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☆ Affordable homes haven't been this hard to find in years despite lower mortgage rates — but prices are declining in these 15 cities
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Price growth was partially offset by lower mortgage costs, as 30-year fixed rates hung between 6.6% and 6.94% in the first quarter. That's a small win for buyers, considering that rates peaked at 7.8% late last year and were above 7% until mid-December. At the first sight of lower mortgage rates, that widespread price appreciation has returned — much to the chagrin of buyers who thought they were going to catch a break. Conversely, prices fell outright only in 15 cities, versus 32 in the fourth quarter of 2023. 15 cities where home prices are downBelow are those 15 US real-estate markets where single-family home prices fell from last year.

Persons: —, Lawrence Yun Organizations: Service, National Association of Realtors, Business, NAR Locations: That's

☆ Volcano erupts in southwest Iceland
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Icelandic authorities are near to finnish building protective walls around the geothermal power plant in the country's southwest to protect it from lava flows, as officials hope to protect the Svartsengi plant. A volcanic eruption began on Monday night in Iceland, south of the capital Reykjavik, following an earthquake swarm, Iceland's Meteorological Office reported. (Photo by Halldor KOLBEINS / AFP) (Photo by HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP via Getty Images)A volcano in southwest Iceland erupted on Sunday, the country's meteorological office said, making it the fifth eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula since 2021. A coast guard helicopter has been sent to assess the situation and the exact location, the Civil Protection agency said. Lying between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, two of the largest on the planet, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hot spot as the two plates move in opposite directions.

Persons: Halldor KOLBEINS, HALLDOR KOLBEINS, RUV, Grindavik Organizations: Meteorological, Getty, Civil Protection Locations: Grindavik, Iceland, Reykjavik, AFP, Grindavik's

☆ A volcano could erupt in Iceland within hours. Experts say you shouldn't cancel your flights — yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementThere's no reason to cancel your travel plans to Iceland, despite the country warning of potentially dangerous volcanic activity happening within the next few hours or days, experts told Insider. Iceland declared a state of emergency after an unexpected acceleration of activity at Iceland's Fagradalsfjall volcano near the town of Grindavik. It is always difficult to know exactly how a volcanic eruption will develop, but the latest developments in the peninsula took volcanologists by surprise, McGarvie said. While the Reykjanes peninsula was known to have volcanic activity, and its volcano had had fairly mild eruptions over the past decade, this activity accelerated drastically since mid-October. "It is not something that's ever been observed in Iceland, certainly monitored in Iceland, in the last few decades," he said.

Persons: —, Dave McGarvie, Raul Moreno, Andrew Hooper, Lionel Wilson, Hooper, McGarvie Organizations: Service, University of Lancaster, Emergency Management, —, Getty, Geophysics, Leeds, University of Leeds, Planetary Sciences, Lancaster University, UK's Science Media, Icelandic, Iceland Google Locations: Grindavik, Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull, Reykjavik, tktktk

☆ A volcano could erupt in Iceland within hours, but maybe don't cancel your international flights yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But that shouldn't affect your travel plans, though the Blue Lagoon may be off-limits, experts said. AdvertisementAdvertisementThere's no reason to cancel your travel plans to Iceland, despite the country warning of potentially dangerous volcanic activity happening within the next few hours or days, experts told Insider. Iceland declared a state of emergency after an unexpected acceleration of activity at Iceland's Fagradalsfjall volcano near the town of Grindavik. It is always difficult to know exactly how a volcanic eruption will develop, but the latest developments in the peninsula took volcanologists by surprise, McGarvie said. "It is not something that's ever been observed in Iceland, certainly monitored in Iceland, in the last few decades," he said.

☆ China finds foreign-funded meteorological observation points in sensitive sites
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Oct 31 (Reuters) - China has discovered illegal foreign government-funded meteorological detection sites around sensitive places including military compounds, its state security ministry said on Tuesday. Some even transmit real-time information to official meteorological agencies overseas at high frequency and at multiple points, it added, calling the stations widely distributed in the country a "hidden risk to national security". The ministry said Chinese national security agencies, together with the meteorological and confidentiality departments, have promptly blocked the country's meteorological data being exported after investigating. The authorities investigated more than 10 overseas meteorological equipment agents, inspected more than 3,000 foreign-related meteorological stations in its crackdown on such sites nationwide. The involved foreign parties, which were unnamed, did not have administrative licence for their activities, had not submitted the meteorological data to Chinese meteorological authorities and transmitted the data overseas without approval, China said.

Persons: Liz Lee, Michael Perry Organizations: Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China

☆ China Finds Foreign-Funded Meteorological Observation Points in Sensitive Sites
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has discovered illegal foreign government-funded meteorological detection sites around sensitive places including military compounds, its state security ministry said on Tuesday. Some even transmit real-time information to official meteorological agencies overseas at high frequency and at multiple points, it added, calling the stations widely distributed in the country a "hidden risk to national security". The ministry said Chinese national security agencies, together with the meteorological and confidentiality departments, have promptly blocked the country's meteorological data being exported after investigating. The authorities investigated more than 10 overseas meteorological equipment agents, inspected more than 3,000 foreign-related meteorological stations in its crackdown on such sites nationwide. The involved foreign parties, which were unnamed, did not have administrative licence for their activities, had not submitted the meteorological data to Chinese meteorological authorities and transmitted the data overseas without approval, China said.

Persons: Liz Lee, Michael Perry Locations: BEIJING, China

The future may be bright and electric but copper and the rest of the LME metals are currently caught in an old-fashioned industrial downturn. Such "green" investment appears to be acting as a major offset to the downturn in the traditional metals demand driver that is the commercial property market. MIXED SIGNALSThe energy transition and the resulting booster to metals demand was the core talking-point at this year's collective LME Week discussions. Yet the LME metals have not yet escaped the gravitational pull of the traditional industry cycle. But most visitors to LME Week will have returned home braced for more short-term price weakness.

Persons: Ruben Sprich, Max Layton, Tin, Jeremy Pearce, Jorge Vazquez, Jim Lennon, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Metal Exchange, Citi, International Tin Association, HIT, Study, GREEN, Groups, European Union, Producers, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Thoerishaus, Bern, London, Macquarie, China, Europe, North America, Indonesia, GREEN CHINA, China . China, United States

☆ Temperatures in Spain shatter records as October kicks off
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The start of October in Spain this year has been the warmest since records began, the country's meteorological agency AEMET said on Monday, with nearly 40% of weather stations recording maximum temperatures above 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit). Two cities in south-central Spain, Badajoz and Montoro, broke the heat record for continental Spain during the month of October with 38 C and 38.2 C, respectively. The previous record was 37.5 C, documented in the resort city of Marbella in October 2014. The weather station at Madrid's iconic Retiro Park, which is over a century old, equalled its October record of 30 C set in 1930. He added that future summers would not only be hotter, but also longer, extending into the traditionally mild and rainy autumn.

Persons: Jon Nazca, AEMET, Ruben del Campo, Del, David Latona, Inti Landauro, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, TVE, Thomson Locations: Ronda, Spain, Rights MADRID, Badajoz, Montoro, Marbella, Retiro, Del Campo

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan is the world’s fastest-growing maker of methamphetamine, a report from the United Nations drug agency said Sunday. The report called Afghanistan’s meth manufacturing a growing threat to national and regional health and security because it could disrupt the synthetic drug market and fuel addiction. It said seizures of meth suspected to have come from Afghanistan have been reported from the European Union and east Africa. Afghanistan also has the ephedra plant, which is not found in the biggest meth-producing countries: Myanmar and Mexico. But you need a lot of it.”Me said it was too early to assess what impact the Taliban’s drug crackdown has had on meth supplies.

Persons: Angela Me, ”, Abdul Mateen Qani, “ Organizations: United, Taliban, United Nations ’ Office, Drugs, European Union, Associated Press, Interior Ministry, AP, Farmers Locations: ISLAMABAD, Afghanistan, United Nations, Africa, Myanmar, Mexico, Afghan

☆ Japan braces for Typhoon Khanun's winds and heavy rainfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

City skyline and harbour are seen at sunrise in Tokyo, Japan July 24, 2021. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File PhotoTOKYO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - A swath of Japanese regions, including central areas, are bracing for Typhoon Khanun to approach near southwestern Japan on Tuesday, as the country's meteorological agency warns of damage from strong winds and heavy rainfall. The storm was hovering about 160 kilometres (99 miles) east-northeast of the city of Amami in southwestern Japan and moving slowly north as of 9 a.m. local time (0000 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Khanun has gradually lost its strength but still packs winds of 108 kph (67 mph), with gusts of up to 144 kph. "Due to the slow movement of the typhoon and its prolonged impact, total rainfall may greatly exceed the normal monthly rainfall for August in the Pacific Ocean side of Kyushu and western Japan, and in the Tokai region," the JMA said.

Persons: Maxim, Khanun, Satoshi Sugiyama, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Japan Meteorological Agency, JMA, Mazda Motor Corp, West Japan Railway Co, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Amami, Japan's Nagasaki, Khanun, South Korea, Shikoku, Kyushu, Western Japan, Tokai, Hakata, Osaka, Nagasaki

CHONBURI, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Thai farmers marked the beginning of rice cultivation during the monsoon season on Sunday with their annual water buffaloes race which dates back to the 1800s. More than 60 buffaloes took part in the race along a 200-meter dirt track in the Napa sub-district of Chonburi province, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of the capital Bangkok. Samart Suksawang, mayor of Napa, said the event honours the buffalo's traditional role as beast of burden in rice farming. Though many farmers now use tractors for rice ploughing, water buffaloes are still kept for other duties like carrying. The race took place in hot dry weather, with a 5% drop in rainfall forecast for the July-October monsoon, according to the country's Meteorological Department.

Persons: Samart Suksawang, we've, Noppadorn Ponpaiparn, it's, We're, Napat Wesshasartar, Thomas Suen, Panu, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: CHONBURI, country's Meteorological Department, Thomson Locations: Napa, Chonburi, Bangkok

☆ Icelandic volcano erupts near capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Nora Buli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Smoke billows and lava spurts after the eruption of a volcano, on the Reykjanes peninsula, near the capital Reykjavik, in southwest Iceland, July 10, 2023, in this picture obtained from social media. Juergen Merz - Glacier Photo Artist/via REUTERSOSLO, July 10 (Reuters) - A volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland, near the capital Reykjavik, following intense earthquake activity in the area, the country's Meteorological Office (IMO) said on Monday. "At the moment, it's a very small eruption," said Matthew Roberts of the service and research division at the IMO. Reykjanes Peninsula is a volcanic and seismic hot-spot southwest of the capital Reykjavik. "This is not a volcanic eruption with any ash.

Persons: Juergen Merz, Matthew Roberts, IMO's Roberts, Nora Buli, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, country's Meteorological, Reykjavik's, Keflavik, Thomson Locations: Reykjavik, Iceland, REUTERS OSLO, Reykjanes, Oslo

The London Metal Exchange (LME) index of base metals has sunk from a January high of 4,356 to 3,704. LME metals relative performance in H1 2023RELATIVE WEAKNESSOnly one core LME metal bucked the generally weaker trend in the first half of the year. Not that you would know it from LME nickel stocks, which fell by 16,872 metric tons, or 32%, over the first six months of 2023. LME copper stocks also fell by 18,850 metric tons over the first half of the year to 69,700 metric tons, half of which is cancelled and awaiting physical load-out. Indeed, LME zinc stocks have seen heightened cancellation activity over the last couple of weeks with 20% of registered inventory now awaiting load-out.

Persons: Tin, Sweden's, Goldman Sachs, Alexander Smith Organizations: PMI, London Metal Exchange, Citi . Grid, Citi, Shanghai Futures Exchange, Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, Europe, United States, Ireland, CHINA

☆ Britain puts coal plant on standby as warm temperatures ramp up demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Susanna Twidale | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Steam and smoke billow from the Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-fired power station near Nottingham, Britain, December 1, 2017. Britain has a target to close its coal-fired power plants by October 2024 as part of efforts to cut fossil fuel emissions and meet its 2050 net-zero target. A market notice, published by the National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) showed it has asked for the unit to be ready on Monday afternoon. National Grid ESO did not comment on why the notification had been issued. Gas-fired power plants were providing around 41% of the country’s electricity on Monday, with wind power lower than usual, providing just 7%.

Persons: Ratcliffe, Hannah McKay, Uniper, Ami McCarthy, Statnett, Susanna Twidale, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, National Grid Electricity, Grid ESO, country's Met, Grid, Greenpeace, Thomson Locations: Nottingham, Britain, Ratcliffe, Norway, Norwegian

Vadym Boychenko, mayor of Mariupol, at his office in the city hall of Mariupol, Ukraine, on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. Russian service members work on demining the territory of Azovstal steel plant during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine May 22, 2022. A view shows the building of a theatre destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 10, 2022. Before Russia's invasion last February, Mariupol was affectionately known as the mighty Ukrainian city with a fierce, steel heart. A local resident reacts while speaking outside a block of flats heavily damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 18, 2022.

☆ U.S. unveils $2 billion in aid for Ukraine, sanctions and tariff hikes on Russia a year after invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON – The United States authorized $2 billion in aid to Ukraine on the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion Friday, and ramped up sanctions and tariffs on Moscow as it tries to bolster Kyiv's war effort. President Joe Biden met virtually with leaders of the G-7 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday morning to mark the occasion, one year after the group first met to discuss aid. The Biden administration also announced it would sanction more than 200 individuals and entities tied to the Russian war effort, including by targeting the country's metals and mining sector. Biden has been adamant about showing the U.S.'s support for Ukraine as the war drags on into its second year. Earlier this month, Ukraine's prosecutor general, Andriy Kostin, said that regional authorities have logged more than 65,000 Russian war crimes since Moscow invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago.

Residents who evacuated from their flooded homes sit on a roadside after Super Typhoon Noru, in San Ildefonso, Bulacan province, Philippines, September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Eloisa LopezHANOI, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Vietnam urged more people on Tuesday to evacuate as an intensifying Typhoon Noru barrelled towards the southeast Asian nation, after causing at least eight deaths and widespread flooding in the Philippines. The typhoon forced airports in Vietnam to close, causing travel disruption, while thousands were forced to evacuate their homes, according to official statements. Typhoon Noru, the strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year, also damaged 1.53 billion pesos ($26 million) worth of crops, government data showed. read more"There are still areas with floods," Daniel Fernando, governor of Bulacan province north of the capital, told DZRH.

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