DealsEnergy

02 October 2023, 12:41 pm 1 minute

Reuters was first to report that the Mexican state energy company Pemex has received a settlement worth more than $30 million from Vitol, including a $23 million cash payment, over a graft scandal that halted deals with the Swiss-based trader, documents showed. 

Market Impact

In return, Pemex has lifted its three-year ban on business with the world’s largest independent commodities trader, according to the settlement, the terms of which have not previously been reported. 

Article Tags

Topics of Interest: DealsEnergy

Type: Reuters Best

Sectors: Business & FinanceCommodities & Energy

Regions: AmericasNorth America

Win Types: Speed

Story Types: Exclusive / Scoop

Media Types: Text

Customer Impact: Important Regional Story

Business & FinanceEnergyEnvironment

20 November 2023, 3:09 pm 1 minute

Reuters exclusively reported that Canada’s First Quantum Minerals was considering putting its key Panama copper miner on care and maintenance from Nov. 23, effectively shutting production at a mine that accounts for about 1% of global output. Citing sources familiar with the matter, Reuters reported that the move follows protests that blocked coal from reaching First Quantum’s plant. Supply concerns at First Quantum’s Panama contributed to copper prices jumping to two-month highs traders said while First Quantum shares extended fall to drop as much as 5.7% on the news. 

Market Impact

Supply concerns at First Quantum’s Panama contributed to copper prices jumping to two-month highs traders said while First Quantum shares extended fall to drop as much as 5.7% on the news.

Article Tags

Topics of Interest: Business & FinanceEnergyEnvironment

Type: Reuters Best

Sectors: Business & FinanceCommodities & Energy

Regions: North America

Win Types: Exclusivity

Story Types: Exclusive / Scoop

Media Types: Text

Customer Impact: Important Regional Story

Business & Finance

17 September 2023, 6:08 pm 1 minute

Reuters was ahead in reporting that Bank of Montreal (BMO) is winding down its retail auto finance business and shifting focus to other areas in a move that will result unspecified number of job losses, Canada’s third largest bank.

Market Impact

The move, applicable in Canada and the United States, comes after BMO’s bad debt provisions in retail trade surged to C$81 million ($60 million) in the quarter ended July 31 compared with a recovery of C$9 million a year ago, in a sign of growing stress consumers face from a rapid rise in borrowing costs. 

Article Tags

Topics of Interest: Business & Finance

Type: Reuters Best

Sectors: Business & FinanceFinancial Services

Regions: AmericasNorth America

Countries: Canada

Win Types: Speed

Story Types: Exclusive / Scoop

Media Types: Text

Customer Impact: Significant National Story

Business & Finance

05 October 2023, 3:48 pm 1 minute

Reuters exclusively reported that Canadian miner Lundin Mining was in talks with Japanese trading houses and large miners to sell between 40%-50% stake in its Argentina copper-gold mine. Lundin’s incoming CEO Jack Ludin told Reuters in an exclusive interview that the company is planning to make an announcement next year. Ludin shares turned positive and rose as much as 4.2% soon after. 

Market Impact

Copper miners have been under stress as a tepid demand in China and macro-economic uncertainty has put the commodity price under pressure, with the industry anticipating possible production cuts. Analysts are expecting that the low price could force copper miners to cut costs and even consider M&A deals. 

Article Tags

Topics of Interest: Business & Finance

Type: Reuters Best

Sectors: Commodities & EnergyFinancial Services

Regions: North America

Countries: Canada

Win Types: Exclusivity

Story Types: Exclusive / Scoop

Media Types: Text

Customer Impact: Important Regional Story

Energy

05 October 2023, 4:56 pm 1 minute

Reuters reported exclusively on Thursday that Sigma Lithium’s chief operating officer left the company last month, sending shares of the miner 7% lower amid its latest leadership shakeup. Sigma on Friday confirmed the executive’s departure. The story followed an exclusive report the week before on a mining rights dispute involving the husband-and-wife pair who ran the company together until earlier this year. 

Market Impact

Sigma Lithium (SGML.V) Chief Operating Officer Brian Talbot left the company at the end of last month, he told Reuters on Thursday, sending shares of the Vancouver-based miner tumbling. 

Article Tags

Topics of Interest: Energy

Type: Reuters Best

Sectors: Commodities & Energy

Regions: North America

Countries: Canada

Win Types: Exclusivity

Story Types: Exclusive / Scoop

Media Types: Text

Customer Impact: Important Regional Story

In a letter obtained by Bloomberg News, a Health and Human Services Department official wrote to Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram that marijuana should be classified as a schedule three substance, which consists of drugs “with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”

It is currently a schedule one substance, which are drugs with no accepted medical use and have a “high potential of abuse,” according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

President Joe Biden had asked Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland to review how marijuana is classified under federal law last year.

Late in the day, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement: “Following the data and science, HHS has expeditiously responded to President Biden’s directive to HHS Secretary Becerra and provided its scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA on August 29, 2023.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday in a press briefing that both agencies are engaged in an “independent process” that is “guided by evidence.”

Biden also had taken steps to ease the restrictions of marijuana last year, including announcing a pardon of all prior offenses for the possession of marijuana and urging governors to do the same in states.

As of April, 38 states and the District of Columbia allow for the medical use of marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 23 states and the District of Columbia, states have passed measures to regulate cannabis for adult non-medical use.

After a hidden camera showed Xuming Li using a syringe to inject a chemical into the bottom of a door, he was charged with three counts of battery for dispersed chemical agent, possession of a controlled substances, aggravated stalking and battery on law enforcement via the chemical agent, according to the arrest affidavit out of Hillsborough County.

Li was a doctorate student in the chemistry department at the University of South Florida between 2018 and the summer of 2023, according to a USF spokesperson. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his attorney declined to comment further on the matter.

In an interview with USA TODAY, Umar Abdullah outlined the year of conflict with his downstairs neighbor, Li, leading up to the video that got him arrested.

Abdullah said he received endless noise complaints almost immediately after moving into his Tampa apartment last year. The complaints picked up in August 2022 when Abdullah’s daughter was born, but they weren’t about the baby crying.

“He was complaining about footsteps, drawers, Roomba–like all the various sounds that you do in an apartment,” Abdullah said.

Neighbor noise:Illinois man using leaf blower in his yard fatally shot by neighbor, authorities say

Li went to the landlord, called the police and complained to the HOA about the noise, according to Abdullah.

On May 31, Abdullah had a friend drop by his house to check on a delivery he received while he was out of town. After she arrived, she called him and asked if he had painted or bought new furniture recently because it smelled strongly of chemicals and made her eyes burn. When he replied no, she said she had to leave because it felt like someone threw chili powder on her.

That was the first of several incidents when his family would experience the mystery smell that seemed to be coming from the water heater closet next to the front door. Abdullah said they called Tampa Fire Recue on one occasion to check for chemical leaks, but found nothing. They had the AC checked and water heater replaced, but neither solved the issue.

Meanwhile, every time the smell would appear, his daughter’s eyes would water, and she would cough until she vomited. After eliminating several potential sources of the smell, he and his wife began to suspect someone was tampering with their home.

“I started sniffing the water heater area like a dog, and as I was moving towards the entry door from the water heater door, I felt that the smell is even more severe, a toxic smell,” he said. “And the headache – I can’t describe in words. It is so bad.”

In June, he set up the camera and captured Li in the act on two back-to-back days. The first video wasn’t clear what was happening. The second time when the syringe was visible, he called the police.

Li’s arrest affidavit shows that the fire rescue respondents also experienced skin irritation after their first visit, but did not know the cause at the time.

Early testing of the chemical showed methadone and hydrocodone. The USF spokesperson Kevin Watler said that the university’s chemistry labs do not have controlled substances.

“The safety and well-being of the USF community is our highest priority,” Watler’s emailed statement on behalf of USF reads. “The USF Department of Chemistry has several safeguards in place to ensure all chemicals and other materials owned by the university for teaching and research purposes are accounted for and used properly. “

Abdullah said his family is no longer suffering medically, but he hopes that final testing of the chemical comes back with different results anyways.

“I still pray and hope that the final lab report says that the chemical is something different, that is something inauthentic and not something hazardous. Because I care for my family, and I just don’t want any harm for my daughter.”

Washington Commanders kicker Joey Slye drilled a 49-yard field goal with nine seconds left to give his team a 29-28 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, which entered Monday’s game having won 24 straight preseason games dating back to 2016.

Washington came one yard from tying the game at 28 with four minutes remaining, but Ravens cornerback Kyu Kelly stonewalled Commanders fullback Alex Armah after he caught a pass in the flat from third-string quarterback Jake Fromm to thwart the Commanders’ two-point conversion.

It was a battle of first-round draft picks during the game’s first drive, with Ravens wideout Zay Flowers (22nd overall) and Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes (16th overall), lining up across from one another. Flowers hauled in his first target for an 11-yard catch, then found plenty of open grass on a play action pass he took 26 yards to the house later in the drive for his first professional touchdown.

Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, named the starter Friday, went 19-for-25 with 188 yards and two touchdowns — both within the final two minutes of the first half. Washington coach Ron Rivera kept his offensive starters in for the game’s first 30 minutes, and not without risk; wide receiver Terry McLaurin grimaced while leaving the field with a toe injury.

Ravens tight end Travis Vokolek, an undrafted rookie from Nebraska, caught two touchdowns in the second half.

Baltimore assumed the record for most consecutive preseason victories since 2021, when they won their 20th consecutive game to supplant the 1959-1962 Green Bay Packers (under legendary coach Vince Lombardi) from having the most prolific stretch of preseason dominance.

Monday’s game carried an air of familiarity, as the teams held a pair of joint practices at the Ravens’ facility in Owings Mills, Maryland, last week. The latter practice featured a pair of fights between Washington’s offensive line and the Ravens’ defensive front, and that bad blood carried over.

After a Washington touchdown, right guard Sam Cosmi broke out his “Griddy” celebration. Over the weekend, Cosmi — who had been involved in the practice dust-ups — downplayed the Ravens’ preseason record.

“I think it’s a stupid record. I mean, who gives a (expletive) about preseason games?” Cosmi told reporters. “If we beat it, great. We’re gonna beat it, so there we go.”

Talk about a (preseason) guarantee.

For example, a user of a fringe social media site posted purported names, rough ages and addresses of jurors Wednesday, according to the group Advance Democracy. A verified user on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, posted pictures of three jurors Tuesday, according to the group.

An anonymous user called the list of jurors’ names “a hit list,” according to the group Media Matters for America.

“These jurors have signed their death warrant by falsely indicting President Trump,” said one message on the fringe site.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement saying it was working with local and federal authorities to identify the origin of threats against jurors.

“We take this matter very seriously and are coordinating with our law enforcement partners to respond quickly to any credible threat and ensure the safety of those individuals who carried out their civic duty,” the statement said.

“It’s becoming all too common place to see everyday citizens performing necessary functions for our democracy being targeted with violent threats by Trump-supporting extremists,” said Daniel J. Jones, president of Advance Democracy, a non-profit organization that conducts public-interest investigations. “The lack of political leadership on the right to denounce these threats − which serve to inspire real-world political violence − is shameful.”

Trump was indicted Monday on racketeering and other charges for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

In contrast to anonymous federal grand jurors, Georgia includes the names of grand jurors with no other personal identifying information in its indictments.

The disclosure of the names allows internet users to partake in a practice known as doxing. This form of online harassment consists of aggregating information taken from public databases, social media profiles and disclosing previously private information.

“That was one of the things that really concerned me, the prospect of the Georgia indictment coming down,” said Amy Lee Copeland, former federal prosecutor in Georgia and now a criminal defense lawyer in Savannah, Ga. “I understand there are online threats against these people. I feel really terrible for these people who are doing their civic duty.”

Federal rules prohibited the release of grand juror names. Copeland said lawyers are instructed not to leave grand jury information with clients in jail and jurors’ names aren’t included.

“Justice is swift if you release grand jury information,” Copeland said of federal cases.

Social media messages about the jurors were posted on sites including X, Facebook, Truth Social and TikTok, with addresses posted on a fringe site. A thread of comments on 4chan discussed the race of jurors based on their names. A thread of comments on 4plebs discussed potential threats against jurors.

Authorities set up barricades around the courthouse for potential protests associated with the indictment, but the day passed quietly.

The newly released figure surpassed the toll of the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California, which left 85 dead. A century earlier, the 1918 Cloquet Fire broke out in drought-stricken northern Minnesota and raced through a number of rural communities, destroying thousands of homes and killing hundreds.

At least two other fires have been burning in Maui, with no fatalities reported thus far: in south Maui’s Kihei area and in the mountainous, inland communities known as Upcountry. A fourth broke out Friday evening in Kaanapali, a coastal community in West Maui north of Lahaina, but crews were able to extinguish it, authorities said.

In Maui, a desperate search for the missing

Fire crews battled blazes still burning Saturday from wildfires that ravaged parts of Maui as teams with cadaver dogs combed through the rubble in an intensifying search for the missing.

Firefighters were making progress, but three main wildfires that ignited Tuesday were still not extinguished: The Lahaina fire was 85% contained, the Pulehu/Kihei fire 80%, and the Upcountry Maui fire 50% as of late Friday.

Another fire that prompted evacuations in the Kaanapali area of West Maui on Friday evening was 100% contained within a few hours and evacuation orders were canceled, officials said.

As the sun rose in Kihei on Saturday, the sky was filled with the smell of smoke. On the highway into Lahaina, a historic town decimated by the fires, cars, trucks and buses laden with supplies ignored signs to keep off the median as they tried to bypass the traffic jam ahead of a road blockade.

Residents who were allowed to return to Lahaina on Friday were met with charred remains, demolished homes and businesses and a changed landscape, including the loss of dozens of their neighbors. But police on Saturday were once again restricting access into West Maui, warning people to stay out of the area because of hazards, including toxic particles from smoldering areas.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has warned the death toll could climb even higher as the search for the missing continued. Cadaver-sniffing dogs were brought in Friday to assist the search for the dead, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said.

Community members gather supplies for Lahaina

Early Saturday morning, Marina Sanchez, 28, and Dustin Akiona, 31, began loading up their pickup with supplies to make another run into devastated Lahaina Town. There’s a traffic jam leading to a road block on the main road, but they’re hoping to get in “backside.” 

The pair spent hundreds on batteries, flashlights, gas, first aid kits and anything else residents have asked for at Lowe’s and Home Depot.

Sanchez said community members have sent her so much money for supplies, she’s asked them to stop. She said money should be going directly to those who have lost their homes and businesses and will need the cash for rent and rebuilding.

“Because our community is so tight, there’s no hesitation,” she said. “I’m really grateful everyone is coming together.”

Sanchez and Akiona have been going house to house, trying to meet individual needs. Some of the homes still standing in Lahaina Town have been converted into makeshift donation centers. 

“People know they can go there and get what they need and it’s not limited,” she said. “Such a big part of Hawaii is community.”

Firefighters on the front lines are losing their homes

Firefighters and emergency crews trying to battle the fires and keep people safe in shelters were operating on scant resources themselves, the governor said Friday.

Green said many buildings are so badly damaged in Lahaina and at risk of collapsing that the whole area is a public safety threat. About 30% of the firefighters working this week lost their own homes, Green told Hawaii News Now television.

“They also don’t have cell service or ability to go home,” he said.

Some forms of health care are not available in Lahaina because a clinic and a dialysis center were “incinerated,” Green said.

Deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii in decades

The toll from the wildfires makes this the deadliest natural disaster in the state in decades, surpassing a 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people. An even deadlier tsunami in 1946, prior to Hawaii’s statehood, killed more than 150 on the Big Island, prompting the development of an outdoor siren alarm system.

Overly dry vegetation that acted as fuel, the ongoing drought, strong winds from Hurricane Dora, a high-pressure system and dryness of the atmosphere made for a devastating combination that allowed the flames to spread at a faster pace than firefighters could contain them.

The warning system was notably silent on Maui before residents were forced to run for their lives Tuesday, survivors and officials said. Instead, alerts on cellphones, televisions and radios went out across the island, but widespread power outages and cell signal loss made it unclear how successful that warning was.

“There was no warning. There was absolutely none. Nobody came around. We didn’t see a fire truck or anybody,” said Lynn Robinson, who lost her home in the fire.

‘THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO’:As Lahaina burned, he looked for a way out. Then he heard the screams.

A line of abandoned, charred cars paves the path to Lahaina

Blackened, burned cars. Firetrucks abandoned. Boats scorched in the harbor. The path out of Lahaina was a scene of horror in the aftermath of the fires.

Associated Press reporters saw an eerie traffic jam of charred cars that didn’t escape the inferno as surviving roosters meandered through the ashes. 

Jesse Kong, resident and owner of a concrete pumping company, described to USA TODAY the horror of fleeing on his bike while seeing others stuck and the highway on fire. One abandoned fire engine still had its lights on. Another was just a smoldering shell.

Kong saw people trapped inside a car fully engulfed by flames; they were screaming. A traffic signal had fallen on the vehicle. He couldn’t get close.

“You can see their flesh burning,” he said. “There was nothing I could do.”  

− Ashley Lewis and Jordan Culver, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

Officials warn of ‘toxic’ aftermath of fires

In the wake of wildfires, people returning to inspect the damage of their homes and businesses in Lahaina should be cautious of the “highly toxic” burning areas.

The Hawaii Department of Health said anyone accessing restricted areas should wear a tight-fitting N95 mask, gloves and other protective equipment because inhalation of airborne particles and dust can be a health hazard. The department said people should be careful of ash and ash pits – holes filled with burned ash that can be fallen into and cause burns.

“Ash and dust (particularly from burned buildings) may contain toxic and cancer-causing chemicals including asbestos, arsenic, and lead,” the health department said.

Water, too, wasn’t safe in some places. An unsafe water advisory was put in place Friday in the Upper Kula and Lahaina areas, where some running water had been restored. People should use only bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth and preparing food, Maui County said.

People should limit bathing to quick showers in well-ventilated rooms with lukewarm water, the county said, but Purdue University engineering professor Andrew Whelton told AP even that is not advisable until the water can be tested because there might be “hazardous waste levels of benzene.”

Residents returning to Lahaina face devastation, no water or power

Residents finally allowed back to Lahaina, a treasured town with cultural and religious sites that trace their roots back centuries, discovered a scene of ash-ridden devastation.

“It hit so quick, it was incredible,” Lahaina resident Kyle Scharnhorst told the Associated Press as he surveyed the damage to his apartment complex Friday. “It was like a war zone.”

Only a few items were able to be retrieved from the lot where Summer and Gilles Gerling’s home once stood. They picked up a piggy bank, their daughter’s jade bracelet and watches they gifted each other when they got married. But their wedding rings were lost.

“Safety was the main concern. These are all material things,” Gilles Gerling said.

Anthony Garcia saw dead animals, such as cats and roosters, as he stood under Lahaina’s cherished banyan tree, now charred. As the grim reality sank in, he felt like he had to ground himself and safeguard his mental health.

“If I don’t do something, I’ll go nuts,” said Garcia, who lost everything he owned. “I’m losing my faith in God.”

Residents who could prove they lived in the area or were hotel guests were let back in around noon Friday, according to a county update.

Maui County officials said there would be a daily curfew in place in Lahaina from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and certain barricaded areas were off-limits to unauthorized people.

“West Maui remains without power and water, and search crews continue efforts in the Lahaina town area for victims of the brush fire,” the county said.

‘NO PLACE TO LIVE’:Why rebuilding Maui won’t be easy after deadly fires

Hawaii lawmaker: We ‘underestimated the lethality’ of the fire

Days after officials have said the wildfires sparked and spread so quickly there was little time to give any warning, Rep. Jill Tokuda told CNN on Saturday the state “underestimated the lethality, the quickness of fire,” and didn’t plan adequately for redundancies in the emergency alert system.

Though alerts went out to people’s cellphones, Tokuda said there was no cellphone service in many places as the fire began to whip through Maui.

“It’s not like hurricane force winds are unknown to Hawaii, or dry brush, or red flag conditions,” Tokuda said. “We did not learn our lesson” from 2018’s Hurricane Lane, which led to brush fires on Maui and Oahu.

“We have got to make sure that we do better,” Tokuda said.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez announced Friday a “comprehensive review” of decisions and policies related to the fire would be launched.

Update on the damage, acres burned

The fires that tore through parts of Maui left thousands of buildings damaged or destroyed, and the governor said he anticipates recovery costs to run into the billions and rebuilding could take years.

The Pacific Disaster Center and the Federal Emergency Management Agency late Friday released an update on the devastation caused by the Lahaina fire:

• 2,207 structures damaged or destroyed
• 86% of buildings exposed to the fire were classified as residential
• 2,170 acres burned
• 51,700 square feet of shelter are estimated to be needed
• 4,500 people estimated in need of shelter
• It will cost an estimated $5.52 billion to rebuild

How you can help Maui fire victims

Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, from the Hawaii State Department of Defense, asked those who want to donate supplies or volunteer to do so through the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. James Kunane Tokioka, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, said the governor has also asked people with vacant homes or vacation rentals to provide shelter for those in need.

Several shelters are open to assist those on the islands and several local organizations are collecting donations.

USA TODAY compiled resources for Americans to help people and animals in Hawaii here.

Contributing: Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY; The Associated Press