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☆ China leans on coal amid energy security push
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Andrew Hayley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Soaring global energy prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and domestic supply disruption have prompted Beijing to step up its focus on energy security in recent years. Fluctuating output from renewable plants, however, has led policymakers to lean on reliable and easily dispatchable coal power to shore up the country's baseload supply. "The energy security narrative is still going strong," said Greenpeace China policy advisor Li Shuo. Concerned about supply shortages amid high global prices, the planner pledged to "strictly control the expansion of projects to replace coal with natural gas". "(We shall) develop sound mechanisms to adjust urban end-user prices of natural gas in step with procurement costs," the report said.

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Producers of the Western movie 'Rust' on Friday said they had agreed to pay a $100,000 civil fine for "serious" workplace safety breaches prior to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on a New Mexico film set in 2021. Hutchins was killed when actor Alec Baldwin fired a live round from a gun he was using during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe. The New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rust Line Producer Gabrielle Pickle told the agency on Dec. 20 Gutierrez-Reed's requests for extra armorer days were granted. Production of the movie is set to resume in the spring in Montana, RMP has said.

☆ Oil gains on Russian supply cut worries, but higher U.S. inventories weigh
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Andrew Hayley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Oil prices extended gains for a second session on Friday as the prospect of lower exports from Russia offset rising inventories in the United States. Brent crude futures rose 61 cents, or 0.7%, to $82.82 per barrel by 0215 GMT. The prospect of further rate hikes supported the dollar index , which was set for a fourth straight week of gains. Oil has also been pressured by a surge in U.S. crude inventories to the highest since May 2021, as refiners ran less oil during a strong maintenance season. Crude inventories rose by 7.6 million barrels to a about 479 million barrels, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration said.

☆ Parents of dead cinematographer sue Baldwin over 'Rust' shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Baldwin in October settled a separate wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Hutchins' husband Matt Hutchins over the fatal shooting on a film set outside Santa Fe. Under Matt Hutchins' settlement with Baldwin and the producers of 'Rust', filming of the movie was set to resume in early 2023 with Hutchins serving as executive producer, Baldwin remaining in the lead role of 'Harland Rust', and Souza directing. At the time, Matt Hutchins said he had no interest in attributing blame to Baldwin or the 'Rust' producers for the fatal shooting, and called his wife's death "a terrible accident". In a 2021 television interview Baldwin said Hutchins directed him where to point the gun and to cock it. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger, that was the training that I had," Baldwin told ABC News.

☆ Alec Baldwin, armorer to be charged over 'Rust' shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Actor Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will be charged on Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Western "Rust" in 2021, a New Mexico prosecutor said. A sheriff's office investigation has yet to reveal how live ammunition got onto the set outside Santa Fe. Legal analysts have said prosecutors will struggle to win convictions without proof Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed knew live ammunition was present but took no precautions. Live ammunition is strictly forbidden on sets. The armorer testified to New Mexico's worker safety agency (OSHA) on Dec. 7 that the shooting might have been prevented had she had more time to train Baldwin.

☆ Baldwin charged for 'reckless acts' leading to 'Rust' shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Baldwin and set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were each charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Baldwin's case is remarkable in that there is little or no precedent for a Hollywood actor to face criminal charges for an on-set shooting. A statement of probable cause by the prosecution's special investigator, Robert Shilling, made clear Baldwin was being charged as an actor and producer on the low-budget movie. Videos from inside the church prior to the shooting show Baldwin with his finger on the trigger, Shilling said. [1/6] Actor Alec Baldwin departs his home, as he will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie "Rust", in New York, U.S., January 31, 2023.

☆ California shooting victims: Who died in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay attacks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Back-to-back mass shootings in California have claimed the lives of people who loved to dance at a studio in Monterey Park and farm workers in the coastal community of Half Moon Bay. HALF MOON BAY VICTIMSSeven people were killed and one person was in critical condition after a 66-year-old man on Monday attacked two mushroom farms near the resort town of Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, police said. "You look to improve your life and then you end up with this," said Juarez, quiet and sullen as he took a break from cooking at a Mexican restaurant in a Half Moon Bay strip mall. Perez was stunned when, upon arriving in Half Moon Bay in the late 1990s, he saw Martinez-Jimenez again at a party. The San Mateo County Coroner's Office declined to comment on the identities of the victims in the Half Moon Bay shooting.

☆ New Mexico asks court to overturn cities' abortion bans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The move comes after the New Mexico cities of Hobbs, Clovis and two surrounding counties bordering Texas passed ordinances in recent months to restrict abortion clinics and access to abortion pills. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez filed an extraordinary writ in New Mexico Supreme Court to block the ordinances which he said were based on flawed interpretations of 19th century federal regulations on abortion medication. Right-to-life activists said the regulations remained valid under federal law and vowed to work on bringing such ordinances to more cities in New Mexico, the only state bordering Texas where abortion remains legal. New Mexico's largest cities of Las Cruces and Albuquerque have become regional destinations for women seeking abortions since the U.S. Supreme Court in June ended the nationwide constitutional right to the procedure. In direct response, New Mexico Democrats have drafted legislation to prevent cities from overriding state laws guaranteeing womens' rights to reproductive healthcare.

☆ California shootings: Who died in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay attacks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Back-to-back mass shootings in California have claimed the lives of people who loved to dance at a studio in Monterey Park and farm workers in the coastal community of Half Moon Bay. MONTEREY PARK VICTIMSEleven people died after a 72-year-old gunman opened fire late Saturday during a celebration of the Lunar New Year at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, east of Los Angeles. There were six women killed: My Nhan, 65, Lilian Li, 63, Xiujuan Yu, 57, Muoi Ung, 67, Hong Jian, 62, and Diana Tom, 70. HALF MOON BAY VICTIMSSeven people were killed and one person was in critical condition after a 67-year-old man on Monday attacked two mushroom farms near the resort town of Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, police said. Police said two other people were also killed at the mushroom farm off Highway 1 just south of Half Moon Bay.

[1/2] Alec Baldwin arrives at the 2nd Annual NFL Honors in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 2, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy NicholsonJan 23 (Reuters) - Western movie "Rust" will continue filming with Alec Baldwin in the lead role, a lawyer for the production said Monday, days after prosecutors said they would charge the actor in the fatal shooting of the movie's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin will continue to play grandfather Harland Rust while Joel Souza will return as "Rust" director following his wounding in the October 2021 shooting, said Melina Spadone, an attorney for Rust Movie Productions. Baldwin in October reached a settlement of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the Hutchins family under which Hutchins would take a production role in "Rust" and filming would resume this month. Baldwin has denied responsibility for the shooting, saying live ammunition should never have been allowed on set and weapons handlers were responsible for firearm safety.

☆ Saudi Arabia stays top crude supplier to China in 2022, Russian barrels surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China, which refused to condemn the attack, cranked up procurement of Russian barrels and has largely ignored the sanctions imposed by Western nations on seaborne Russian crude from Dec. 5. In December, it brought in 6.47 million tonnes of crude oil from Russia, or 1.52 million bpd, compared to 1.7 million bpd in the same period in 2021. Saudi Arabia shipped a total of 87.49 million tonnes of crude to China in 2022, equivalent to 1.75 million bpd, customs data showed, on par with the level in 2021. No Venezuelan crude imports were recorded by Chinese customs throughout 2022 and a total of 780,392 tonnes of crude oil from Iran arrived in China. (tonne = 7.3 barrels for crude oil conversion)Reporting by Andrew Hayley and Muyu Xu; Editing by Janane VenkatramanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/3] District attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies speaks at a news conference after actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the film set of the movie "Rust" in Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S., October 27, 2021. REUTERS/Adria MalcolmJan 19 (Reuters) - A New Mexico prosecutor on Thursday will announce a long-awaited decision on whether she will charge actor Alec Baldwin or others for fatally shooting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021 as Baldwin rehearsed a scene on the Western movie "Rust." Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded when a gun Baldwin was using during a rehearsal in October 2021 fired off a live bullet. Authorities have been trying to determine how a real bullet made its way to the movie set. Under the agreement, filming on the low-budget movie is set to resume this month with Hutchins' husband serving as an executive producer.

REUTERS/Andrew KellyJan 19 (Reuters) - A New Mexico prosecutor on Thursday charged actor Alec Baldwin and others in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of Western "Rust." District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin and the film's armorer after more than a year of investigation into the October 2021 shooting on a film set outside Santa Fe. “On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, she said. Under New Mexico law, involuntary manslaughter is a fourth-degree felony and is punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. The sheriff's office focused on how live rounds got onto a movie set and how they were loaded into a firearm.

☆ Election denial drove New Mexico Democrat attacks, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 18 (Reuters) - Election conspiracy theories drove a defeated Republican candidate in New Mexico with a criminal past to hire gunmen to attack homes of Democratic legislators, marking a dangerous new level of political violence, officials said on Wednesday. The string of shootings follows other recent acts of politically motivated violence, including the attack in San Francisco on the husband of then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Republican National Hispanic Assembly said it had backed Pena, a political novice, in the belief the former U.S. Navy medic and political science graduate had left crime behind. Under New Mexico law, felons can have voting rights restored after serving sentences. Reporting by Andrew Hay; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China coal output in Dec slips on COVID; rises to record in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China produced 402.69 million tonnes of coal last month, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Tuesday, equivalent to 12.99 million tonnes per day. That compares with 13.04 million tonnes per day in November, and 12.41 million tonnes in December 2021. Total production for 2022 rose to a record 4.496 billion tonnes, 9% higher than output in 2021, data from the NBS showed. China's coal production is expected to expand further in 2023 amid Beijing's emphasis on bolstering energy security. The country is assessed to have approved 260 million tonnes of coal mining capacity in 2022, bringing total capacity to 5.05 billion tonnes.

☆ Defeated Republican charged with attacks on New Mexico Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - A failed Republican candidate in New Mexico was charged on Tuesday with contracting four gunmen to shoot at the homes of Democratic officials after he visited them to dispute his 2022 election defeat. Pena, described as a "radical right election denier" by Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, was arrested on Monday. Pena, who has previously been convicted of felonies such as burglary, faces a 1 p.m. pre-trial detention hearing on Wednesday. Pena wrote in July in the New Mexico Audit Force Telegram group in response to a claim of fraud in Nevada. Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Additional Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ New Mexico police arrest suspect in shootings at Democratic officials' homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Police in New Mexico on Monday said they had arrested a man in connection with shootings at the homes and offices of six elected Democratic officials, incidents that have raised concerns of political violence. "There is a suspect in custody, on unrelated charges, related to these incidents," Albuquerque police Chief Harold Medina told a press conference. Police on Monday said a sixth legislator, incoming Speaker of the New Mexico House Javier Martinez, had reported gunshots were fired at his house in early December. “We have identified potential connections between some of the shootings," Medina said. Democrats swept all New Mexico U.S. House seats in November midterm elections and held control of the state legislature in a highly polarized political climate.

☆ New Mexico Democrats' homes, offices shot at over past month
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A day after gunfire hit Torrez's office, over a dozen shots were fired at then-Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley's Albuquerque home on Dec. 11, police said. On Tuesday night, multiple shots were fired at the southwest Albuquerque home of state Senator Linda Lopez. On Thursday, the downtown law office of state Senator Moe Maestas was struck, police said. "They are all members of the Democratic Party that we know, so there's always that connection," Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina told the press conference. Reporting By Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Aldrich, 22, had been in a hospital from early Sunday morning until Tuesday, before being transferred to El Paso County Jail in Colorado Springs. [1/7] Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, the suspect in the mass shooting that killed five people and wounded 17 at an LGBTQ nightclub appears showing facial injuries in police booking photographs released in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. November 23, 2022. Colorado Springs Police Department /Handout via REUTERS 1 2 3 4 5Defense lawyers declined to comment after the hearing. Police initially held Aldrich on arrest charges of five counts of first-degree murder and bias crimes stemming from the Saturday night killings. El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen said after the hearing he expected to file formal criminal charges at the defendant's next court hearing, tentatively scheduled for Dec. 6.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Nov 21 (Reuters) - Amid the blood and chaos of a mass shooting in a Colorado LGTBQ club, two men emerged from the crowd to subdue the gunman. Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers identified the "two heroes" as Rich Fierro and Thomas James. Suthers told a news conference on Monday they "saved a lot of lives" at Club Q in Colorado Springs late Saturday. The dead included the boyfriend of the Fierros' daughter, Fierro's wife Jess said in a post on her family brewery's Facebook page. Speaking from her doorstep, Jess Fierro told Reuters the violence sparked her husband' s post traumatic stress disorder.

Nov 22 (Reuters) - The suspect in the mass shooting that killed five people and wounded 17 at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub has been transferred to jail from the hospital where he was in police custody, police said on Tuesday. "CSPD has turned over custody of the Club Q suspect to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office at the jail," the Colorado Springs Police Department said on Twitter. Prosecutors said that once he was out of the hospital, they expected to file formal criminal charges that may differ. James, a Navy information systems technician second class, was injured in the Colorado Springs shooting and was hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday, the Navy said in a statement. James is an 11-year-Navy veteran stationed in Colorado Springs, the Navy said, asking that his privacy be respected.

☆ Biden appeals to young voters in U.S. West as midterms near
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on "student debt relief" during a campaign stop at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) Student Resource Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S., November 3, 2022. Biden and other Democratic speakers made no mention of high consumer prices that analysts say are overshadowing abortion and other social issues in the election. Biden heads to California on Thursday evening and Illinois on Friday before traveling to Pennsylvania on Saturday for a rally with former President Barack Obama. He plans to contrast his economic plan with a Republican push to roll back loan forgiveness, the White House said. Opposition parties historically fare better in midterm elections, providing a balance for new presidents in the second half of their terms.

☆ New Mexico House race wrangles oil and gas, climate change
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Polls show issues like climate change and abortion are important but the economy may be the driving factor in a state that is one of the poorest in the country and also a top global oil producer. First-term Republican incumbent Yvette Herrell is known as a defender of the Permian Basin oil and gas sector, a region she represents. RIO GRANDE RUNS DRYSome voters in West Side and South Valley Albuquerque areas believe fossil-fuel-driven climate change is harming their quality of life and the livelihoods of farmers. Vasquez has been hit with attack ads saying his policies will cost the state tens of thousands of oil and gas jobs. Herrell, a target of the League of Conservation Voters and other green groups, said New Mexico's emission controls meant the state's oil and gas industry was far cleaner than foreign competitors and did not contribute to climate change.

☆ 'Rust' filming will not return to New Mexico after shooting
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File PhotoOct 20 (Reuters) - When Western movie "Rust" resumes filming it will not be in New Mexico, the state where actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot the film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, a lawyer for the production company said on Thursday. The announcement followed a civil lawsuit settlement on Oct. 5, between Baldwin, Rust producers and Hutchins' family under which filming will restart in January with the same principal actors and director. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register“The production of Rust will not return to New Mexico," attorney Melina Spadone said in a statement on behalf of Rust Movie Productions. New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has said she may make a decision this month on possible criminal charges. The state's worker safety agency fined Rust Movie Productions the maximum amount possible for what it called "willful" safety lapses leading to Hutchins' death.

Oct 18 (Reuters) - A New Mexico judge has outlawed a militia group blamed for sparking violence at a 2020 anti-statue demonstration in the southwestern U.S. state where a protester was shot. The New Mexico Civil Guard (NMCG) was banned from operating as a military unit on grounds that only the state governor had the authority to activate a militia, District Court Judge Elaine Lujan ruled on Monday. During ensuing violence a counter-protester unaffiliated with the group shot and injured a man calling for removal of the statue. Bryce Provance, founder of the now disbanded NMCG, said the group tried to protect the community and prevent clashes. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting By Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Richard PullinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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