinc fell 0.73%. Lead rose 1.8%. Tin lost 1.49%.
Copper prices fall, heading for a weekly drop as tensions in the Middle East weigh on demand
The price of copper fell on Friday as equity markets declined. Rising tensions in the Middle East war fueled inflation fears and cast a dark shadow over the outlook for industrial metals.
Benchmark 'three-month copper' on the London?Metal Exchange fell 1.3% to $13,419.50 per metric ton at 0930 GMT after rising 0.1% on Friday. The metal, which is widely used in construction, manufacturing and power generation, was expected to finish the week at a loss of 0.5%.
Oil prices have risen 12.7% this week due to the escalation of fighting between the U.S. and Iran. Fuel costs are also increasing for metal producers.
U.S. Stock Market Futures also slid due to renewed attacks in Gulf and a drop in chip stocks. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's claims that China "meddled" in U.S. Elections increased trade tensions between two of the world's largest economies.
COMEX copper fell by a more pronounced 1.9%, to $6.22 a pound. The White House has yet to announce its proposed tariff on imported refined copper.
The US-Iran war has had a relatively mild impact on supply, but we still see copper prices falling in the months to come, according to BMI, an Fitch Solutions unit.
Tight inventories kept prices at a minimum. LME copper stock
Exchange copper stocks in China: Shanghai Futures
Other metals like aluminium, zinc, and lead also fell. Lead dropped 0.2%, to $1,868.50, while tin lost 1.4%, to $52,250. (Reporting and additional reporting by Solomon Cefai, Editing by Janane Vekatraman and Eileen Soreng).
(source: Reuters)