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Governor of Bashkortostan, Russia says oil company will continue production after drone attack
Radiy Khabirov, the regional governor of Bashkortostan in Russia, said that a company producing oil will continue to produce despite an attack by drone on Saturday. Ukraine intensified its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure to weaken Moscow's military capability, while peace negotiations are still stuck. The attack caused a fire to break out at an oil refinery operated by Bashneft. Rosneft is Russia's biggest oil producer. Bashneft operates four major oil and petrochemical refineries in the area. Khabirov didn't specify the facility that was targeted. Both drones that were downed fell onto the property of the company. In the first instance, a small flame broke out and was quickly put out. In the second instance, the supply was cut off of technical water," Khabirov stated on Telegram. He said that the plant will continue to function normally and there will be no production reductions or operational stops. In his statement, he did not mention Ukraine. Unverified footage circulated on local Telegram channels, showing an object flying in the facility followed by a fireball. Ufa is approximately 1,400 km (870 miles), or roughly, from the Ukrainian border. Reporting by Lucy Papachristou Editing and Peter Graff
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US Energy Council Chief: Future Offshore Wind Projects Unlikely
U.S. Interior Secretary and Energy Council Chief Doug Burgum has said that it is not likely that there will be future offshore wind projects built in the country under the current Trump administration.During the Gastech conference in Milan, Burgum said the renewable power from offshore wind is ‘just too expensive and not reliable enough’.“We are taking a deep look. There are five projects that are under construction and we’re taking a look at each of those,” Burgum said.When it comes to the solar power, and future projects, Burgum noted that for such projects, solar panels will have be produced by the U.S. itself,He also said during the Gastech conference in Milan that if there was to be a future for solar power in the United States, panels have to be made by the U.S. itself or its allies, and not China, due to reported ‘kill switches’ installed in the equipment supplied by the country.
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US appellate court pauses on climate rule challenges
Court documents show that a federal appeals court said on Friday it would suspend its consideration of the legal challenges against U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission climate regulations until Wall Street regulators decide whether they will change them or defend them in court. The SEC, under former president Joe Biden adopted rules that required publicly traded companies, led by Republican states, to inform investors about climate risks, emissions, and spending. Republican-led state and an industry group immediately challenged this in court. In March, under Republican President Donald Trump the SEC decided to stop defending this rule. The U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, issued an order Friday saying that the legal challenges would be put on hold to encourage judicial economy because the SEC refused to defend its rule in court, or to say if it intended to modify the rule or scrap it entirely. The order stated that it was the responsibility of the SEC to decide whether the Final Rules would be rescinded or repealed. It also noted that the SEC already had stayed the regulations’ effective date while the legal challenge was ongoing, so a delayed court ruling would not harm. The SEC didn't immediately respond to requests for comment, but in July the agency informed the court that it had no intention of reconsidering the rule and asked the court to continue the case anyway. Reporting by Douglas Gillison, Washington; Editing and proofreading by David Gregorio
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US EPA proposes to end mandatory greenhouse gas reporting
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule on Friday to end the mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by 8,000 facilities. This program, the EPA said, was burdensome for businesses but left the public in the dark about the environmental impact. The agency stated that mandatory collection of GHG emission data is unnecessary as it "is not directly related to potential regulations and has no significant impact on improving the health and environment of humans." KEY QUOTE The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, according to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, is nothing but bureaucratic red-tape that doesn't improve air quality. BACKGROUND The rule is a response to an executive order that was issued on the first day of President Donald Trump's presidency. It aims to remove barriers to releasing more U.S. Energy, especially fossil fuels. This is just the latest in a long line of regulatory rollbacks that have undone previous U.S. attempts to combat climate changes. Earlier this year, the EPA revealed plans to repeal its "endangerment findings" which allowed it to regulate greenhouse gases from stationary and vehicle sources. The proposal, if finalized, would eliminate reporting obligations for all large facilities, fuel and industrial gas providers, and CO2 injector sites. The Trump administration also announced that it would pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, which requires all countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Key Context The Trump administration also took steps to stop the collection of environmental databases by the EPA and other federal agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA's satellites that monitor greenhouse gases. DETAILS Under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, 47 categories of sources covering 8,000 suppliers and facilities are required to calculate their greenhouse gas emission and submit it annually. The agency will continue to require the submission of data on methane emissions for large oil-and-gas operations that are subject to a charge for waste emissions. (Reporting and editing by Richard Chang; Valerie Volcovici)
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NATO launches "Eastern Sentry" to strengthen eastern flank following Russian drone incursion
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that NATO launched on Friday an operation called Eastern Sentry in response to Russian drones entering Polish airspace this week. Rutte said at a NATO press conference in Brussels that "we must make it clear to the world our determination and our capability to defend our territories." He said this while standing next to NATO's top commander U.S. Air Force general Alexus Grynkewich. Rutte stated that NATO was still assessing possible intentions behind the incursion. This led to Polish and NATO allies shooting down drones, the first such action NATO has taken since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He said that the Russian action was "reckless" and "inacceptable", regardless of whether it was intentional. Russia claimed that its forces were attacking Ukraine when the drones entered the country and they had no intention of hitting any targets in Poland. Warsaw rejected this explanation and said the incursion had been a deliberate attack. FLEXIBLE RESPONSE ALONG EASTERN FLANC Grynkewich stated that Eastern Sentry is designed to be a flexible, integrated operation for bolstering defences along NATO’s entire Eastern flank. This extends from the Baltic States in the north all the way down to Romania and Bulgaria. He said, "Poland's citizens and those from the Alliance in general should feel assured of our swift response this week as well as our important announcement today." NATO has already deployed thousands of troops in Eastern Europe. The number of additional troops involved in this new operation was not specified. The announcement listed a modest amount of new military assets, including two F-16 fighters and a Danish frigate, three Rafale jet fighters from France, and four Eurofighter aircraft from Germany. Grynkewich, however, said that the new operation also aimed to adopt a more flexible strategy to defend the eastern flank in general rather than having static forces dedicated to a specific area. He said: "We will adjust our posture across the eastern flank in a way that keeps the enemy off-guard, while also responding to specific threats when we see them emerge." Reporting by Andrew Gray, Bart Meijer; Writing by Charlotte Van Campenhout, John Irish, Editing by GV de Clercq Alexandra Hudson, Aidan Lewis
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EU countries delay deal on new climate goal, diplomats say
Three EU diplomats said on Friday that the European Union has shelved its plans to adopt a new target for climate change next week after France and Germany resisted plans to reach a quick agreement. The countries are discussing a legally binding target of reducing net EU greenhouse gas emission by 90% from 1990 levels by 2040. A portion of this will be covered by purchasing foreign carbon credits. According to the European Commission, this will provide investors with certainty and help Europe reach net zero emissions in 2050. Climate change has caused Europe to become the fastest-warming continental in the world, unleashing deadly wildfires and record-breaking heatwaves. The EU is divided on how ambitious it should be when tackling global climate change, while also trying to increase defense spending and support struggling industry. On September 18, EU ministers were to have approved the 2040 target for climate change. Three EU diplomats have said that the ambassadors of EU countries cancelled this plan at a Friday meeting. The ministers said that next week they will discuss the goal of 2040, but any agreement will be discussed with EU leaders before the discussion is concluded. The diplomats asked to remain anonymous when discussing the closed-door discussion. If the EU fails to reach a deal by next week, it could miss the mid-September deadline set by the U.N. for all countries to submit their new climate plans in preparation for the COP30 summit on climate change scheduled for November. Diplomats have said that Denmark, Spain, and the Netherlands all support the 90 percent reduction in emissions target. France, Poland, and Italy, among others, have rejected the goal and asked that it be taken up with the heads of government at their next meeting in October. This could make it more difficult to reach an agreement. EU leaders make decisions in a unanimous manner, unlike ministers. Diplomats are discussing ways to convince sceptical nations, such as covering a larger share of the climate goal with carbon credits or tying a deal to other EU laws, like the carbon border tax or the 2035 phase-out of combustion engine cars. A spokesperson for the Environment Ministry said that Germany supports the goal of cutting emissions by 90%, but believes it is important to have discussions among the government leaders prior to a final deal. (Reporting and additional reporting by Holger Hanen in Berlin.)
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Poland contradicts Trump by saying that the Russian drone incursions were not a mistake.
Poland rejected Donald Trump's suggestion that Russian drone incursions in its airspace may have been an error, a rare contradiction from one of Washington’s closest European allies. Poland, supported by aircraft from NATO allies, shot down drones on Wednesday that violated its airspace. This is the first time an alliance member has fired during the Russian war in Ukraine. Russia claimed that its forces were attacking Ukraine at the moment and had no intention of hitting any targets in Poland. Trump told Washington reporters on Thursday that it could have been an accident. Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister, responded on X. "We too would wish that the drone strike on Poland was a miscalculation." It wasn't. "We know it." Trump told Fox News in an interview on Friday that he was losing patience with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Germany announced on Friday that it had increased air patrols over Poland after European leaders strongly condemned Russia over the incident. It also summoned Russia's ambassador. On Poland's initiative, the United Nations Security Council would meet Friday to discuss this incident. NATO's top military officials, including its chief, Mark Rutte and Supreme Allied commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich (a U.S. Air Force General), were scheduled to hold a joint press conference on Friday afternoon. Questions about European Defence It is rare for Warsaw to directly contradict Trump. This shows the alarm of Europe at Trump's willingness, in this case, to accept Moscow's version of events. Poland is one of the closest U.S. ally in Europe. The Trump administration has praised Poland for its commitment to greater European military expenditures. Warsaw has described the drone incursions by Russia as an attempt to test the response capabilities of Poland and NATO. The incident this week has raised concerns about NATO's readiness for drone attacks, and the safety of civil aviation in Europe. The European leaders claim that this is yet another demonstration of Moscow's lack of interest in a peace agreement in Ukraine. This comes weeks after Trump met with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and retracted his demand for Russia to accept a ceasefire immediately. Trump has repeatedly given Moscow deadlines to reach a ceasefire, or else face new sanctions. But he's backed down. This week, European officials are in Washington to coordinate sanctions against Russia with the U.S. government. Previously, such announcements of sanctions were made in tandem. However, this hasn't happened since Trump took office. The U.S. Treasury urged allies in the Group of Seven (G7) and European Union to impose "meaningful" tariffs on Chinese and Indian goods to stop their purchases of Russian crude oil. A G7 emergency finance meeting was convened to discuss ways to increase pressure on Moscow and end the conflict in Ukraine. The EU member states have agreed to extend by six months the existing travel bans, and to freeze bank accounts for individuals and companies in response to the Russian invasion. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said that peace negotiations had been halted and "the Europeans" were hindering the peace process. The French announced that they would be deploying three Rafale jet fighters to Poland to protect their airspace, and the Germans said they would increase their commitment to NATO's eastern borders. RUSSIA AND BELARUS HOLD MILITARY ACTIVITIES On Friday, Russia and Belarus began a joint military drill that had been planned for years. The drills took place in both countries as well as in the Baltic Sea and Barents Sea. Peskov dismissed concerns about the exercise abroad, saying that Western European countries suffered from "emotional overload" and that Russia was not a threat. Local Ukrainian prosecutors reported that Russia continued to attack Ukraine and killed three people in Sumy, a region located in northern Ukraine. The regional governor reported that Ukrainian drones had attacked the port of Primorsk in Russia's northwest, setting a fire to both a vessel as well as a pumping station. This was the first drone attack on a major oil and fuel terminal in the country. (Additional reporting from Anna Koper in Warsaw; Anastasiia Melenko in Kyiv; John Irish and Michel Rose, in Paris; Andrea Shalal, in Washington; William James and Marktrevelyan, in London. Writing by Timothy Heritage. Editing by Peter Graff.
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Russia unveils monument for Ukraine war dead near St Petersburg
On Friday, hundreds of people, including Russian soldiers' relatives, gathered in front of St Petersburg to unveil a memorial for those killed in Ukraine. It was the first time such a memorial had been erected so close to one of Russia’s two largest cities. "A monument is one way to immortalize history." "Now we have a brand new history," Anna Krasnova said, after seeing the statue of two soldiers with guns unveiled at Kudrovo in a commuter city of 60,000. She said that her husband is fighting there and that her brother's name is missing in action. The memorial is unique in its proximity to Moscow and St Petersburg. Similar monuments were erected throughout Russia in the provinces. At the dedication ceremony, Alexander Drozdenko said, "The memory of our people is the most valuable asset we have." "Our cause will prevail, our enemy will be defeated, and we will win." The inscription on the monument, which is located above the figures, does not mention a date nor the location of the battles it honors. The inscription reads: "To the Heroes of the SMO", which is an acronym for Special Military Operation (the official term used by the Kremlin for this conflict). Kirill Drantsov, another spectator, stated that the monument would remind young people how to serve their country. We will not have to explain to anyone why and how we love and defend the Motherland. (Reporting in Kudrovo, writing by Lucy Papachristou).
Spain's flood disaster was its worst in current history. Here's what failed.
The water was currently kneehigh on the ground flooring of the hotel where Aitana Puchal had actually taken refugee when she got a text alert from the regional federal government of Valencia at 8 pm on Oct. 29 warning individuals to shelter in location from severe flash floods.
We could have done with (the warning) about six hours earlier, said the 23-year-old, who had actually fled with other regional citizens and visitors to the very first flooring of the hotel near the town of Paiporta. We were all relaxing down a little from the panic and drying our feet.
Others were not so fortunate.
Carlos Martinez, another Paiporta local, told local television the flood alert came when he was stranded in a tree seeing bodies floating past.
Dozens of residents of flooded communities told Reuters that by the time they got the regional federal government's alert, muddy water was already surrounding their automobiles, submerging streets of their towns and pouring into their homes.
After days of storm cautions from the national weather condition service considering that Oct 25, some towns and regional organizations had raised the alarm much previously. Valencia University had actually informed its personnel the day before not to come to work. Numerous town halls throughout the area of eastern Spain had actually suspended activities, closed down public facilities and told people to stay at home. But the combined messages and confusion cost lives, lots of regional locals and experts told Reuters. More than 220 individuals passed away and nearly 80 are still missing in what is the most deadly deluge in a single European nation considering that 1967, when floods in Portugal killed around 500. The national weather service AEMET had actually raised its hazard level for heavy rains to a red alert at 7.36 am on Oct 29, following heavy rains in mountainous locations west of the city of Valencia from the morning. In the 12 hours it considered the regional government's shelter-in-place order to come through, waters running through the usually dry Poyo gorge - the epicentre of the flooding - had risen to more than three times the circulation of Spain's biggest river.
As climate change worsens weather condition patterns along Spain's. Mediterranean coast, floods are becoming prevalent and some. previous incidents have actually been deadly. But after a minimum of five. decades without a significant catastrophe, lots of people in Valencia. were unaware of the grave risks postured by flash flooding or how. to react.
Puchal, the 23-year old who sought haven in the hotel, stated. she had actually never ever gotten much info about the dangers of. floods.
At school, they offered talks about fires, she said. However not. floods.. That, integrated with poor coordination amongst regional and. nationwide authorities as well as political decisions taken years. ago not to buy waterways infrastructure, intensified the. calamitous loss of life, 7 specialists sought advice from . stated.
It was foreseeable that we would have disastrous flooding. here, stated Felix Frances, professor of hydraulic engineering. and environment at Valencia Polytechnic University. Deaths were taped in 14 of the 24 towns that had currently been. recognized in environment ministry reports as at high risk of. flooding, a Reuters review discovered.
Specialists including hydraulic and civil engineers, geologists,. urban organizers and disaster relief specialists said succeeding. failures - to carry out flood mitigation deal with close-by rivers,. better protect homes constructed on flood plains, educate people and. warn locals quickly - added to the deaths.
With much better facilities, those deaths would have been. definitely less, said Luis Bañon, an engineer and teacher of. Transport Engineering and Facilities at the University. of Alicante.
One main federal government source stated they expect numerous. judicial queries to take a look at choices made and to attribute. responsibility for the high death toll.
As more of the world's population settles on flood plains,. environment occasions end up being more extreme and Europe warms faster than. the international average, what occurred in Valencia highlights the. need for strategic, coordinated procedures to safeguard individuals in. European cities, stated Sergio Palencia, teacher of urbanization. in Valencia Polytechnic University. Frances said he had assisted prepare a strategy 17 years ago to develop. flood works for the Poyo ravine at a cost then of 150 million. euros ($ 162 million). On Nov. 5, a week after the floods, the. nationwide federal government earmarked 10.6 billion euros to assist. victims.
The plan Frances dealt with ended in 2017 since no work. had been started, Spain's State Secretary for the Environment. Hugo Moran told Reuters. The federal government had to start from. scratch and some works are underway, he stated.
Frances said some people were so unaware of the danger they. didn't know, for example, that it would be ill-advised to decrease to. a basement to save the automobile.
SEVERAL ALERTS
AEMET
had actually currently alerted
of a storm understood locally as DANA-- a high-altitude. separated anxiety-- on Oct. 25. In following days, its. cautions ended up being more specific till Oct. 29, when the alert was. upgraded to red-- the highest level, meaning high threats for the. population.
At 8.45 am, the local branch of AEMET posted video on. the social media platform X showing cars and trucks being swept down roads. by a tide of brown water.
Simply after noon, the public body managing the area's river. basins, the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ) emailed. regional authorities saying the flow of water through the Poyo. ravine had reached 264 cubic meters per second. That's stronger. than the average flow of the Guadalquivir river, one of Spain's. biggest.
The CHJ said it can only feed the info to regional. emergency situation services, which are responsible for issuing signals to. residents. 3 experts informed Reuters that when water started. increasing, it would take less than nine hours to reach the towns. Over the next eight hours, authorities from the regional and. nationwide federal governments, environmental authorities and emergency. services exchanged call, emails and held emergency situation. meetings.
For some time that afternoon, the information from the CHJ. suggested the flow was decreasing. Carlos Mazon, the region's president and the primary individual. responsible for issuing a shelter-in-place alert, has become a. focus for anger over authorities' response to the storm. Regardless of. indications of serious flooding, he did not change his schedule.
At a news conference at lunchtime, he mentioned a national. weather report saying the storm's strength would reduce. around 6pm, according to a tweet he later deleted.
As the day went on Mazon, a member of the conservative. Individuals's Celebration that beings in opposition to the Socialist-run. nationwide government, appeared in photos tweeted by his personnel. getting a sustainable tourist certification, and discussing. budgetary matters.
His office did not react to ask for discuss his. handling of the disaster. Mazon told press reporters on Thursday that. he had a work lunch on Oct 29 and was constantly in touch with. his team handling the situation.
At 5pm, as the authorities met again, the CHJ gave spoken. notice of a generalised boost in water streams running. through or near the towns, according to a statement.
At 6.43 pm, CHJ sent out another email warning that the flow of. water through the ravine had reached 1,686 cubic metres per. 2nd-- more than triple the pace of the Ebro, Spain's biggest. river.
Twelve minutes later on, the CHJ stated the Poyo circulation had increased. to 2,282 cubic meters per 2nd before ruining the sensor. that determined it.
That could fill an Olympic pool every second, said Nahum. Mendez, a geologist at Valencia University.
By 7pm, many towns were without power, making it difficult. to send out alerts right away to phones or radio stations,. authorities stated.
Maria Isabel Albalat, the mayor of Paiporta, which lies in. the outskirts of the city of Valencia, said she called the. nationwide federal government delegate in the area to tell her that my. town was flooding and individuals were currently passing away. Police drove. through the town with sirens, lights and speakers informing. people to stay off the bridge and leave the streets.
At 8 pm, Spain's environment secretary Moran, who was. taking a trip in Colombia, called the local authorities in charge. of the emergency services Salomé Pradas to say there was a danger. a dam would fail.
Pradas told local television on Thursday that a technical. consultant then recommended the services send a text alert.
How is it possible that with all the details that was. readily available ... the firms accountable for activating the alarms. not did anything? Moran stated.
Mazon, the local head, later on said the CHJ data revealing. water streams decreasing had actually contributed to the confusion and hold-ups. Moran, whose department supervises the CHJ, told Reuters its task. was just to provide real time details to emergency groups,. not to make decisions on their response.
Paiporta mayor Albalat stated that by the time the alert came,. we had actually depended on our necks in water for more than an hour and. a half.
FLOOD PROTECTIONS. Political choices to not invest earlier in better flood. defences to protect a broader location have actually multiplied the financial. expense by 200, said Bañon, the Alicante professor.
This type of works aren't hot, do not provide political. profitability till something occurs, he stated.
Now they have no option but to undertake the works.
In other nations such as the United States and Japan,. natural disasters are more commonplace so people have a much better. sense of how to respond, stated María Jesus Romero, 50, Teacher. of Urban Preparation Law at the Polytechnical University of. Valencia. Some Valencia residents remembered previous floods, consisting of a. major one in 1957. After that, the city of Valencia was. secured by hydraulic works finished under dictator General. Francisco Franco in 1973.
Paiporta citizens Rosario Masia, 84, and her other half. Cristóbal Martínez, 87, said past floods were nothing compared. with this one.
We had a hard time, but not like now, stated Masia. We are. in pieces.
Lots of homes struck by the floods were constructed before 2003. when modified assistance on building in flood zones was provided,. experts said. The new assistance either bans construction or. includes stringent pre-requisites consisting of that properties constructed. in flood zones ought to not have basements.
In the mainly working-class suburban areas of Valencia, the car is. important to get to work. Many of those talked to in. the flood zone said their first move when it rains is to move. their cars out of underground parking lot of their home. blocks so the engines aren't damaged by flooding.
(source: Reuters)