2025-11-09 02:54

SEOUL, Nov 9 (Reuters) - South Korean rescue officials pulled a third body from the rubble after the collapse of a large structure at a power station, media reports said on Sunday. Four people remained buried with the authorities unable to locate two of them, the reports said, after Thursday's collapse of the decommissioned heating facility as workers were taking down parts of the massive steel structure to prepare for demolition. Sign up here. The fire authorities did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment. Footage from the scene in Ulsan on South Korea's southeastern coast showed the structure mangled and toppled over, surrounded by similar structures. Rescuers have deployed heat sensors, remote scopes and search dogs to assist the rescue operation and locate the other trapped workers, though their efforts have been hampered by the risk of a further collapse of the structure. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-rescue-officials-pull-body-rubble-after-power-plant-collapse-media-2025-11-09/

2025-11-08 23:37

UPS and FedEx have grounded their MD-11 aircraft Investigators probe plane's maintenance record Left engine and pylon detached from plane during crash WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday said it was prohibiting MD-11 planes from flying for now, pending inspections, after a crash earlier in the week of a UPS (UPS.N) , opens new tab MD-11 cargo freighter killed at least 14 people in Kentucky. UPS and FedEx (FDX.N) , opens new tab said they have already grounded their combined fleet of more than 50 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 cargo planes following a recommendation by planemaker Boeing (BA.N) , opens new tab. Sign up here. The FAA said the emergency airworthiness directive was prompted by the crash on Tuesday, when the left engine and pylon detached from the airplane during takeoff in Louisville. The cause of the detachment is under investigation. "This condition could result in loss of continued safe flight and landing," the U.S. regulator said. "The FAA is issuing this AD because the agency has determined the unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design." UPS said it was in compliance with the directive because it has grounded its fleet of 26 MD-11 planes, representing about 9% of its fleet. Boeing said on Saturday it supports the FAA order. FedEx, with 28 MD-11s in operation out of its 700 planes, said it was "immediately implementing contingency plans" to minimize disruptions. FAA LIKELY TO REQUIRE COMPREHENSIVE INSPECTIONS Boeing acquired the MD-11 program through its 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas. Officials said the FAA is likely to require comprehensive engine and pylon inspections before allowing the planes to resume service. The FAA order requires any necessary fixes after the inspections. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board stressed the agency had not reached any conclusions into the crash it is investigating. The 34-year-old freighter reached about 100 feet (30.5 meters) above ground level before plunging in flames off the runway and destroying two nearby businesses. One of the plane's three engines detached from the left wing as it rolled down the Louisville airport runway. On Friday, U.S. safety investigators said that as a warning bell sounded in the cockpit, the three UPS pilots on board had tried to wrestle control of the plane just before it crashed. Earlier this week, the NTSB said it was probing the maintenance history of the plane, which was in Texas for repairs with the aircraft undergoing heavy maintenance weeks before the accident. The aircraft was at a facility operated by Singapore-based ST Engineering (STEG.SI) , opens new tab, according to a source familiar with the matter. ST Engineering has said it provides airframe maintenance for UPS's MD-11 aircraft and operates a repair facility in San Antonio, but declined further comment. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/faa-issues-order-prohibiting-md-11-flights-pending-inspection-after-fiery-ups-2025-11-08/

2025-11-08 20:21

Nov 8 (Reuters) - A tornado accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain struck the southern Brazilian state of Parana, killing six people, the state government said on Saturday. The town of Rio Bonito do Iguacu was hit hardest late Friday, with the state's civil defense agency reporting that over half of the urban area suffered roof collapses, along with multiple structural failures. Sign up here. Roads were blocked and power lines damaged. Authorities said 437 people were treated for injuries and about 1,000 were displaced. The nearby city of Guarapuava was also affected. According to the Parana Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring System, the tornado's winds reached speeds between 180 kph (111 mph) and 250 kph (155 mph). Institutional Relations Minister Gleisi Hoffmann said she would travel to the area on Saturday with acting Health Minister Adriano Massuda and other federal officials to support relief efforts and reconstruction. "We will continue to assist the people of Parana and provide all the help needed," President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on X, expressing condolences to the victims' families. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/tornado-southern-brazil-kills-six-injures-hundreds-2025-11-08/

2025-11-08 19:12

BUDAPEST, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Hungary said on Saturday it had obtained an indefinite waiver from U.S. sanctions to use Russian oil and gas, but a White House official reaffirmed that the exemption was for one year only. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed Ukraine-related sanctions on Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft that carried a threat of further sanctions against entities that buy oil from those firms. Sign up here. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a longtime Trump ally, met with Trump at the White House on Friday to press for a reprieve. Hungary relies heavily on Russian energy and Orban, 15 years in power, faces a close election next year. "The prime minister was clear. He has agreed with the U.S. President that we have obtained an indefinite exemption from the sanctions," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Facebook. "There are no sanctions on oil and gas shipments to Hungary for an indefinite period." But a White House official repeated in an email to Reuters on Saturday that the exemption is for one year. HUNGARY EXPECTED TO BUY U.S. LNG The official added that Hungary would also diversify its energy purchases and had committed to buying U.S. liquefied natural gas with contracts valued at some $600 million. Hungary has maintained its reliance on Russian energy since the 2022 start of the conflict in Ukraine, prompting criticism from several European Union and NATO allies. Speaking in Washington late on Friday, Orban also said Hungary had received an indefinite exemption for energy imports via the TurkStream gas pipeline and the Druzhba oil pipeline. "There are no sanctions that would restrict Hungary's supply through these routes or make it more expensive. This exemption is general and has no time limit," Orban said. International Monetary Fund figures show Hungary bought 74% of its gas and 86% of its oil from Russia in 2024, warning that an EU-wide cutoff of Russian natural gas alone could cost Hungary more than 4% of its GDP. Orban said that, without the agreement, energy costs would have surged, hitting the wider economy, pushing up unemployment and generating "unbearable" price rises for households and firms. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/hungarys-waiver-us-sanctions-russia-energy-is-indefinite-minister-says-2025-11-08/

2025-11-08 18:00

Nov 8 (Reuters) - A second external power line to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been restored, the station's Russian operators were quoted as saying on Saturday. The plant - Europe's largest, with six reactors - was seized by Russian troops in the first weeks of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse each other of military actions that compromise nuclear safety. Sign up here. The plant currently produces no electricity, but needs external power to cool the nuclear fuel and avoid the risk of a meltdown. The station's Russian operators, in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, said the second line known as Ferosplavna-1 was reconnected on Saturday. They said the completed action "significantly increases the stability of the station's power system". The line had been down since May 7. The first Dniprovska line was restored on October 23. With both lines out of operation, the plant had been without external power links for 30 days and relied on diesel generators. Fighting nearby had prevented emergency crews from carrying out repair work, prompting the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency to help arrange local ceasefires. The latest ceasefire took effect on Friday. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/second-external-power-line-restored-russian-held-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-2025-11-08/

2025-11-08 15:58

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Argentine Economy Minister Luis Caputo told investors in New York the country plans to repurchase sovereign bonds and begin building foreign reserves, even as the peso trades within its band, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter. President Javier Milei does not intend to float Argentina’s currency, but will keep it trading within established bands, Caputo said in a meeting with about 40 investors hosted by JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) , opens new tab on Friday, the report said. Sign up here. Caputo may accelerate the pace of band adjustments to 1.5% per month, depending on inflation and peso demand, the report said, adding that currently the upper and lower limits of the trading range are adjusted by 1% a month, allowing the peso to gradually weaken. Caputo plans to present the full proposal within 30 days, which includes a timeline for reserve accumulation, the debt buyback and a debt-for-education bond, the report said. JP Morgan and Argentina's Economy Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment outside business hours. Earlier this month, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Argentina may not ultimately need a bank loan, and that Milei is doing a good job overhauling the country's troubled economy. Milei's party cruised to victory in midterm legislative elections in October as voters handed him a mandate to keep pushing through his overhaul of the economy, which has included deep austerity measures. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/argentina-will-build-reserves-buy-back-bonds-caputo-tells-bankers-bloomberg-news-2025-11-08/