2025-07-20 09:12

DUBAI, July 20 (Reuters) - Iran, Britain, France and Germany will hold nuclear talks in Istanbul on Friday, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said early on Monday, following warnings by the three European countries that failure to resume negotiations would lead to international sanctions being reimposed on Iran. "The meeting between Iran, Britain, France and Germany will take place at the deputy foreign minister level," Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted by Iranian state media as saying. Sign up here. The talks scheduled for Friday come after foreign ministers of the E3 nations, as those European countries are known, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, held their first call on Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the U.S. attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago. The three European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 nuclear deal reached with Iran - from which the United States withdrew in 2018 - that lifted sanctions on the Middle Eastern country in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme. The E3 have said they would restore U.N. sanctions on Tehran via the "snapback mechanism" by the end of August if nuclear talks that were ongoing between Iran and the U.S. before the Israel-Iran air war do not resume or fail to produce concrete results. "If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly, and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the 'snap-back' for which they lack absolutely [any] moral and legal ground," Araqchi said earlier in the week. The snapback mechanism can be used to restore U.N. sanctions before the U.N. Security Council resolution enshrining the deal expires on October 18. Prior to the Israel-Iran war, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks mediated by Oman but faced major stumbling blocks such as uranium enrichment in Iran, which Western powers want to bring down to zero to minimise any risk of weaponisation. Tehran maintains its nuclear programme is solely meant for civilian purposes. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-hold-nuclear-talks-with-european-powers-friday-2025-07-20/

2025-07-20 07:36

BEIJING, July 20 (Reuters) - China's exports of rare earth magnets to the United States in June soared to more than seven times their May level, marking a sharp recovery in the flow of critical minerals used in electric vehicles and wind turbines after a Sino-U.S. trade deal. Outbound shipments to the United States from the world's largest producer of rare earth magnets surged to 353 metric tons in June, up 660% from May, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Sunday. Sign up here. That came after pacts reached in June to resolve issues around shipments of rare earth minerals and magnets to the United States. Chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA.O) , opens new tab plans to resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China as part of the agreement. China, which provides more than 90% of the global supply of rare earth magnets, decided in early April to add several rare earth items to its export restriction list in retaliation for U.S. tariffs. The subsequent sharp fall in shipments in April and May, due to the lengthy time required to secure export licences, had upset the global supply chain, forcing some automakers outside China to halt partial production due to a rare earths shortage. In total, China exported 3,188 tons of rare earth permanent magnets globally last month, up 157.5% from 1,238 tons in May, although the June volume was still 38.1% lower than the corresponding month in 2024. Shipments of magnets are likely to recover further in July as more exporters obtained licences in June, analysts said. During the first half of 2025, exports of rare earth magnets fell 18.9% on the year to 22,319 tons. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-exports-rare-earth-magnets-us-surge-june-2025-07-20/

2025-07-20 06:59

BEIJING, July 20 (Reuters) - Hong Kong issued its highest storm warning on Sunday as Typhoon Wipha, packing winds of more than 167 kilometres (103 miles) per hour, brought heavy rain and wind across the territory, forcing the cancellation of more than 200 flights. The city's weather observatory raised its storm signal to No. 10 at 9:20 a.m. (0120 GMT) and said it expected it to remain at that level "for some time". Sign up here. Wipha will skirt around 50 km to the south of the observatory, the warning showed. Hurricane-force wind is affecting the southern part of Hong Kong, the observatory said. Cathay Pacific Airways (0293.HK) , opens new tab cancelled all of its flights arriving or departing Hong Kong airport between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday. It waived ticket change fees and made arrangements for customers to re-book. Most public transport was suspended on Sunday, including ferries amid high sea swells. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/hong-kong-issues-highest-storm-warning-typhoon-wipha-approaches-2025-07-20/

2025-07-20 06:17

BEIJING, July 20 (Reuters) - China's exports of rare earth magnets to the United States in June soared by more than six times from May, a sharp recovery in the flow of critical minerals key to electric vehicles and wind turbines after a Sino-US trade deal. Outbound shipments to the United States from the world's largest producer of rare earth magnets surged to 353 metric tons in June, up 660% from May, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Sunday. Sign up here. That came after pacts reached in June to resolve issues around shipments of rare earth minerals and magnets to the United States, with chipmaker Nvidia's (NVDA.O) , opens new tab plan to resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China as part of the talks. China, which provides more than 90% of global supply of rare earth magnets, decided in early April to add several rare earth items to its export restriction list in retaliation for U.S. tariffs. The subsequent sharp falls in shipments in April and May, due to the lengthy times required to secure export licences had rattled global suppliers, forcing some automakers outside China to halt partial production due to shortage of rare earths. In total, China exported 3,188 tons of rare earth permanent magnets last month, up 157.5% from 1,238 tons in May, although the June volume was still 38.1% lower than the corresponding month in 2024. Shipments of magnets are likely to recover further in July as more exporters obtained licences in June, analysts said. During the first half of 2025, exports of rare earth magnets fell 18.9% on the year to 22,319 tons. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-exports-rare-earth-magnets-us-skyrocket-june-2025-07-20/

2025-07-20 06:01

HALONG BAY, Vietnam, July 20 (Reuters) - The death toll from a tourist boat accident in Vietnam's Halong Bay climbed to at least 38 with several people still missing, the government said, as rescuers continued to search for survivors while bracing for the approach of Typhoon Wipha. The vessel capsized on Saturday afternoon carrying 48 tourists and five crew members in one of the worst boating accidents in recent years in the popular tourist area. Sign up here. "At least 38 of those on board have been confirmed dead and 10 rescued," the government said in a statement. The official Vietnam News Agency reported that all the tourists were Vietnamese, including several children. Dozens of rescuers, including border guards, navy personnel, police and professional divers, have been deployed. Although the sea had calmed, weather conditions limited visibility, making rescue operations difficult. Rescuers managed to retrieve the sunken boat, the government said. The accident took place around 2 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Saturday, soon after Typhoon Wipha entered the South China Sea. Authorities reported strong winds, heavy rainfall and lightning in the area at the time of the incident, adding that these conditions were not yet influenced by the approaching typhoon but were due to wind patterns over the northern region. Halong Bay, about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Hanoi, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. Boat tours are particularly popular. In 2011, the sinking of a tour boat in Halong Bay killed 12 people, including foreign tourists. Typhoon Wipha, the third to hit the South China Sea this year, is projected to make landfall along Vietnam's northern coast early next week. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/death-toll-vietnam-tourist-boat-accident-climbs-38-2025-07-20/

2025-07-20 04:16

SEOUL, July 20 (Reuters) - Two people have died and a further two were missing in the South Korean resort town of Gapyeong on Sunday, after a landslide engulfed houses and flooding swept away vehicles during a period of heavy rainfall. This brings the nationwide death toll to 14 with 12 people missing since the rain began on Wednesday. Sign up here. The rainfall is likely to stop on Sunday and be followed by a heat wave, the government weather forecaster said on Sunday. The heavy rainfall, which had earlier lashed southern parts of South Korea, moved north overnight, it said. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/death-toll-rises-14-south-korea-heavy-rain-triggers-landslide-flooding-2025-07-20/