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☆ French court to rule on landmark TotalEnergies Uganda case
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( America Hernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - A French court on Tuesday could order oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) to halt the development of an east Africa pipeline in a landmark case based on legislation that makes big companies liable for risks to the environment and human rights. TotalEnergies has argued that its vigilance, compensation and relocalisation plans are fair and legal, and that a French court does not have the power to control the overseas activities of its subsidiary TotalEnergies EP Uganda. The non-governmental organisations behind the suit seek an emergency suspension of TotalEnergies' east Africa projects until financial compensation has been paid to those they say have been harmed as a result of those plans. In a statement to Reuters on Monday, TotalEnergies said its vigilance plan had been implemented effectively in the projects under scrutiny. Reporting by America Hernandez, Editing by Silvia Aloisi and Aurora EllisOur 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.

China is likely to nominate Xie Feng , a vice foreign minister and a U.S. specialist, as its new ambassador to Washington, according to people familiar with the matter, continuing a gradual tempering of the abrasive “Wolf Warrior” style that has defined Chinese diplomacy in recent years. Beijing has been recalibrating its foreign policy in a bid to stabilize fraught ties with Washington and mitigate damage done to China’s global standing by its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and forceful pursuit of security, industrial and territorial interests, according to people working inside the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The hard-charging ethos that took hold among Chinese diplomats during the Trump administration, when Beijing saw itself as being under assault from the West, needs to be adjusted to reflect a changing international environment, they said.

☆ Burning Man sues Biden administration over geothermal project
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A bagpipe player and a belly dancer on stilts, participants in the "Burning Man" festival, cross a section of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. Organizers of the art and cultural festival Burning Man and several environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over the agency's approval of a geothermal exploration project in northwestern Nevada. The suit, filed in Nevada federal court on Monday, alleged that the BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws in 2022 when it failed to adequately assess the environmental impacts of an exploration plan by the developer Ormat. The suit alleges that the agency conducted a limited environmental review that only took into account the project's impacts on Gerlach. The town only has a population of about 100 people, but serves as a gateway to the festival, which attracts 70,000 people each year.

☆ 5 places World War III could start in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Robert Farley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine, starting the largest clash in Europe since World War II. These five simmering disputes pose the greatest risk of erupting into "World War III" in 2023. In 2022, the world came closer to Great Power War than at any point since the end of the Cold War. These five areas pose the greatest risk for the eruption of what we might be tempted to call "World War III." Pray World War III never happensDestroyed apartments in Lyman after the Ukrainian city was recaptured from Russia forces in November 2022.

☆ A 29-year-old part-time remote worker living abroad and making $4,000 a month explains how she finds work and affords her lifestyle
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She is among a growing number of digital nomads, or remote workers who travel for weeks, months, or — in Checchi's case — "for the foreseeable future." Driving this trend is the growing flexibility of remote work, a longing to see the world, and the desire to cut costs. As of June, over 25 countries had introduced digital-nomad visa programs aimed at luring remote workers and their wallets. The challenges of a nomadic lifeWhen she's not traveling, Checchi has a home base in Tel Aviv, which she chose in part for its accessibility to both Europe and Asia. While Tel Aviv can be quite an expensive place to live, Checchi pays $871 per month to rent an apartment with a couple.

SummarySummary Companies Auditors cite past 'financial irregularities'Utility reports $719 mln net loss for 2022Expects bigger loss this yearEskom says reliant on government supportJOHANNESBURG, Dec 23 (Reuters) - South Africa's Eskom said on Friday that auditors have questioned the utility's ability to survive as a going concern citing past financial irregularities. Auditors Deloitte & Touche LLP in a report said there is “a material uncertainty relating to Eskom’s ability to continue as a going concern,” the utility said in its annual financial report. [1/2] Locals walk past electricity pylons during frequent power outages from South African utility Eskom, caused by its aging coal-fired plants, in Orlando, Soweto, South Africa, September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo 1 2In response, Eskom said it was investigating the incident and was finalising a disciplinary process against an individual. Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter resigned this month saying a lack of political support had made his position "untenable".

☆ Takeaways from the 2022 Georgia runoff: Warnock's win expands Democratic power in the Senate as his own star rises
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | Sahil Kapur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

ATLANTA — Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock wrapped up his “one more time” tour with a victory Tuesday in the runoff, defeating Republican rival Herschel Walker to secure a six-year term. But this electoral success is sure to elevate his star, possibly into the echelons of presidential or vice-presidential contenders. Walker improved his margins in some rural counties, particularly in northern Georgia, but it wasn't enough. Warnock's top advisers said they focused heavily on swing voters, and their strategy paid off. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, won their races on Election Day, topping 50% and avoiding a runoff.

The monetary policy committee (MPC), comprising three members from the RBI and three external members, raised the key lending rate or the repo rate (INREPO=ECI) to 6.25% in a majority decision. "The MPC was of the view that further calibrated monetary policy action was warranted to keep inflation expectations anchored, break core inflation persistence and contain second round effects,” Das said as he announced the monetary policy committee's decision. We see a possibility of another 25 bps rate hike before a prolonged pause," Upasna Bhardwaj, chief economist at Kotak Mahindra Bank said. A 6.8% growth (rate) is robust," Das said. The Indian rupee dipped against the dollar after the policy decision and comments on inflation, while government bond yields rose.

☆ Environmentalists ask SEC to examine P&G's wood pulp supply chain claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jessica Dinapoli | Thomson Reuters | New York-Based Reporter Covering U.S. Consumer Products Spanning Paper Towels To Packaged Food | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The advocacy group wrote that P&G's claims could be materially misleading to investors because the company sources from pristine forests and from areas that are habitats for caribou. P&G annually purchases more than one million metric tons of wood pulp, which comes from trees, to makes Charmin toilet paper, Bounty paper towels and Puffs tissues. NRDC wants the SEC, the main U.S. markets regulator, to consider appropriate enforcement action or require P&G to update its statements to investors. The environmental group also said that P&G's claims are concerning because some investors take into consideration how the company ranks compared to its peers on its environment-related actions. NRDC also said that P&G is overly reliant on third-party certifications for the sustainability of its wood pulp supply chain.

Brazil's 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro set the stage for all major international environmental agreements since, with the signing of U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is aimed at preventing extreme climate change and was the foundation of the COP meetings. He said Lula would turn around Brazil's environmental policies "180 degrees" from those of Bolsonaro. Lula won office last month over Bolsonaro, who appointed climate skeptics as ministers and saw deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest spike to a 15-year high. On Thursday, Lula will meet with civil society and indigenous groups, as well as United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

☆ Why far-right GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert is in an extremely close re-election race in Colorado
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert is in a closer-than-expected race against Democrat Adam Frisch. Her Colorado district backed Trump by less than 10 points in 2020, unlike other hard-right Republicans. Boebert's district is more ideologically heterodox. "But within there, there's ski communities, there's traditional ranching communities, there's mining communities, there's industrial communities." Frisch also benefited from the endorsement and backing of GOP state Sen. Don Coram, who represented a far-southwest Colorado district and unsuccessfully challenged Boebert for the GOP nomination this year.

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said on Tuesday that its manufacturing PMI fell to 50.2 in October from 50.9 in September. China's Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing PMI stood at 49.2 in October, up from 48.1 in September. The private sector survey was in line with an official PMI released on Monday that showed China's factory activity unexpectedly fell in October. Japan's au Jibun Bank Japan Manufacturing PMI fell to 50.7 in October from September's 50.8 final, marking the weakest growth since January last year. India was an outlier with factory activity expanding at a stronger pace in October as demand remained solid.

☆ China's Xi greets Vietmanese ally with ceremony, call for defiance
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Chinese President Xi Jinping meets the media following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 23, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu WangBEIJING, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping told the visiting leader of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party on Monday that both countries and parties should "never let anyone interfere" with their progress, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Trong's was the first visit by a foreign leader since Xi secured a precedent-breaking third term as General Secretary at the Chinese Communist Party's 20th party congress this month. The visit by Trong - who holds more power than either Vietnam's president or prime minister - was a showcase of Communist unity. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also visit China this week.

☆ China's Xi greets Vietnamese ally with ceremony, call for defiance
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Lula’s victory in Brazil sparks optimism on deforestation, with ramifications for the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Da Silva, commonly known as Lula, took 50.9% of the second round vote to incumbent Jair Bolsonaro's 49.1%, according to Brazil's election authority. watch nowLula used his victory address to pledge to combat climate change and deforestation — issues observers say have not just been sidelined but severely worsened under Bolsonaro's tenure. In 2019, he told foreign journalists: "No country in the world has the moral right to talk about the Amazon. "Around 95% of deforestation in the last four years in the Amazon has had some level of illegality," he said. Norway is already looking to resume aid for anti-deforestation efforts to Brazil, which it suspended during Bolsonaro's term, local newspaper Aftenposten reported Monday.

☆ Mexico's Q3 economic activity points to 2.4% annual growth -finance ministry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Edgard GarridoMEXICO CITY, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Mexico's economic activity indicators in the third quarter point to economic growth in line with forecasts of 2.4% annual growth in 2022, the country's finance ministry said on Friday. The ministry said dynamic economic activity and a strong labor market led to "positive results" in tax collection, putting it on track to meet year-end estimates. It also said economic activity was propelled by gross fixed investment, especially in national machinery and equipment and residential construction. Refinancing strategies have managed to refinance an accumulated $78 billion, or 14% of Mexico's total debt, according to the ministry. Mexico's financial system also remained "well capitalized" and its credit market continued to show signs of recovery, the ministry said.

In an emailed statement, Monica Medina, the U.S. official leading its treaty negotiations, said the country was committed to ending plastic pollution by 2040. Japan's vice minister for global environmental affairs, Hiroshi Ono, said he knew of a proposed coalition on plastic involving the United States but declined further comment. "We don't need a treaty for countries to decide themselves what their national actions should be. We need a treaty that can actually add on top of that," said Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics policy manager at WWF, calling such an approach a "light touch." Calls for tougher global measures such as those focused on plastic production have also met resistance from the powerful oil and petrochemical firms that make plastic.

Note: Data for 2020 is from June 2020 through May 2021; for 2021, it is from June 2021 through May 2022. Path of Hai Feng 718 over 365 days Encounters with Chinese fishing vessels Note: Data is from June 2021 through May 2022. Transshipment allows fishing vessels to stay at sea year-round Parked side by side, carrier vessels exchange fuel, crew supplies and the catch from fishing vessels. This allows fishing ships to fish for longer periods. Fish hold where fish is transported from Fender to maintain a safe distance between ships FISHING VESSEL CARRIER VESSEL Crane to transport catch from fishing vessel to carrier vessel Fish hold where fish is transported from Fender to maintain a safe distance between ships FISHING VESSEL CARRIER VESSEL Crane to transport catch from fishing vessel to carrier vessel Transshipment between a squid fishing vessel and a cargo carrier in the North Indian Ocean last year.

☆ What's at stake in this week's congressional vote to keep the government open, including Manchin's push to make it easier to build fossil fuel projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Jason Lalljee | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The government could face its first shutdown in years if Congress doesn't pass a short-term funding bill this week. Sen. Joe Manchin's push for a bill to streamline fossil fuel projects is the major holdup. Some details of the CR have circulated, although it hasn't been officially announced yet — but the major roadblock is Manchin's permitting reform proposal. Preventing a shutdown with short-term fundingTraffic is piling up around Manchin's bill, but the rest of the resolution faces less pushback. Some progressives and environmentalists have defended aspects of Manchin's bill.

☆ U.S. Senator Manchin unveils energy bill that some Democrats slam
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Timothy Gardner | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Senator Joe Manchin on Wednesday released an energy permitting bill to speed approvals for natural gas pipelines and power transmission for renewable energy, legislation that some fellow Democrats criticized and will likely need to be amended in order to gain enough support. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe wider funding bill needs approval of the House and Senate and to be signed by President Joe Biden to become law. Manchin's staff told reporters he believes the funding bill will get 60 votes needed to pass the Senate with the permitting measure attached. The bill also sets a two-year target for environmental reviews on energy projects that need to be completed by more than one federal agency. In the House of Representatives, 77 Democrats this month asked Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a letter to keep the side deal out of the funding bill.

☆ Special elections are confusing, chaotic messes that bleed taxpayers — and could often be avoided if politicians quit before leveling up, flaming out, or dropping dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Grace Panetta | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

Young's death triggered an unprecedented series of three statewide votes — a special primary, a special general election held along with a regular primary, and a regular general election — within five months. The Alaska special election is just one of the more than 120 congressional special elections conducted over the past two decades, an Insider analysis found. Special elections bombard votersSpecial elections routinely attract special attention. Rebecca Blackwell/APIn 2022, special elections are 'a perfect storm of confusion'Special congressional elections are, on balance, less democratic than regular elections. "We knew from the beginning that it would be harder to win a special election," McCready said of his September 2019 special election.

☆ Joe Manchin Releases Bill to Speed Up Energy Projects as Lawmakers Balk
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-16 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) on Wednesday released the full details of his permitting-overhaul bill aimed at speeding up the approval process for energy-related projects across the country. The 91-page proposal would accelerate timelines for environmental reviews of major energy projects such as pipelines, transmission lines and wind farms. It would set a two-year target for the duration of the most detailed category of review required by the federal government’s National Environmental Policy Act.

☆ Europe's energy crisis has gotten so bad that French power stations are being allowed to break environmental rules as a fresh heatwave looks set to cause more chaos
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-09 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

French power stations are reportedly being allowed to break environmental rules to stay open, per Bloomberg. In France, the crisis is so bad that power stations are being permitted to break environmental rules to stay open as the country struggles to maintain national energy supplies, according to a report from Bloomberg. The waiver, reportedly in place until September, allows Electricite de France to keep the energy plants operating amid national pressure on supply. In France, rivers and waterways are used to cool power plants. Under the current environmental rules, nuclear plants must reduce or stop output when river temperatures reach a point at which use by the plants may harm the environment, per Bloomberg.

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