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☆ The Putin-Kim bromance grows with a lion, yaks, bears, cockatoos, pheasants, and 40 ducks
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-21 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementRussia announced on Wednesday that Vladimir Putin is gifting Kim Jong Un about 70 animals for his zoo. Russia's environmental ministry said the animals include a lioness, two bears, two yaks, and over 60 birds. The new set of animals is another touch by Putin to firm up his alliance with North Korea. AdvertisementKozlov's ministry said it had previously sent Pyongyang birds such as eagles, cranes, and parrots, but that it was the first time Russia had donated mammals. In August, the Times of London, citing a veterinary source in Russia, reported that the Russian leader had sent Pyongyang two dozen purebred white horses.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Putin, Kim Jong, Alexander Kozlov, Kozlov's, Kim Organizations: Russia, North, Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, Moscow Zoo, Pyongyang Central Zoo, North Korean State Media, NATO, Central, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Locations: North Korea, Moscow, Pyongyang, North Korean, Korean, Russia, London, Russian, The, Ukraine, Korea, Germany, Poland, Western, Stockholm

☆ Hundreds of thousands of fish died in a single reservoir in Vietnam, another sign of how climate change is strangling the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A prolonged drought in southeast Asia contributed to massive fish deaths in southern Vietnam. The climate crisis and human development threaten the Mekong Delta, a key global agricultural center. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In Vietnam, the maze of wetlands that comprise the Mekong Delta is called the country's "rice bowl" because of the vast agriculture it supports. Related storiesMeanwhile, in southern Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of fish died in a reservoir last month as temperatures peaked over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and no rain fell for weeks, the AFP reported.

Persons: —, El Niño, they're, Ksor Phung, VnExpress Organizations: Service, Mekong Delta, country's Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, World Bank, AFP, Residents, Business, Getty, Commission Locations: Asia, Vietnam, Delta, El, Mekong

☆ Vietnam Relied on Environmentalists to Secure Billions. Then It Jailed Them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | More About Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The nine nations had announced in December that Vietnam would receive $15.5 billion in grants and loans in exchange for a commitment to renewable energy. Ms. Nhien, 48, never got the chance to see Vietnam present the plan. While two activists have since been released, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights said in September that the “prosecutions and the arbitrary application of restrictive legislation are having a chilling effect” on environmentalists in Vietnam. Activists and academics say that Vietnam appears to be emboldened by its growing importance to the West and has taken the opportunity to clamp down, knowing there will be few repercussions. President Biden visited Vietnam in September, elevating ties to a new strategic relationship that he said would “be a force for prosperity and security in one of the most consequential regions in the world.”

Persons: Nhien, Biden, ” Organizations: Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, United Nations Locations: United States, Japan, Vietnam, China

☆ Iraq expects deal to resume Kurdistan oil output within three days
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Ahmed Rasheed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iraq's oil minister, Hayan Abdel-Ghani, speaks during a press conference at Iraq's Majnoon oil field near Basra, Iraq, May 12, 2023. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Iraq reached understanding with Turkey on oil exportsBaghdad seeks deal to adjust KRG oil contractsBAGHDAD, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Iraqi oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani expects to reach an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and foreign oil companies to resume oil production from the Kurdish region’s oilfields within three days, he said on Sunday. Abdel-Ghani and top federal oil officials on Sunday started meetings with the KRG's ministry of natural resources and senior Kurdish energy officials to discuss the matter. "The purpose of this meeting is to resolve all issues to facilitate resumption of oil production and exports," Abdel-Ghani told reporters in Erbil. APIKUR's members include international oil and gas companies that have a direct or indirect interest in upstream oil or gas contracts in Iraq's Kurdistan region, many of which have had to stop output because of the pipeline closure.

Persons: Hayan Abdel, Ghani, Essam, Abdel, Ahmed Rasheed, William Maclean, David Goodman Organizations: REUTERS, Kurdistan Regional Government, of Commerce, ICC, Association of, Petroleum Industry, Thomson Locations: Basra, Iraq, Turkey, Baghdad, BAGHDAD, Kurdish, Erbil, Iraq's, Kurdistan, Ankara, Iraq's Kurdistan

BANGKOK (AP) — Foxconn, a Fortune 500 company known globally for making Apple iPhones, was recently subjected to searches by Chinese tax authorities, state media reported Sunday. Foxconn, a Taiwanese -headquartered company officially registered as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd, had its offices in Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces searched by tax officials, according to a report in the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper. The Ministry of Natural Resources also inspected Foxconn offices in Henan and Hubei provinces, where the company has major factories. The report did not provide more details about the searches, including when they occurred or what was found. In recent years, China has banned pineapples, grouper fish and other agricultural products from Taiwan for import.

Persons: —, Terry Gou, Gou Organizations: Fortune, Apple, Hai Precision Industry Co, Global Times, Natural Resources, Chinese Communist Party Locations: BANGKOK, Taiwanese, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Henan, Hubei, Foxconn, China, Taiwan

She cited unpublished information from Vietnam's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, which did not respond to requests for comment. In recent years, Japanese investors Toyota Tsusho and Sojitz abandoned projects at Dong Pao after China ramped up supply, pummelling prices. Reuters GraphicsStill, rare earths at Dong Pao are relatively easy to access and are mostly concentrated in bastnaesite ores, according to the Hanoi University of Mining and Geology. The plant has capacity to process 5,000 tons of REO a year but the company plans to treble that to accommodate input from Dong Pao, Tuan said. The metallization process is controlled by China, which produces 90% of rare-earth metals, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Persons: Dong Pao, Blackstone, VTRE, Tessa Kutscher, Anh Tuan, Joe Biden, Kutscher, Sojitz, Dylan Kelly, Vingroup, Rivian, Dong, Tuan, David Merriman, John Rockhold, Dudley Kingsnorth, Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio, Khanh, Melanie Burton, Trevor Hunnicutt, Mai Nguyen, Phuong, David Crawshaw Organizations: REUTERS, Australia's Blackstone Minerals Ltd, Vietnam's Ministry of Natural Resources, Earth JSC, U.S, . Geological Survey, Reuters, Toyota, Terra Capital, Blackstone, Hanoi University of Mining, REO, White House, Department of Commerce, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Strategic, ASM, Reuters Graphics Reuters, U.S . Department of Energy, Western Australian School of Mines, Curtin University, Thomson Locations: Nam, Lai Chau, Vietnam, Pao, HANOI, Dong, Beijing, China, Hanoi, U.S, Dong Pao, VTRE, South, Khanh Vu, Melbourne, Seoul, Washington, Phuong Nguyen

These include power plants built by industrial firms such as nickel smelters for their own consumption. Under JETP, Indonesia is committed to cap and peak power sector's carbon emissions at 290 million metric tons by 2030. How does Indonesia plan to deploy JETP funds? Indonesia also wants JETP to finance the early retirement of some of its coal power plants, however some banks are reluctant to finance these early retirement for fear of being seen as financing coal projects. Indonesia is also considering expanding the green label to loans for coal power plants used by industries that make products considered sustainable, such as batteries for electric vehicles (EV).

Persons: JETP, Quoc Khanh, Tran Hong Ha, Fransiska Nangoy, Khanh Vu, Florence Tan Organizations: Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Natural Resources, Deputy, EV, Marine Spatial, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, HANOI, Indonesia, South Africa, Vietnam, INDONESIA Indonesia, JETP, VIETNAM

☆ Guyana not interested in joining OPEC, VP says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Kiana Wilburg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Guyana's Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo poses for a photo during an interview with Reuters in Georgetown, Guyana, February 16, 2022. REUTERS/Sabrina ValleGEORGETOWN, June 26 (Reuters) - Nascent oil producer Guyana is not interested in joining the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Guyanese Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo said on Monday, as the South American country looks to rapidly boost production and attract new operators. The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Saudi Arabia's energy minister, Abdulaziz bin Salman, and Haitham al-Ghais, OPEC's secretary-general, have invited Guyana to join the cartel. Guyana is planning an oil auction within a couple of months in hopes it can bring in other oil and gas companies. "We are committed to responsibly developing the resources offshore Guyana to maximize value for all stakeholders, including the government and people of Guyana," said Exxon spokesperson Meghan Macdonald in response to questions about the country and OPEC.

Persons: Bharrat Jagdeo, Sabrina Valle GEORGETOWN, Jagdeo, Abdulaziz bin Salman, Haitham, Meghan Macdonald, Kiana Wilburg, Sabrina Valle, Julia Symmes Cobb, Sandra Maler Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Organization of, Petroleum, OPEC, The, Natural Resources, Street, Exxon Mobil Corp, Exxon, Thomson Locations: Georgetown, Guyana, American, Vienna, Saudi

CNN —The Chinese city of Shanghai recorded its highest May temperature in more than 100 years on Monday, hitting a record 36.1 degrees Celsius (nearly 97 degrees Fahrenheit). It is unknown when the city began keeping temperature records. Monday’s record-breaking heat wave for May was recorded in the city’s Xuhui district, state media CCTV reported, citing the Shanghai Meteorological Department. Earlier Monday, the Shanghai Meteorological Department issued its first high temperature alert of the year as temperatures in the city surpassed 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) for three consecutive days. Across the entirety of 2022, Shanghai recorded 50 days of temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius.

☆ Record rise in China's sea levels from global warming threatens coastal cities like Shanghai
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Sea levels on China’s coastline have hit their highest on record for the second year in a row, rising more quickly than the global average and posing a serious threat to coastal cities such as the financial hub of Shanghai. The temperature of China’s coastal waters has increased significantly due to global warming, and the rise in sea levels has accelerated, said Wang Hua, head of the marine forecasting and monitoring department at the ministry. “In the last 11 years, from 2012 to 2022, China’s coastal sea levels were the highest since observations were first recorded,” Wang said at the news conference, which released the latest annual report on China’s sea levels. Over the past four decades, rising sea levels along the Chinese coast have caused long-term effects, including the erosion of coastal ecosystems and the loss of tidal flats. In 2022, high sea levels along the Chinese coast aggravated the impact of storms, dealing a severe blow to the provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang and Shandong.

Baghdad had argued that Turkey had violated a joint agreement by allowing the KRG to export oil to Ceyhan without its consent. Iraq's oil ministry in Baghdad said on Sunday it hopes to reach a final agreement soon with the KRG on resuming northern oil exports. Iraq's oil ministry said that details on the new export agreement would be announced "in due course". The resumption of pipeline flows from Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region will still need approval from Turkey. "A letter of request to resume oil flows will be sent by Baghdad to Ankara," a KRG official told Reuters on Sunday.

☆ Iraq to ask Turkey to restart northern oil exports after initial KRG deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Rowena Edwards | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 2 (Reuters) - Iraq's federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have reached an initial agreement to restart northern oil exports this week, a KRG spokesman said on Sunday, and Baghdad will write to Turkey to request a resumption in pipeline flows. Baghdad had argued that Turkey had violated a joint agreement by allowing the KRG to export oil to Ceyhan without its consent. The resumption of pipeline flows from Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region will still need approval from Turkey. "A letter of request to resume oil flows will be sent by Baghdad to Ankara," a KRG official told Reuters on Sunday. Sources last week told Reuters that Turkey wants an unfinished court case settled with Iraq before the pipeline reopens.

LONDON/BAGHDAD, April 1 (Reuters) - Iraq's federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are close to striking a deal aimed at resuming northern oil exports, four sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters on Saturday. Revenues will be deposited in an account managed by the MNR and supervised by Baghdad, the KRG official said. Iraq's oil ministry spokesman could not immediately be reached outside regular business hours. Baghdad and the KRG have agreed to continue meetings following the resumption of oil exports to find solutions to other lingering problems. "[These include] the contracts of the foreign companies operating in Kurdistan and the Kurdish debts," the senior Iraqi oil official said.

REUTERS/Umit BektasMarch 31 (Reuters) - An international arbitration ruling on March 23 prompted the shutdown of Iraq's northern crude oil exports through Turkey and sent oil prices back towards $80 a barrel. Iraq's federal government says its state-owned marketed SOMO is the only party authorised to manage crude exports through Ceyhan. Turkey was also asked to pay 50% of the discount at which KRG oil was sold, three sources said. According to a Turkish source, Iraq's initial demand was for about $33 billion. This comprised 370,000 bpd of KRG crude and 75,000 bpd of federal crude, a source familiar with pipeline operations said.

[1/7] A drone image of Mtauchira village shows the destruction caused by a mudslide where many people lost their lives, in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, Malawi, March 16, 2023. Tropical Cyclone Freddy has killed more than 400 people in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar since it first made landfall in Africa in late February and circled back to hit the region for a second time over the weekend. In Mozambique, some villages have been completely cut off since the cyclone made its second landfall on Saturday. At least 53 people have died in Mozambique and 326 in Malawi since the weekend, according to government figures. The storm had already killed about 27 people in Madagascar and Mozambique before it lashed Mozambique a second time.

☆ China to consolidate, boost domestic strategic resources bases - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, March 12 (Reuters) - China will consolidate and add to its domestic strategic resources bases this year to achieve a rapid buildup in mineral resources, natural resources minister Wang Guanghua said on Sunday, according to state media. "We will launch a new round of strategic action for mineral prospecting," Wang told reporters on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary meeting. "The focus is to strengthen domestic exploration and development around scarce and strategically important mineral resources," he said. China will also promote the "nationalization" of high-tech mineral equipment to avoid being caught in any stranglehold regarding technology and equipment, he said. The Ministry of Natural Resources will roll out follow-up measures to attract social capital into mineral exploration and development, Wang said.

☆ Azeri BTC crude loadings suspended at a major oil export hub in Turkey after earthquakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Crude oil loadings from Turkey's Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan terminal in the Mediterranean have been suspended following a twin set of earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria on Monday, leaving over 9,000 dead. The BTC terminal loads Azeri BTC Blend crude, which is transported to the Ceyhan port through the BTC pipeline. A force majeure notice seen by CNBC — which removes contractual liability from exporters or producers for circumstances outside of their control — was issued on Tuesday evening. The BTC pipeline was not impacted by the earthquakes, the Botas International Company that operates its Turkish section said on Monday. The BTC crude oil loadings schedule that is typically published on the 8th of every month will be delayed, two trade sources said.

☆ 2,500 dead seals found on Russia’s Caspian coast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

About 2,500 seals have been found dead on the Caspian Sea coast in southern Russia, officials said Sunday. Regional officials initially reported Saturday that 700 dead seals were found on the coast, but the Dagestan division of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment later raised the figure to about 2,500. Journalists and environmental workers inspect the bodies of dead seals on shore of the Caspian Sea, near Dagestan, Russia on Sunday. APZaur Gapizov, head of the Caspian Environmental Protection Center, said in a statement that the seals likely died a couple of weeks ago. The fisheries agency has said the overall number of Caspian seals is 270,000-300,000, while the Caspian Environmental Protection Center put the number at 70,000.

☆ 2,500 endangered Caspian seals mysteriously washed up dead on a Russian coast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian officials announced that thousands of dead Caspian seals washed up on their shores. There have been a handful of events in the past decade where Caspian seals have died en masse. The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic of Dagestan wrote in a Telegram post that environmental specialists were still counting the number of dead seals but that the current count stood at 2,500. The Caspian Seals Conservation Agency has reported multiple occurrences of large numbers of dead Caspian seals washing up on the shores of Dagestan over the past decade, including as recently as May. Caspian Seals, the only marine mammal found in the Caspian Sea, is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

☆ Caspian seal deaths: Thousands of dead seals wash up in Russia's Dagestan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Around 2,500 endangered seals have been found dead on Russia’s Caspian coast, state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported Sunday, citing authorities in the North Caucasus region. Caspian seals, the only mammals found in the Caspian Sea, have been classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list since 2008. According to RIA, inspectors were patrolling the coastline in search of additional dead seals. Meanwhile, specialists from the Caspian Environmental Center were analyzing samples from the dead seals to identify the cause of death. The mass deaths come after more than 140 Caspian seals were found dead on Kazakh beaches of the Caspian Sea earlier this year, according to KASPIKA, an agency for the conservation of Caspian seals.

☆ BP wins contract to market Guyana's share of oil production
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Lee SmithNov 25 (Reuters) - BP Plc (BP.L) will market Guyana's share of crude oil produced over the next year from two offshore production platforms, the South American country's Ministry of Natural Resources said. The London-based oil company agreed to market the state's share produced from the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity platforms at no charge per barrel, according to a ministry statement on Thursday. Through mid-year, Guyana's share of oil production from the consortium composed of Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), CNOOC Ltd (0883.HK) and Hess Corp (HES.N) was worth $307 million. The group markets two crudes: a medium to light sweet oil called Liza, and an even lighter grade called Unity Gold. BP will market crude to refiners, provide benchmark and performance comparisons, and help the government understand the behavior and yields of the Liza blend, the ministry said.

☆ Booming Guyana sets offshore oil auction under revamped fiscal terms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Officials this week approved an oil lease auction with timing details to be disclosed by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The auction will include three deepwater and 11 shallow-water exploration blocks, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said in an address. A new profit-sharing agreement that will cover future oil production agreements is under development and will be finalized before the auction ends, he said. Contract terms "shift significantly" the revenue split, with Guyana receiving a "greater share of the proceeds" compared to the existing Production Sharing Agreement terms, Jagdeo said. Each bid must include a development plan that will be considered along with the financial bid, Jagdeo said.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Exxon boosts Guyana oil output, undecided on future auction bid - source
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

An Exxon-led consortium discovered oil in the deep waters off Guyana's coast, launched first production in 2019 and now controls all output in the tiny nation. Those finds have turned Guyana into an emerging oil power with an estimated 11 billion barrels of recoverable oil discovered so far. But Guyana, which lacks the financial power to develop its natural resources by itself, has struggled to decide how to distribute oil properties outside of Exxon's blocks. It did not say when the new terms would be released, but stressed they will not replace Exxon's current deal. Guyana currently keeps less than 15% of the oil proceeds with the Exxon's consortium keeping the rest while also paying for costs of building the country's oil infrastructure.

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