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☆ UN warns 'vampiric overconsumption' is draining world's water
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Isla Binnie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UNITED NATIONS, March 22 (Reuters) - The United Nations opened its first conference on water security in almost half a century on Wednesday with a plea to governments to better manage one of humanity's shared resources. A quarter of the world's population relies on unsafe drinking water while half lacks basic sanitation, the U.N. said. "We are draining humanity's lifeblood through vampiric overconsumption and unsustainable use, and evaporating it through global heating," said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. But Guterres said it must "result in a bold Water Action Agenda that gives our world's lifeblood the commitment it deserves". The United States quickly responded to Guterres' call.

☆ Church tower reemerges from parched reservoir in drought-hit Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The weather will be drier and hotter than usual this spring along the northeastern Mediterranean coast that includes Catalonia. The dry weather will heighten the risk of wildfires even as it brings average rainfall nationwide, Spain's meteorological agency AEMET said. "Heat waves in this geographical area of the planet are more frequent, are increasing more frequently than in other regions," he said. Spain's drought nationwide measured over 12 months is no worse than it was in 2017, 2012 and 2005. But the average water level in Catalonia's reservoirs stands at just 27%, slightly above the level in parts of the southern region of Andalucia.

☆ Miner BHP potentially faces $44 bln bill in Brazil dam case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Members of the Krenak indigenous people, Daniel Krenak, Andreia Krenak, Djanira Krenak, Maycon Krenak and Marcelo Krenak, demonstrate outside the High Court in London, Britain December 13, 2022. BHP (BHP.AX) was initially sued by around 200,000 Brazilians over the 2015 collapse of the Fundao dam, owned by the Samarco joint venture between BHP and Brazilian iron ore mining company Vale (VALE3.SA). BHP, the world's biggest miner by market value, denies liability and in December applied to join Vale to the case. BHP has said the London lawsuit duplicates legal proceedings and reparation and repair programmes in Brazil. BHP has applied to the Supreme Court to overturn that decision and its application is pending.

☆ China gears up to compete with SpaceX's Starlink this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Nacho DoceBEIJING, March 2 (Reuters) - China's military-industrial complex is set to start building its first constellation of very low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites later this year, the latest Chinese bid to catch up with U.S.-based Starlink. Starlink, operated by billionaire Elon Musk's Space X, has built a fast-growing network of more than 3,500 satellites in low-Earth orbit. LEO satellites have the added advantage of being cheaper and providing more efficient transmission than satellites at higher orbits. While CASIC and others have already launched their first LEO satellites, the gap with Starlink is likely to remain large throughout the next decade. Analysts estimate that China currently has no more than several hundred LEO satellites in operation and it would only reach 4,000 by 2027.

☆ A year after Russia’s invasion: How Ukraine endured
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoIn the early hours of Feb. 24, 2022, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers entered Ukraine. By seizing the city of three million people, and capturing or killing Zelenskiy, Russia’s hope appeared to be that Ukraine would quickly surrender. By March 23, Russia’s advance had captured regions of Ukraine along the Belarus border but Ukraine’s forces had begun reclaiming territory near Kyiv. Satellite imagery of Russia’s military convoy near Invankiv, Ukraine, Feb. 28, 2022. The two sit on a bed, with a radio and teddy bears nearby., image Ukrainian civilians have endured The will of the people of Ukraine continues to be that they remain free.

☆ Elderly brothers eke out life among ruins of Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Jillian Kumagai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Tetiana Kovalyova, 76, lights a candle next to her husband Volodymyr and her granddaughter Svetlana, 21, inside the last room of their house that still has a roof in the village of Posad-Pokrovske, Ukraine, January 30, 2023. Tens of thousands of...moreTetiana Kovalyova, 76, lights a candle next to her husband Volodymyr and her granddaughter Svetlana, 21, inside the last room of their house that still has a roof in the village of Posad-Pokrovske, Ukraine, January 30, 2023. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians face similar challenges as Europe's biggest conflict since World War II approaches its second year. Many fled towns and villages close to the frontlines when war raged around them, although some, the elderly among them, refused to leave. REUTERS/Nacho DoceClose

☆ Brazil's government eyes compensation deal for 2015 Vale-BHP dam burst
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Brazil's government will try to reach a deal "as soon as possible" on compensation for the 2015 burst of a tailings dam owned by Samarco, a joint venture between Vale (VALE3.SA) and BHP <BHP.AX>, Institutional Relations Minister Alexandre Padilha said on Friday. In a news conference in Brasilia, Padilha said the matter had been discussed at a meeting with state governors earlier in the day. "We will try and reach this compensation agreement as soon as possible in light of the environmental crime that was committed in Mariana," Padilha said. In late 2021, a study done by a company contracted by prosecutors showed the "socio-environmental" damage caused by the dam rupture was between 37.6 billion reais ($7.35 billion) and 60.6 billion reais ($11.85 billion). ($1 = 5.1126 reais)Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Isabel Woodford and Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Boris Johnson visits Kyiv, pledges help
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Nacho DoceKYIV, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Kyiv on a surprise trip on Sunday, meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and pledging that Britain would "stick by Ukraine as long as it takes". "I can tell you that the UK will be sticking by Ukraine for as long as it takes," Johnson told the mayor of Bucha. Johnson has dismissed suggestions that his activity in Ukraine could be seen as undermining British Prime Minister Rusni Sunak. While in office, Johnson visited Kyiv several times and called Zelenskiy frequently. In Bucha, Johnson took selfies with residents and laid flowers in tribute to victims of the war.

☆ Ukraine honours interior minister, other senior officials, killed in helicopter crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and first lady Olena Zelenska offer their condolences as they attend a memorial ceremony for Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, his deputy and officials who died in the helicopter crash near Kyiv, in Kyiv, Ukraine, January 21, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho DoceKYIV, Jan 21 (Reuters) - A tearful Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attended a memorial service on Saturday to commemorate seven senior Interior Ministry officials killed in a helicopter crash this week, a fresh blow to a nation already grieving its many war dead. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, his deputy and five other high-ranking ministry officials were killed when their French-made Super Puma helicopter plummeted amid fog into a nursery on the eastern outskirts of Kyiv on Wednesday. Another seven people were killed, including one child, in the crash. Zelenskiy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, paid their respects to the victims' relatives inside the hulking Ukrainian House cultural centre in central Kyiv.

☆ Zelenskiy honors Ukraine officials killed in helicopter crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Jan 21 (Reuters) - A tearful Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attended a memorial service on Saturday to commemorate seven senior officials killed in a helicopter crash, a fresh blow to a nation already grieving its many war dead. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, his deputy and five other high-ranking ministry officials were killed on Wednesday when their French-made Super Puma helicopter plummeted amid fog into a nursery near Kyiv. Another seven people were killed, including one child, in the crash. [1/7] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and first lady Olena Zelenska offer their condolences as they attend a memorial ceremony for Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, his deputy and officials who died in the helicopter crash near Kyiv, in Kyiv, Ukraine, January 21, 2023. Zelenskiy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, paid their respects to the victims' relatives inside the hulking Ukrainian House cultural centre in Kyiv.

☆ 'Where are the kids?' Ukrainian mother recounts helicopter crash horror
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The young mother ran to the burning nursery but could not see her daughter. Some kids were in ambulances," she said on Thursday, a day after the crash in the town of Brovary outside Kyiv. She said it was too early to say what caused the crash, but Ukrainian officials have not blamed it on Russia. [1/4] A relative looks at the site of a helicopter crash, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, January 19, 2023. But thank God, Sofiika fell ill, so we weren't there," the mother said at the vigil, her daughter beside her.

☆ High power prices drive some patients in Spain into poverty
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Jillian Kumagai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jose Maria Casais, 69, who is suffering from flu, uses an oxygen nebuliser as he sits on a wheelchair inside his house, in Barcelona, Spain, December 22, 2022. Casais, a retired engineer, says he is being forced to raid his savings every month after...moreJose Maria Casais, 69, who is suffering from flu, uses an oxygen nebuliser as he sits on a wheelchair inside his house, in Barcelona, Spain, December 22, 2022. Casais, a retired engineer, says he is being forced to raid his savings every month after his energy bills soared because of his reliance on the oxygen machine to alleviate his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For the past two years, Casais has been plugged into the oxygen concentrator for up to 24 hours a day. His electricity bill has almost tripled since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, he says, triggering an energy crisis in Europe because of its dependence on Russian gas.

☆ Prince Harry's book sold ahead of official launch date in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Charlie Devereux | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Britain's Prince Harry's book "Spare" is seen in a bookstore, before its official release date, in Barcelona, Spain January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho DoceMADRID, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Several bookstores in Spain were selling the much-awaited memoir by Britain's Prince Harry on Thursday, five days ahead of the book's official launch date. At one shop, the seller said the book had already sold out. At another, the book was displayed on shelves but a staff member withdrew it after the reporter asked why it was being sold in Spain earlier than in Britain. "Everything points to the fact that some customers have breached their commitment to the publisher and have put the book on sale before the agreed date."

☆ Explainer: What the world's nature-rich nations want out of a global conservation deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File PhotoMONTREAL, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Tangled expanses of Amazon rainforest, high mountains of the Himalayas, and cloud-shrouded forests are just some of the unique landscapes contained within the world's most nature-rich nations. Governments are trying to work out a new global agreement to guide conservation and wildlife protection through 2030 at a U.N. summit in Montreal this week. Of the nearly 200 countries assembled, five are considered to be among the world's most biodiverse nations — measured in the number of unique species. That's more than a third of all the world’s flowering plants, and more than half of all bird and mammal species on Earth. Here's what some of the world's most nature-rich nations want to happen at the talks.

☆ Miner BHP accused of delaying $6 billion-plus Brazil dam case
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Global mining giant BHP Group (BHP.AX) was on Tuesday accused of trying to "forever put off" the question of liability for a 2015 dam collapse that triggered Brazil's worst environmental disaster. BHP, the world's biggest miner by market value, denies liability and earlier this month applied to join Vale to the case. BHP has applied to the Supreme Court to overturn that decision and its application is pending. He argued BHP was trying to "forever put off the question of substantive liability for another few years – that would no doubt be very convenient." Charles Gibson, representing BHP, said in court documents that the list of current claimants was "chaotic" and there was "continuing uncertainty" around whether thousands of individuals wanted to continue their cases.

☆ Migrants flee plane forced to land in Spain by fake childbirth emergency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Joan Faus | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Journalists gather after a commercial airplane flying from Morocco to Turkey made an emergency landing in Barcelona's El Prat airport in the early hours and 28 would-be migrants on board ran away across the tarmac in Barcelona, Spain December 7, 2022. After landing at El Prat airport, the woman was checked at a hospital and found she had not gone into labour, the government said. Police detained 14 people who were on the plane operated by Turkey's Pegasus Airlines, while 14 others were still missing, the government said. It said five were put back on the plane and eight others would be deported to Morocco. Reporting by Joan Faus, Inti Landauro; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Two trains collide in Spain's Catalonia region, several injured - emergency services
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/4] A wounded person is helped by medical emergency after two trains collided in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region, in Montcada i Reixac, near Barcelona, Spain December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Nacho DoceMADRID, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Two trains collided on Wednesday morning in Spain's northeastern Catalonia region and several people were lightly injured, local emergency services said. "Among the passengers, several people were lightly injured and are pending evaluation," the emergency services said on Twitter. Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Spain fans were dejected to see their team crash out of the tournament. "We go back to Spain crying and we will have to reflect," said Julia Calvet, 21, in a Barcelona bar. In Barcelona, Morocco fans packed into the central Raval neighbourhood to celebrate, lighting flares and singing. "We needed to win so that Moroccans have confidence in themselves in Spain," Anass, a 22-year-old Moroccan cook told Reuters in downtown Barcelona. Spain retained the enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta, which were previously colonial territories, after Morocco gained independence in 1956.

☆ Spain's steely roller derby skaters championing inclusivity in sport
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Horaci Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view of tattoos on the leg of a skater of Barcelona’s Steel Groin roller derby team as the skaters stand during a training session in Barcelona, Spain November 16, 2022. REUTERS/Nacho Doce 1 2 3 4 5There are about 25 roller derby teams in Spain and over 1,200 leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States. Roller derby was developed in the United States in the 1930s. The Barcelona team began playing on the streets of the coastal city in 2010 and registered as a club in April 2011. "I'm able to be myself in roller derby".

REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File PhotoSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The COP27 climate summit in Egypt must establish a fund to help countries cope with the irreparable damage caused by climate disasters, ministers representing developing nations said on Thursday, warning that anything less would thwart the U.N. summit's chances of success. Talks about creating - or at least committing to create - a "loss and damage" fund were put on the agenda for the first time in nearly three decades of COP climate summits where poorer nations have urged richer countries to act. "Anything less than establishing a loss and damage fund at this COP is a betrayal of the people who are working so hard to clean up this environment," said Molwyn Joseph, Antigua and Barbuda's environment minister. He was speaking at a news conference of ministers representing groups of developing countries in the U.N. climate talks. The first draft of a possible deal document for COP27 published earlier on Thursday mentions loss and damage, but it does not include details for actually launching a fund.

It showed 2022-23 Ukraine corn production at 25.8 million tonnes versus USDA’s official estimate of 31.5 million. However, official USDA estimates also use this general “policy in place” framework, so it is a decent bet that the approach was similar. That means its Ukraine estimates still include Crimea and all Russian-occupied areas, and no land area has been added to Russia. CHINA CORNThe market was tipped off in mid-2020 that something may be amiss with Chinese corn stocks as domestic prices began rallying well before U.S. ones. In other words, it appears USDA does not have hard, indisputable evidence of a strong decline in Chinese corn stocks.

☆ Analysis: Catalonia's economic muscle weakened five years after separatist bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Joan Faus | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The fallout serves as a cautionary tale for the independence movement in Scotland, which is pushing to hold another referendum next year on breaking away from the United Kingdom. Junqueras was Catalonia's deputy government head when the region held an independence referendum banned by a Spanish court. Junqueras insisted the Catalan separatist movement is still strong, pointing out the increase in pro-independence lawmakers in the past decade. Like Scotland, Catalonia's independence movement is now pushing for another referendum, this time with the approval of the Spanish government. But as with the UK government and Scotland´s bid, Spain has so far rejected the proposal.

☆ Protesters delay opening of Barcelona real estate fair
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Nacho Doce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Riot police remove an activist amid a protest at The District real estate fair in Barcelona denouncing the housing crisis and evictions, in Barcelona, Spain, October 19, 2022. REUTERS/Nacho DoceBARCELONA, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Hundreds of activists delayed the opening of an international real estate fair in the northeastern Spanish city of Barcelona on Wednesday as they protested against what they called a hotbed of speculation exacerbating a widening cost of living crisis. Dozens burst into the fairgrounds, chanting slogans and preventing the opening ceremony from taking place before being removed by police. Others gathered outside the building, where they lobbed paint at some of the arriving attendees, Reuters journalists said. The activists held up a banner that read "Let's defend life, let's stop The District" and "Speculators, get out of our neighbourhoods".

☆ Brazil's Neymar lands in Spain to attend trial on 2013 transfer to Barcelona
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Soccer Football - Brazil's Neymar to stand trial in a corruption case over his transfer to FC Barcelona - Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, Barcelona, Spain - October 17, 2022 Brazil's Neymar arrives at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport before attending court to stand trial on fraud and corruption charges over the transfer to FC Barcelona from Santos in 2013 REUTERS/Nacho DoceBARCELONA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Brazil forward Neymar landed in Barcelona on Monday to go on trial on fraud and corruption charges over his transfer to Barcelona from Santos in 2013, a Reuters witness said. The complainant, Brazilian investment firm DIS, said on Thursday it was demanding a five-year jail term for the player. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Marco Trujillo, writing by Inti Landauro; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Neymar due in Barcelona court over 2013 transfer from Santos
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Soccer Football - Brazil's Neymar to stand trial in a corruption case over his transfer to FC Barcelona - Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, Barcelona, Spain - October 17, 2022 Brazil's Neymar arrives at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport before attending court to stand trial on fraud and corruption charges over the transfer to FC Barcelona from Santos in 2013 REUTERS/Nacho DoceBARCELONA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Paris St Germain and Brazil soccer star Neymar Jr. and eight others go on trial in Barcelona on Monday charged with fraud and corruption over the player's transfer to Barcelona from Santos in 2013. Spanish prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison term and a 10 million euro ($9.8 million) fine for Neymar. "Neymar, with the connivance of his parents and the boards of directors of Barcelona and Santos, betrayed the trust of my clients," DIS lawyer Paulo Nasser told a news conference in Barcelona on Thursday. "The real cost of the transaction (between Santos and Barcelona) was 82 million euros, and only 17 million appeared as the official transfer," Nasser said. It was unclear if Neymar would be asked to stay for the whole hearing, which is expected to last seven days.

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