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☆ Man City cruise to win over Saints, Newcastle maintain top-four push
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

loadingLeaders Arsenal play Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday where the London side seek a first league win since 2012. Manchester United maintained their top-four pursuit while at the bottom there were vital victories for Bournemouth and West Ham United. Leicester City's plight worsened as the 2015-16 Premier League champions suffered a seventh defeat in eight league games as they lost 1-0 at home to Bournemouth to stay 19th. Newcastle's fifth consecutive win moved them up to 56 points from 29 games -- the same as Manchester United who beat Everton 2-0 in Saturday's early kickoff. SON MILESTONETottenham's Son Heung-min scored his 100th Premier League goal with a sublime 10th-minute curler -- the first Asian player to reach that milestone.

☆ Column: China's Q1 coal imports jump to new highs as factories throttle up
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Total thermal coal imports through March soared 81% from the same period a year ago to 65.7 million tonnes, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler. SOUTHERN SURGEPorts feeding China's south coast saw the largest year-over-year increase in thermal coal imports. China's coal imports hit new highs in Q1 2023While China as a whole uses domestic coal production for over 90% of its coal needs, most of Southern China's coal-fired power plants rely overwhelmingly on imports. The region imported over 106 million tonnes in 2021, indicating a quarterly pace in excess of 25 million tonnes can be maintained if power needs dictate. In combination, all of China's main economic hubs are on track to steer the country's thermal coal imports to new heights in 2023, reversing the slump seen in China's coal use in 2022.

☆ Britain to announce plan to house migrants on military bases within weeks -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 25 (Reuters) - Plans by the British government to move migrants out of hotels and into military bases or even disused ferries are expected to be announced within weeks, Sky News reported on Saturday. Previous suggestions involving the use of holiday camps and student halls were less likely to be brought into action, the report said. The government has signalled it wants to end the use of hotels as asylum seeker accommodation. “We continue to work across government and with local authorities to identify a range of accommodation options." Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping boat arrivals a key priority after the number of migrants arriving on the English south coast soared to 45,000 last year, up 500% in the last two years.

As part of the new deal, Britain will help fund a detention centre in France while Paris will deploy more French personnel and enhanced technology to patrol its beaches. Officers from both countries will also look to work with countries along the routes favoured by people traffickers. The funding package will be paid in instalments, with Britain paying 125 million pounds in 2023-24. Britain said France would contribute significantly more. Later this month, King Charles will also travel to France on his first state visit as monarch.

☆ Britain to publish plan for asylum ban on Channel migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Migrants leave a French maritime protection vessel, as the boat they were travelling in with 60 other migrants began to take water in the English Channel, in an attempt to reach Britain, in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, November 29, 2022. The new legislation will mean that anyone who arrives on small boats will be prevented from claiming asylum and deported to so-called safe third countries, according to government officials, who asked not to be named. The court subsequently ruled it lawful in December, but opponents are seeking to appeal that verdict. It is expected the legal battle will end up in the UK Supreme Court and may not be resolved for months. Once the small-boat crossings have ended, Britain would be prepared to create more legal routes for asylum seekers, Sunak said last year.

☆ An easyJet pilot did a loop over the sea to give everyone on board an incredible view of the Northern Lights
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A pilot made a mid-flight loop on Thursday so that all passengers could see the Northern Lights. One newly engaged couple was able to see the lights after missing them during their Iceland trip. "Our crew will always go above and beyond for our customers and we're delighted to have been able to share this special view of the Northern Lights with them," an easyJet spokesperson said. FlightAware, InsiderOne passenger who was on the flight told Insider that being able to see the Northern Lights was particularly meaningful for him. Adam Groves wanted to propose under the Northern Lights, but did so on the south coast of Iceland in daylight instead.

☆ Downed Chinese balloon aimed for Hawaii but was blown off course, U.S. official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Randall HillWASHINGTON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - U.S. officials believe a Chinese balloon that was shot down after crossing the continental United States originally had a trajectory that would have taken it over Guam and Hawaii but was blown off course by prevailing winds, a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday. U.S. military and intelligence agencies tracked the balloon from when it lifted off from Hainan Island near China's south coast, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The U.S. military said on Monday it had recovered critical electronics from the balloon as well as large sections of the vessel itself. Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Writing by Eric Beech, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Meet the GOP leaders in charge of critical House environmental committees
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Westerman, a representative for Arkansas's fourth congressional district, has a background in engineering and is a licensed forester. He's also introduced legislation to plant 1 trillion trees globally by 2050 in order to pull carbon out of the atmosphere. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of House Committee on Energy and CommerceRep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) during a House Energy and Commerce Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on April 2, 2019 in Washington, DC. "We'll be focusing on promoting innovative technologies to facilitate our clean energy transition," Lucas told CNBC. Lucas said the committee would also conduct "robust oversight" of the spending being distributed to advance the country's clean energy sector.

☆ A big bang or a grinding assault? What to expect from Russia's new offensive in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Russian citizens recruited as part of partial mobilization attend combat training in the training spots of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Donetsk, Ukraine on October 05, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesA renewed Russian offensive in the east of Ukraine is underway. Over the weekend, Russian forces shelled Ukrainian cities like Nikopol, a city in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, where one person was reportedly killed. Ukrainian servicemen make a trench near Bakhmut on Feb. 1, 2023, as they prepare for a Russian offensive in the area. Shea, who was deputy assistant secretary general for emerging security challenges at NATO until 2018, said he did not expect a big bang start to the offensive.

☆ Wells Fargo upgrades Wynn Resorts, says China reopening will help casino stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wynn Resorts should rally as China moves closer to a full reopening, according to Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo analyst Daniel Politzer upgraded the stock to overweight from equal weight. "We have long held the view that Macau's recovery remains the key driver of WYNN's stock," Politzer said in a note to clients Monday. "For the first time in several years, we see better days ahead as China is pivoting from its COVID-zero strategy and easing travel restrictions." Politzer said rising Covid cases or reinstated travel restrictions could also threaten growth.

☆ Column: Key coal import hubs in China perk up as economy reboots: Maguire
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China coal use seasonallyBut recent measures aimed at lifting movement restrictions and reviving economic activity in China are already resulting in increased coal import activity at key usage hubs, which stand to impact global coal flows, prices and emissions in 2023. Between January and October, the province cut thermal coal use by 51 million tonnes from the same period in 2021. As a result, many Southern China coal plants are almost overwhelmingly reliant on imported coal. And all major coal ports in that region are now starting to show signs of a recovery in coal import volumes compared with mid-2022, when lockdowns were common throughout the country. And much of that increased coal demand will be fulfilled by imports, which will serve to tighten global coal markets, boost China's coal sector emissions, and potentially raise prices for other coal consumers.

Adobe Analytics expects consumers to spend between $11.2 billion and $11.6 billion on Cyber Monday. Overall, Black Friday sales topped $8.9 billion last year, versus $10.7 billion on Cyber Monday 2021. Meanwhile, e-commerce giant Amazon said sales on Black Friday broke a record, underscoring the appeal of shopping online. Sarah Hymer, a mother of two in Utah, said she hadn’t planned on any in-store Black Friday shopping. Rega, holding multiple bags, said Black Friday prices struck her as “comparable” to a year ago.

☆ I Saw a UFO, and So Did Members of My Flight Crew
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Another pilot, another opinion on UFOs. I know they exist because I was the co-pilot of a Pan American cargo flight with five crew members who clearly saw their formation. It was on a crystal clear, moonless night over Nova Scotia’s south coast, and we all watched and saw the same thing through different panes of cockpit glass. It lasted five minutes and terminated with the most dazzling feat of aerodynamics we had ever seen. I have now retired to the largest fly-in community in the world, in which many highly trained observers know that UFOs are real, “cataracts and floaters” aside.

☆ A picture and its story: Fire-bombing of a seaside English migrant centre
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nicholls was driving away from the centre when he heard the bang. He saw a man in a checked shirt sliding plastic canisters of flammable liquid, attached to lit fireworks, along the ground towards the facility. [1/7] A man throws an object out of a car window next to the Border Force centre after a firebomb attack in Dover, Britain, October 30, 2022. Seconds later, Nicholls heard two more bangs and saw smoke coming from a nearby petrol station. The police arrived on the scene at the same time and later covered the car and body with a tarpaulin.

LONDON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Fresh vegetables and fish are falling off the menu. Joanne Farrer used to regularly serve her three children roast beef dinners or stews packed with fresh vegetables. Volume sales of fresh vegetables fell by more than 6% and fresh meat by over 7% in August, for example, while sales of snacks and candy rose almost 4%. "We also know that cheap highly processed foods are the ones most likely to cause obesity." "If fresh food is cheaper then we'll get that, but it's not often on offer."

☆ Nunez earns points for Liverpool, Man Utd outclass Tottenham
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Impressive Newcastle United bolstered their place in the top-six with a 1-0 victory at home to struggling Everton. Nunez also rattled the post with a ferocious shot but West Ham could easily have taken a point. Liverpool moved up to seventh with 16 points from 10 games, two points behind Newcastle and three behind Manchester United. UNITED TAKING SHAPEAfter a difficult start Man Utd are slowly taking shape under Dutch manager Erik ten Hag and they added Tottenham to their wins already against Liverpool and leaders Arsenal. Che Adams's first-half header earned Southampton victory at Bournemouth -- their first win in six games moving them up to 14th place with 11 points.

☆ California approves desalination plant as historic drought hits water supplies
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Gavin Newsom (R) tastes wastewater that was treated at the Antioch Water Treatment Plant with Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe (L) on August 11, 2022 in Antioch, California. California regulators this week approved a $140 million desalination plant that could convert up to 5 million gallons of seawater each day into drinking water, as the state grapples with a persistent megadrought and plummeting water supplies. The plant could be functioning within the next five years and supply water for thousands of people in the South Coast Water District. The approval comes as record temperatures and drought conditions have forced states like California to address a future with dwindling water supplies. Water levels at the two largest reservoirs in the country, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have hit their lowest levels ever recorded.

☆ Amid historic drought, California expected to approve $140 mln desalination plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Oct 13 (Reuters) - A $140 million desalination plant is expected to be approved by California regulators on Thursday as the U.S. state contends with how to convert ocean water into drinking water amid the worst drought in 1,200 years. Instead of relying on water pumped from hundreds of miles (km) away, through the State Water Project or the Colorado River, the South Coast Water District would now have its own water supply. The Doheny plant would produce 5 million gallons of drinking water per day, more than enough to meet the needs of the district's 35,000 people. The Coastal Commission staff, which recommended rejecting Poseidon, favors building Doheny, which would be the 12th desalination plant approved by the regulator. The Doheny plant will use a sub-surface intake that creates a barely perceptible current.

Del Bosque, 72, now farms 2,000 acres — including that half-mile he first bought. "It's been a great journey for me," Del Bosque said. These last couple of years, Del Bosque has felt that his long-term family farming enterprise is under threat. When Del Bosque was growing up in the area, his life revolved around farm work, picking melons alongside field workers his father managed. Del Bosque hopes to introduce a few of his grandkids to farming, but he’s losing hope about its viability.

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