2025-11-04 12:41
LONDON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Iraq has cancelled the loading of three crude oil cargoes from Lukoil (LKOH.MM) , opens new tab in November, two market sources said on Tuesday citing concerns over U.S. and UK sanctions on the Russian oil major. Iraq's state firm Somo cancelled cargoes from Lukoil's equity production at the West Qurna-2 field, the sources said. The cargoes had been meant to load on November 11, 18 and 26, the sources said. Lukoil and Somo were not immediately available for comment. Sign up here. Russia's second-largest oil company, Lukoil, was sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom in recent weeks, making it very complicated for the company to conduct its normal operations. The U.S. Treasury Department issued a licence giving companies until November 21 to wind down any transactions with Lukoil and number-one producer Rosneft (ROSN.MM) , opens new tab. Lukoil last week said it had accepted an offer from global commodity trader Gunvor to buy its foreign assets, which it was seeking to sell after Washington imposed the sanctions. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iraq-cancels-lukoil-oil-cargoes-loading-amid-sanctions-sources-say-2025-11-04/
2025-11-04 12:38
Gas producer Energean signs letter of intent CEO says gas could flow within 12 months Pipeline capacity of 1 billion cubic metres a year ABU DHABI, Nov 4 (Reuters) - A $400 million pipeline to transport natural gas from Israel to Cyprus is awaiting government approval from both countries and Israel has expressed support, the head of Eastern Mediterranean focused gas producer Energean (ENOG.L) , opens new tab told Reuters on Tuesday. Energean on Monday signed a letter of intent with leading Cypriot industrial and energy group Cyfield for the potential supply of natural gas from Israel to Cyfield's planned power plant via the new pipeline, said Mathios Rigas, CEO of the British firm. Sign up here. Gas could flow through the pipeline within 12 months of the government approvals being granted, said Rigas, speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the ADIPEC energy conference in Abu Dhabi. Energean is awaiting a response from the Cypriot government, he added. 1 BILLION CUBIC METRES CAPACITY "The pipeline would have the capacity of 1 billion cubic metres a year, enough to bring all the gas the Cyfield project needs, but also to give more to the island if others need to use the gas," Rigas said. The project, which would cost $400 million, could be fully funded by Energean, but partners may also be brought in the future, Rigas said. Energean is also waiting government approvals for another gas supply deal, from Israel to Egypt via the planned Nitzana pipeline, which Israel has not yet approved. The pipeline would ease an energy crisis in Egypt, which has spent billions of dollars on importing liquefied natural gas and is part of a concerted effort to boost Israeli gas exports to the Arab world's most populous nation. The company in October signed a 15-year transmission agreement as part of $4 billion worth of Israeli gas offtake contracts. EGYPT-ISRAEL GAS SUPPLY DEAL SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTS Commenting on delay of the deal, Rigas said the issue was between the governments of the two countries and not between the business partners. "It is between the Israeli and Egyptian governments to decide what can happen," he said. Israel's Energy Minister Eli Cohen has said he was holding up the approval for the $35 billion gas deal to secure better commercial terms for the Israeli market, Israeli media reported last week. Rigas said that he still has confidence that obstacles could be removed. "I believe that the obstacles will be removed because it makes sense for infrastructure to be placed to allow gas to be transported in the East Mediterranean," Rigas said. "I paid $47 million already. If I didn't have confidence, it would not be a very wise decision," he added. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/new-400-million-israel-cyprus-gas-pipeline-awaiting-government-approvals-2025-11-04/
2025-11-04 12:30
LONDON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Britain on Tuesday imposed a mandatory housing measure for birds covering the whole of England, effective Thursday, in a bid to slow the spread of bird flu. The disease is spreading rapidly in Europe, with the highest number of countries in at least a decade reporting early outbreaks, raising concerns of a repeat of past crises that led to the culling of tens of million birds and higher food prices. Sign up here. Two outbreaks at commercial poultry units were confirmed on Monday, one in North Yorkshire and the other in Devon, and a third among captive birds in East Sussex. There have now been 23 outbreaks of the disease in the United Kingdom so far in the 2025/26 season, which began on October 1, including 19 in England. Keepers of less than 50 birds are exempt from the housing measure, as long as any eggs and poultry products are for their own use only. The disease is spread primarily by wild birds migrating south in the autumn. The risk of bird flu for humans remains low, with most people infected having been in close contact with infected animals, but the virus needs to be monitored as it increasingly spreads to mammals, the World Health Organization says. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/mandatory-bird-housing-imposed-england-bird-flu-spreads-2025-11-04/
2025-11-04 12:26
TSA raises boost retention during government shutdown Officer pay and benefits improved during Biden administration TSA attrition rate dropped significantly in 2023 NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Airport security screeners working without pay during the U.S. government shutdown are in a stronger financial position than they were during the last prolonged closure in 2019, thanks to improvements in pay and benefits. Airport delays have begun to worsen as they did during Donald Trump's first presidential term, but higher pay and better working conditions could keep Transportation Security Administration workers in their jobs longer during the current shutdown. Even though TSA workers have not been paid for a month, there is less of a threat that lengthy travel delays will pressure lawmakers to end the shutdown this time around. Sign up here. In 2021, former President Joe Biden's administration expanded workplace rights, pay, and other benefits for TSA workers to mirror those of other federal employees. In 2023, their pay was boosted as much as 31%. Pay for the average TSA screener shot up to $61,840 in 2024 from $42,310 in 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. During that shutdown, some screeners opted for comparable wages in the fast-food, construction and other industries. "A lot of people just said the hell with it and quit and went and got other jobs. People are more invested in the job now because of the pay,” said Neal Gosman, treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 899 in Minnesota. DELAYS START TO INCREASE On Day 31 of the 2019 shutdown, 10% of TSA workers called in sick - triple the normal absence rate. While there is no similar data this time around, security wait times are rising, causing issues at various airports. On Sunday, travelers waited in line close to an hour on average at New York's LaGuardia and JFK airports as well as in San Diego. Houston's airport has reported more than three-hour lines at times with people stretching outside onto the sidewalk. Previously, TSA officers were excluded from civil service protections, with lower wages and limited workplace rights. “We were sort of second-class employees,” Gosman said, adding poor compensation increased turnover rates in the past. "While I'm casually looking at going back to the private sector, my salary and a tough job market makes it hard to leave," Tyler Ditmar, an officer based in Ohio, told Reuters. In 2023, then-TSA administrator David Pekoske said the pay raise played a major role in retention and recruitment at the agency, with a 30% increase in the applications for all positions at TSA. The agency has seen notable improvements in workforce stability. TSA's overall attrition rate fell from 15.7% in 2022 to 11.5% in 2023, and currently stands at 7.8% for 2024. A 30-year-old officer based at New York's LaGuardia Airport told Reuters in October that she saw her annual salary jump in 2023 from $50,000 to about $60,000 before locality-based pay. She said she hasn't noticed an uptick in officers quitting their jobs since the shutdown began. "Not from my airport, there are not a lot. From what I know," she said. The TSA did not respond to a request for comment. "I am reporting to work every day knowing I’ll eventually get paid. Where I work, everyone to this point is also reporting to work for now and I don’t hear any talk of that changing," said a Florida-based officer named Frank, who declined to provide his last name. Recruitment has surged. As of July 1, TSA received 328,590 applications for fiscal year 2024 ending that September, surpassing its typical average of under 300,000. Hiring events have drawn record interest for officer roles, federal air marshals, and other positions. “We have a long history at TSA of not trusting the administration to look out for our best interests. The last couple of years is an exception,” Gosman said, noting that the raises and other improvements under Biden "boosted our morale." https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/us-airport-security-tsa-workers-ride-out-shutdown-with-better-pay-benefits-than-2025-11-04/
2025-11-04 12:26
PARIS, Nov 4 (Reuters) - French authorities have detected for the first time a microscopic worm that can ravage pine trees, extending the presence of the pathogen in Europe after it spread in Portugal and Spain in recent decades, France's agriculture ministry said. Known as the pine wilt nematode, the organism originated in North America and causes trees to perish by stopping their resin from circulating. Sign up here. The first French case was confirmed in the district of Seignosse in the southwestern Landes region, about 60 km from Spain, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The zone is considered vulnerable to the pathogen given its proximity to Spain and prevalence of pine trees in its forests. France's overall forest area has expanded steadily in recent decades, though the authorities are concerned that a hotter, drier climate is increasing tree losses in some regions. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/france-reports-first-case-parasite-that-destroys-pine-trees-2025-11-04/
2025-11-04 12:23
BUCHAREST, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Romania will set up an infrastructure fund to address flood emergencies over at least five years, a requirement to unblock European Union recovery funds, Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu said. The country has seen some of its worst floods in at least two decades in 2024 and this year, causing 10 deaths, burst river banks, collapsed bridges and damage to thousands of homes. Sign up here. Under a reform plan agreed with the European Commission in exchange for recovery funds, Romania has until the first quarter of 2026 to set up a mechanism to fund infrastructure works against floods. Buzoianu said the fund will be based off a study conducted by the World Bank, which shows Romania needs between 10 billion and 40 billion euros ($11.66 billion-$46.65 billion) over at least five years to rehabilitate dams, build bridges, reinforce defences and other works. But the months-old coalition government, which is struggling to lower the largest budget deficit in the EU, could not accommodate the full cost at present. "At the moment we cannot cover absolutely all the ideal necessary works," Buzoianu told Reuters in an interview late last week. "But what I want is for this fund to cover works in areas where we already know we have high risk of flooding without which communities and lives are endangered." While the value of the fund will be decided at government level, Buzoianu said the funds will come from water management fees and taxes and will be allocated for priority works put forward in the study. The environment ministry has lost out on 2 billion euros ($2.33 billion) worth of EU recovery funds due to delays which made it impossible for projects due to be financed by the EU funds to be completed before an August 2026 deadline. Buzoianu, who took over the ministry in late June, is working to reform forestry and water management agencies and meet EU targets to access remaining funds. Some 40% of the lost funding will be covered from the state budget. (1 euro = 5.0840 lei) ($1 = 0.8575 euros) https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/romania-set-up-fund-critical-flood-infrastructure-2025-11-04/
