2025-07-12 12:43

July 12 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has told U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian officials that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, Axios reported on Saturday, citing sources. Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim denied the report, quoting an "informed source" as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/putin-urges-iran-take-zero-enrichment-nuclear-deal-with-us-axios-reports-2025-07-12/

2025-07-12 10:12

NEW DELHI, July 12 (Reuters) - India has reversed a decade-old mandate to install $30 billion worth of clean-air equipment, easing sulphur emission rules for most coal-fired power plants, a government order said. Reuters in December reported the government was reviewing 2015 norms that required nearly 540 coal-based power units to install flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems that remove sulphur from the plants' exhaust gases in phases starting in 2027. Sign up here. The federal environment ministry late on Friday issued a gazette notification that exempted 79% of the coal-fired power plants, outside a 10-km (6 mile) radius of populated and polluted cities, from the 2015 mandate. The mandate to install FGD for another 11% of the plants near populated cities would be taken on a "case-to-case basis," the notification said. The balance of 10% of the coal-fired power plants closer to New Delhi and other cities with a million-plus population will be required to install the desulphurisation equipment by December 2027, according to the new mandate. The notification comes after state-run NTPC (NTPC.NS) , opens new tab, India's top electricity producer, spent about $4 billion on installing the equipment at about 11% of the power plants, and about 50% of the units either placed orders for the desulphurisation systems or are installing them. The Friday notification did not mention the impact on the competitiveness or recovery of costs by these power plants. It said the decision was taken after the Central Pollution Control Board carried out a detailed analysis of the increase in "carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere due to operation of control measures being deployed." https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/india-eases-sulphur-emission-rules-coal-power-plants-reversing-decade-old-2025-07-12/

2025-07-12 09:21

PRAGUE, July 12 (Reuters) - Slovakia aims to reach an agreement with the European Commission and EU partners by Tuesday on guarantees it will not suffer from the end of Russian gas supplies and on a new sanctions package against Russia, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Saturday. Slovakia has been blocking the EU's 18th sanctions package over its disagreement with a separate Commission proposal to end all imports of Russian gas from 2028, which Slovakia argues could cause shortages, a rise in prices and transit fees, and lead to damage claims from Russian supplier Gazprom (GAZP.MM) , opens new tab. Sign up here. "We need to win something in this fight, though it will not be a 100-0 result," Fico said. "We want political commitments, guarantees from partners and the Commission that this problem will not remain only on Slovakia's back." Fico said it was not clear at this point if a deal would be reached as some issues were still outstanding. Fico said one topic under discussion was capping the transit fees that Slovakia would have to pay for alternative routes for non-Russian gas. Slovakia gets the majority of its gas from Gazprom under a long-term deal valid until 2034 for about 3.5 billion cubic metres of gas per year. Since Ukraine stopped Russian gas from transiting through its pipelines at the end of 2024, Slovakia has taken some gas through the Turkstream pipeline and Hungary. The Commission's proposal to end Russian energy imports from 2028 requires the backing of the majority of EU states, but not unanimity. However, sanctions against Russia need unanimity, therefore Slovakia merged the two issues and has refused to back the sanctions package until its concerns over energy are satisfied. The European Commission on June 10 proposed a new round of sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, targeting Moscow's energy revenues, banks and military industry. The sanctions package -- which in itself is not a problem for Slovakia, Fico said -- could be approved by the EU's foreign ministers on Tuesday if Slovakia lifts its opposition. Fico said he discussed Slovakia's concerns with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday, but did not give details. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/slovakia-aims-agreement-by-tuesday-end-russian-gas-supplies-sanctions-2025-07-12/

2025-07-12 07:43

TKSE to cut jobs, capacity, working hours Deal will see around 40% of TKSE's jobs go Cuts to save more than 100 mln eur in savings a year - source FRANKFURT, July 12 (Reuters) - Thyssenkrupp (TKAG.DE) , opens new tab and trade union IG Metall on Saturday said they had agreed on reduced working hours, lower bonus payments and site closures as part of a push to revamp Germany's largest steelmaker and prepare it for a standalone future. The accord with steel workers marks a major step in Thyssenkrupp's restructuring, under which the former German industrial icon is planning to turn into a holding company, and comes after renewed tension between management and labour representatives. Sign up here. Implementation of the new collective bargaining agreement, which runs until September 30, 2030, must be approved by IG Metall members at Thyssenkrupp's steel unit TKSE and is pending an agreement on the division's future financing, they said. The package, agreed after several days of non-stop negotiations, will result in annual savings of more than 100 million euros ($117 million), a person familiar with the matter said. Dirk Schulte, TKSE's board member in charge of human resources, told journalists on Saturday that the comprehensive deal was "the biggest ever" in the group's history. The agreement follows Thyssenkrupp's announcement that up to 11,000 jobs at TKSE, or around 40%, had to be cut or outsourced and that annual production capacity would be lowered to 8.7-9.0 million tons from 11.5 million tons. "We went to the pain threshold and only made concessions where it was really necessary in order to secure jobs and locations," said Tekin Nasikkol, head of Thyssenkrupp's works council and member of the group's supervisory board. "We have now created the conditions for the company to emerge from the difficult situation out of its own strength," Nasikkol said in a statement. Thyssenkrupp had wanted to reach a deal regarding the restructuring by summer and both sides aim to finalise the current agreement by the end of September. Reaching a wage deal has been seen as a key hurdle to be cleared before Thyssenkrupp can sell an additional 30% stake in TKSE to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, as planned. The investor already owns a 20% stake via a holding company. ($1 = 0.8555 euros) https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/thyssenkrupp-steel-workers-agree-site-closures-lower-working-hours-revamp-2025-07-12/

2025-07-12 02:37

SYDNEY, July 12 (Reuters) - Securing World Heritage status for Australia's Murujuga rock art will help protect the ancient Indigenous carvings, located in an industrial hub, the government said on Saturday. The art, thought to be 50,000 years old, lies in a peninsula that has gas and explosives plants, highlighting the sensitive relationship between the nation's Indigenous culture and its economically vital resources industries. Sign up here. UNESCO granted World Heritage status to the site in the Burrup peninsula on Friday after a "tireless nomination process", started in 2023, said Environment Minister Murray Watt. "The Australian Government is strongly committed to World Heritage and the protection of First Nations cultural heritage," Watt said in a statement. "We will ensure this outstanding place is protected now and for future generations." Peter Hicks, chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, said the UNESCO listing was a means to protect the "extraordinary landscape". The peninsula in the northwest of mineral-rich Western Australia state is home to two liquefied natural gas plants run by Woodside and fertiliser and explosives plants run by Norway's Yara International. Australia's government in May extended the lifetime of Woodside’s largest gas plant in the region, the North West Shelf, until 2070. The extension will generate up to 4.3 billion metric tons of additional carbon emissions. Scrutiny over the impact of Australia's resources industry on Indigenous heritage sites has been magnified since Rio Tinto, the world's biggest iron ore miner, destroyed the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters as part of a mine expansion in 2020. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/australia-says-world-heritage-listing-protect-indigenous-carvings-2025-07-12/

2025-07-11 23:26

July 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's promised 50% copper tariffs are said to include all refined metal, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/trumps-50-copper-import-tariff-said-include-refined-metal-bloomberg-reports-2025-07-11/