2025-07-06 04:24

COMFORT, Texas, July 5 (Reuters) - Tonia Fucci, a Pennsylvania resident visiting her grandmother for the Independence Day weekend, woke early on Friday to the sound of heavy rain "coming down in buckets." Along with the rain, she heard something else - loud, startling cracking noises. Sign up here. "It's indescribable, the sounds, of how loud they were, which turned out to be ... the massive cypress trees that came down along the river," she told a Reuters reporter in an interview the next day. Flash floods in central Texas have killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, authorities said on Saturday as rescuers continued a frantic search for dozens more campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing. Hardest hit was Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old girls camp, where dozens of young girls were swept away in the flood waters, leaving many dead and many more still missing. Fucci, who was staying in Comfort on the banks of the overflowing Guadalupe River, filmed on her phone a torrent of muddy water flooding the road to her grandmother's house and two recreational vehicles in a parking lot, with their wheels submerged in water. Reuters verified the location of the video by matching buildings and vehicles to satellite imagery and confirmed the date by checking the metadata. "I'm still in shock today," Fucci told Reuters. She said she had little hope anyone would be found alive. "There's so many missing children and missing people. You just want them to be found for the sake of the families. But, you know, it's not going to be a good ending... There's no way people could have survived the swiftness of the water." Fucci said she had received National Weather alerts on her phone hours after the flood had already hit. The residents of the town had to rely on one another, as they ran to their neighbors to see who needed help before rescue teams arrived. "Something I've never seen before. You knew it was tragedy," Fucci said, recalling how quickly the river flooded the town. "It wasn't slowing, it wasn't slowing. And debris and furniture and RVs were coming down the river." https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/texas-flood-witness-recalls-furniture-trees-rvs-swept-down-river-2025-07-06/

2025-07-06 02:00

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., July 5 (Reuters) - Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac called for later kickoff times after his players again laboured through scorching heat in a dramatic 3-2 defeat by Real Madrid in their Club World Cup quarter-final at 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT) on Saturday in New Jersey. Dortmund played in temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) last month for a group stage game at the same time of day in Cincinnati. Sign up here. WHY IT IS IMPORTANT Scorching temperatures at the Club World Cup have raised concerns for the 2026 World Cup, where a record 48 teams will face off in the quadrennial global spectacle in the sweltering North American summer. Soccer's world governing body, FIFA, have implemented cooling breaks and mitigating measures, but coaches and players have complained, with frequent afternoon kickoff times making teams compete in direct sun. Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered "extreme risk" for heat-related illness and the global players union FIFPRO said it is exploring better ways to protect players. KEY QUOTES: Dortmund coach Niko Kovac: "These athletes had to bring top performance, but again that's the tournament mode and we will see the same next year during the World Cup... We have to consider the players." "This is very hard for someone, and the players they must play these games... But OK, this is this is the tournament, we need to play. It's my suggestion that the kickoff time would be a little bit later. We played in Atlanta (at 9 p.m. ET) so the intensity is also much higher." "As a spectator, you would like to see intensive, aggressive, up and down football, so when it's too hot, then it's difficult to play this kind of football." https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/dortmund-coach-kovac-calls-later-kickoffs-after-scorching-club-world-cup-2025-07-06/

2025-07-05 20:56

Texas officials say more than 850 have been rescued US official says Trump will okay state request for aid Flood waters recede along the Guadalupe River Officials say they had no warning of severity of flood HUNT, Texas, July 5 (Reuters) - At least 43 people, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in central Texas, authorities said on Saturday as rescuers continued a frantic search for dozens more campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing. The casualty toll will likely rise, authorities said, as localities beyond the main site of the disaster in Kerr County were affected by the flooding. A Travis County official said four people had died from the flooding there, with 13 unaccounted for, and officials reported another death in Kendall County. Sign up here. Some news organizations reported the death toll was already as high as 52. Reuters could not confirm that. Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio. Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice told a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that. Rice said 27 people were known to be missing, but "we will not put a number on the other side because we just don't know." The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 meters). "We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming," said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the region. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 17 of the confirmed dead, including five children, had yet to be identified. The National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, following thunderstorms that dumped more than a foot of rain. That is half of the total the region sees in a typical year. A flood watch was in effect until 7 p.m. for the broader region. Kerr County sits in the Texas Hill Country, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and tourist attractions. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area for an Independence Day celebration by the river. “We don't know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side," he said on Fox News Live. 'COMPLETE SHOCK' Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Patrick. A day after the disaster struck, the camp was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least six feet from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall. Another girls' camp in the area, Heart O' the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions. In Comfort, a town about 40 miles down the river from Camp Mystic, huge trees, some over 60 feet tall, were pulled out and scattered around the river by the floods, with several blocking roads. While the main highway from San Antonio to affected areas remained mainly intact, some two-lane bridges were severely damaged by water. A Reuters photographer saw around 10 cars - some with smashed windshields and doors - that had been swept away by flood waters and lay abandoned near the river. "Complete shock. I'm still in shock today," said Tonia Fucci, 52, a Pennsylvanian who was in Comfort visiting her grandmother. "The devastation was such that I'm still in shock today. And with the rescues going on and helicopters, you just know there's so many missing children and missing people. You just want them to be found for the sake of the families. But, you know, it's not going to be a good ending. It's just not going to be. There's no way people could have survived the swiftness of the water.” Videos posted online showed bare concrete platforms where homes used to stand and piles of rubble along the banks of the river. Rescuers plucked residents from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported. President Donald Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for the victims. "Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media. Texas Governor Greg Abbott told a press conference he had asked Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump would honor that request. Trump has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Noem said a "moderate" flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the system. The administration has cut thousands of jobs from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad. He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts. "People's ability to prepare for these storms will be compromised. It undoubtedly means that additional lives will be lost and probably more property damage," he said. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/death-toll-texas-floods-rises-32-27-sheriff-says-2025-07-05/

2025-07-05 20:33

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 5 (Reuters) - Brazil's state-run oil firm Petrobras (PETR4.SA) , opens new tab is weighing options for its Polo Bahia onshore oil fields, including a potential sale, Chief Executive Magda Chambriard said on Saturday, adding that any decision will prioritize returns and shareholder interests. The Polo Bahia hub, consisting of some 28 onshore fields, was previously listed for sale under former President Jair Bolsonaro's divestment strategy. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pulled it off the market after he took office in 2023 and ended Bolsonaro's divestment strategy. Sign up here. Chambriard said the current operation at the Polo Bahia produces very little oil but requires significant effort. Extracting from those onshore fields was more viable when oil prices were higher, at $90-$100 per barrel, than it is at the current $65 per barrel, she added. "This is on our table and we haven't decided yet what we're going to do, whether to keep it with us, outsource the operation or transfer the asset. It's on the table, we're studying it and we're going to do what's best and most profitable for us and our shareholders," Chambriard said during the Strategic Forum for the Brazil-China Naval Industry in Rio de Janeiro. Asked if the company could replicate this analysis for its Urucu operation in Amazonas state, Chambriard declined to comment on potential divestment plans, and said Urucu produces "the best oil, the most valued." Also on Saturday, Brazilian and Chinese shipyards signed memorandums of understanding to foster technological and commercial collaborations, aligning with increased demand for Petrobras vessels. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/petrobras-weighs-options-polo-bahia-onshore-fields-including-sale-says-ceo-2025-07-05/

2025-07-05 20:08

Canada discusses financial support for aluminum producers amid U.S. tariffs Aluminum Association of Canada CEO highlights potential financial impact of tariffs Half of U.S. aluminum imports come from Canada, majorly affected by tariffs Trump's tariff hike aims to boost U.S. domestic production MONTREAL, July 5 (Reuters) - Canada has discussed offering financial support to large aluminum producers like Rio Tinto (RIO.L) , opens new tab impacted by a U.S.-led trade war, in the event that Washington's 50% tariff on imports of the metal persist in the medium term, the CEO of a key industry trade group said on Saturday. Aluminium Association of Canada CEO Jean Simard told Reuters in an interview that the early talks could help the sector in the event that Ottawa is unable to reach a planned deal with its key trading partner by July 21. Sign up here. "It's part of a larger discussion where everything is on the table," Simard said, adding that no decision has been reached. Canada recently canceled a digital service tax on U.S. technology companies in order to preserve trade talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, but another irritant remains in the ongoing negotiations. While the major aluminum producers operating in Canada do not have liquidity problems, Simard said, a 50% U.S. tariff on aluminum imports would inevitably have an impact on finances if it continues longer term. He added that with the 50% tariff in effect since June 4, it's normal that there are discussions about the impact on businesses' cash flow if the situation continues. Around half of all aluminum used in the U.S. is imported, with the vast majority coming from Canada. Simard's comments follow media reports late Friday in which federal industry minister Mélanie Joly said the government is having conversations with Rio Tinto about providing financial assistance due to the crushing U.S. tariffs. Rio Tinto declined comment on Saturday. A spokesperson for Joly's office said in a statement that Ottawa is in "active conversations" on how it can best support Canada's aluminum industry in the context of unjustified American tariffs, with the goal to support increased investment in the sector. U.S. President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50% last month, stepping up pressure on global steel producers and deepening his trade war, to support domestic production of the vital materials for construction. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-could-financially-back-aluminum-producers-if-50-us-tariffs-persist-trade-2025-07-05/

2025-07-05 19:56

Texas officials say more than 850 have been rescued US official says Trump will okay state request for aid Flood waters recede along the Guadalupe River Officials say they had no warning of severity of flood HUNT, Texas, July 5 (Reuters) - At least 43 people, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in central Texas, authorities said on Saturday as rescuers continued a frantic search for dozens more campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing. The casualty toll will likely rise, authorities said, as localities beyond the main site of the disaster in Kerr County were affected by the flooding. A Travis County official said four people had died from the flooding there, with 13 unaccounted for, and officials reported another death in Kendall County. Sign up here. Some news organizations reported the death toll was already as high as 52. Reuters could not confirm that. Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio. Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice told a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that. Rice said 27 people were known to be missing, but "we will not put a number on the other side because we just don't know." The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 meters). "We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming," said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the region. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 17 of the confirmed dead, including five children, had yet to be identified. The National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, following thunderstorms that dumped more than a foot of rain. That is half of the total the region sees in a typical year. A flood watch was in effect until 7 p.m. for the broader region. Kerr County sits in the Texas Hill Country, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and tourist attractions. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area for an Independence Day celebration by the river. “We don't know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side," he said on Fox News Live. 'COMPLETE SHOCK' Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Patrick. A day after the disaster struck, the camp was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least six feet from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall. Another girls' camp in the area, Heart O' the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions. In Comfort, a town about 40 miles down the river from Camp Mystic, huge trees, some over 60 feet tall, were pulled out and scattered around the river by the floods, with several blocking roads. While the main highway from San Antonio to affected areas remained mainly intact, some two-lane bridges were severely damaged by water. A Reuters photographer saw around 10 cars - some with smashed windshields and doors - that had been swept away by flood waters and lay abandoned near the river. "Complete shock. I'm still in shock today," said Tonia Fucci, 52, a Pennsylvanian who was in Comfort visiting her grandmother. "The devastation was such that I'm still in shock today. And with the rescues going on and helicopters, you just know there's so many missing children and missing people. You just want them to be found for the sake of the families. But, you know, it's not going to be a good ending. It's just not going to be. There's no way people could have survived the swiftness of the water.” Videos posted online showed bare concrete platforms where homes used to stand and piles of rubble along the banks of the river. Rescuers plucked residents from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported. President Donald Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for the victims. "Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media. Texas Governor Greg Abbott told a press conference he had asked Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump would honor that request. Trump has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Noem said a "moderate" flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the system. The administration has cut thousands of jobs from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad. He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts. "People's ability to prepare for these storms will be compromised. It undoubtedly means that additional lives will be lost and probably more property damage," he said. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/death-toll-texas-floods-rises-43-many-still-missing-2025-07-05/