2025-11-01 10:03

WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - For Roma Hammonds, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, food stamps have been a lifeline since taking custody of her grandchildren five years ago. Hammonds, 60, who cannot work because of a physical disability, has relied on her $563 in monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to feed her family of four and to afford other bills like rent, she said. Sign up here. But her November benefits may not be issued by the U.S. government due to the ongoing federal shutdown, and Tennessee is among the vast majority of states that have said they cannot pay for the aid themselves. "I don’t know what I’ll do," Hammonds said. Hammonds is one of the roughly 41 million SNAP recipients wading into a potential historic lapse on Saturday of the 60-year-old food aid program, which sends roughly $8 billion each month to low-income Americans in every state. Neither Congress nor the administration of President Donald Trump has acted to fund benefits. Two federal judges on Friday ruled that the administration cannot block November SNAP benefits and must use about $5 billion in agency contingency funds to pay for them, requiring updates by Monday on compliance with their rulings. The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not respond to questions about how it will react to the ruling or share any details of a plan to pay benefits. In the meantime, just five states, Delaware, New Mexico, Louisiana, Virginia and Vermont, and the District of Columbia have said they will pay for some or all of the November food aid, according to a Reuters review of state websites and public statements. The rest have said they will not pay for the benefits due to technical or cost barriers, or provided no explanation. The USDA said in an October 24 memo that it will not reimburse states if they cover the cost of benefits. Most states balance their budgets annually or biennially, and the increased uncertainty of federal funding for healthcare, education and other key resources has added layers of risk to state finances, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. "Every year we have significant budget shortfalls and are working to balance the budget," said Christine Woody, food security policy manager at Empower Missouri, a social justice organization. "We don’t have $130 million to put towards this without any assurance." A USDA spokesperson called the shutdown an "inflection point for Senate Democrats." The agency has repeatedly blamed the aid lapse on Democrats, most of whom have withheld their votes on a spending bill in an effort to keep healthcare costs from spiking for many Americans. Democrats have criticized the USDA for not using agency contingency funds to partially fund the November benefits. MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR GAPS States receive huge monthly sums from the federal government for SNAP benefits, ranging from $4.9 million for Wyoming to more than $1 billion for California, according to USDA data. To distribute those benefits, states contract with third-party processors who add the money to recipients' Electronic Benefit Transfer cards. Some states have said they cannot make the technical changes needed to get money to recipients themselves. "Tennessee is unable to utilize state dollars to provide the benefit, as states do not have a mechanism to load benefits onto customer cards," said Governor Bill Lee in an October 24 statement. Others said the sums are simply too large to accommodate. "SNAP brings in more than $210 million monthly in federal funding. The state budget cannot absorb even one month of federal failure," said a notice on the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance website. Virginia is drawing on a budget surplus for its stop-gap program that will issue weekly benefits through at least November, Governor Glenn Youngkin said this week. Virginia SNAP benefits cost about $143 million per month, according to USDA data. Delaware on Wednesday said it would fund week-by-week benefits through November if needed. Louisiana, Vermont and New Mexico are making funds available for partial benefits. Some states, including Connecticut, New Mexico and West Virginia, have said they will send additional money to food banks. Food banks are already under strain from rising U.S. hunger rates and have said they are unlikely to be able to meet surging demand during the benefit lapse. Many states encouraged SNAP recipients to budget and visit food pantries, and others to donate time and money during the benefit lapse. "Let’s do everything we can to support one another so that no family goes hungry," said the Arkansas Department of Human Services website. BIPARTISAN BLAME Some Democratic-led states have blamed the Trump administration for the lapse, while some Republican-led states blamed Democrats in Congress. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, said the administration is at fault because of its decision not to use the emergency funds. "The administration’s refusal to use these available funds as temperatures cool and the Thanksgiving holiday approaches is a cruel abdication of the responsibility to support families and communities," Stein said in an October 27 statement. The website of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, a Republican, blamed Democratic Senators for withholding their votes on a spending bill. "Our U.S. Senators representing Louisiana have voted over and over again to re-open the government. They are doing their part. Now it is time for those U.S. Senators, voting under Democrat Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, to vote yes and re-open the federal government," the website said. Thirteen Senate votes to fund the government have failed. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-federal-food-aid-lapses-most-states-unable-fill-void-2025-11-01/

2025-11-01 08:33

BRUSSELS, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The European Union and China will continue to engage on export control policies, the European Commission's trade chief said on Saturday, a day after EU and Chinese officials met in Brussels. The officials held talks in a bid to smooth trade tensions, notably over China's expansion of its controls over rare earth exports. Beijing has now agreed to pause that expansion for a year. Sign up here. "China confirmed that the suspension of the October export controls applies to the EU. Both sides reaffirmed commitment to continue engagement on improving the implementation of export control policies," EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said in a post on X. The two sides were also expected to discuss Nexperia, the Chinese-owned computer chipmaker that the Dutch government took control of last month, in a tussle that threatens to disrupt the supply of semiconductors to European carmakers. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/eu-china-continue-engagement-export-controls-eu-says-2025-11-01/

2025-11-01 07:21

HOI AN, Vietnam, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Residents of Vietnam's UNESCO-listed ancient town of Hoi An began cleaning up on Saturday as floodwaters receded after days of torrential rain that caused deadly flooding and widespread damage across the central region. The deluge swamped Hoi An's lantern-lit streets and centuries-old wooden houses, with residents saying they had never experienced flooding of this scale before. Sign up here. As the water subsided, shop owners and residents cleared thick mud from storefronts, repaired furniture, and worked to restore power in hopes of reopening soon to welcome back tourists. "Everything was swept away by the floodwaters, causing significant damage," said Dang Quoc Dat, a 40-year-old restaurant owner. "What is left was broken furniture that would need to be replaced... but I'm determined to overcome this challenge alongside other business owners in the town," Dat added. The central region, battered by heavy rains this week, saw flash floods and landslides that killed at least 29 people and left five missing, according to Vietnam's disaster agency. Over 22,000 houses remain submerged, and nearly 100,000 residents are still experiencing power outages, it said. Vietnam, prone to deadly storms and flooding during its storm season from June to October, has yet to release official estimates of financial damage. Small shop owners reported losses amounting to hundreds of millions of dong. "We have to keep trying, this is our livelihood. Giving up now just isn't an option," said Dao Thi Diu, a 38-year-old painting store owner. Authorities warned that heavy rain is expected to continue in central Vietnam, with some areas forecast to receive over 700 millimetres, potentially causing river levels to rise and triggering renewed flooding. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/vietnams-ancient-town-hoi-an-works-restore-tourism-after-devastating-floods-2025-11-01/

2025-10-31 23:49

Oct 31 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Foreign Ministry denounced on Friday what it described as Russian attacks on substations critical to supplying external power for Ukraine's nuclear power stations. Russia has carried out "targeted strikes on such substations", a ministry statement issued late on Friday said. Sign up here. "Deliberate strikes on civilian energy facilities that directly affect the safe operation of nuclear installations bear the hallmarks of nuclear terrorism and constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law," it added. The ministry referred to a statement issued on Thursday by the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, reporting military activity "that has led to damage to substations critical to nuclear safety and security in Ukraine". The IAEA statement reported incidents near two nuclear plants - South Ukraine and Khmelnitskyi - that led to each plant losing access to an external power line. A third station at Rivne had been forced to reduce power at two of its four reactors, the IAEA statement adds. It gave no indication of which side might have been behind the incidents. Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse each other of engaging in military activity that compromises safety at Ukraine's four working nuclear plants, particularly the Zaporizhzhia station. Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest with six reactors, in the early weeks of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The IAEA statement referred to continuing efforts to reconnect the second of two external power lines to the Zaporizhzhia plant, vital to keep nuclear fuel cool and guard against meltdowns. The plant generates no power at the moment. There was no Russian reaction to the IAEA or the Ukrainian statements. Both external links to the Zaporizhzhia plant were down for about 30 days in September and October, forcing officials to rely on emergency diesel generators. Kyiv and Moscow accused each other of causing the outage and disrupting efforts to fix it. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ukraine-denounces-attacks-power-substations-vital-nuclear-plants-2025-10-31/

2025-10-31 23:41

SYDNEY, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Australia said on Saturday it signed an agreement with Canada to promote and strengthen bilateral cooperation and trade on critical minerals at the Group of Seven meeting of energy and environment ministers in Toronto. Resources Minister Madeleine King said she and Canadian counterpart Tim Hodgson signed the joint declaration of intent on critical minerals collaboration, aimed at deepening the countries' partnership on critical minerals. Sign up here. G7 countries, except Japan, are heavily or exclusively reliant on China for a range of materials from rare earth magnets to battery metals. Canada this week said it wanted to focus on working with G7 partners to secure critical mineral supply deals while hosting the two-day meeting. “I look forward to working with Canada to build resilient supply chains that support innovation and economic growth," King said in a statement. The agreement comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in September met his Canadian counterpart in the United Kingdom for talks, including on critical minerals, according to government statements. Australia and the U.S. last month agreed a wide-ranging critical minerals deal aimed at countering China's dominance in the sector. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/australia-canada-sign-deal-promote-strengthen-critical-minerals-cooperation-2025-10-31/

2025-10-31 22:55

RIO CAUTO, Cuba, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Cuba worked on Friday to rescue residents still stranded by unprecedented floodwaters in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, including a flooded river that had cut off one of the country's most important east-west thoroughfares. The Rio Cauto overflowed its banks shortly after Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest storms on record to make landfall in the Caribbean, slammed into Cuba as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane, bringing upwards of 15 inches of rain to some areas of the eastern end of the island. Sign up here. Emergency workers on Friday waded waist deep in wetsuits and used boats and military vehicles to rescue residents from the still-rising waters of the country's longest river. The floodwaters had cut off a principal route connecting the capital Havana in western Cuba with the eastern cities of Santiago, Bayamo and Guantanamo, forcing motorists and rescue workers to seek alternate routes to the north. Rio Cauto resident Eduardo Verdecia, 83, said he and his family had expected the river to subside but continuing rains, plus runoff from nearby mountains and a fast-rising reservoir had surprised them. "When night fell we thought it would go down, but look at it now, and it's still raining," Verdecia said, indicating chocolate waters that had inundated his house to near roof level. "We've had floods before but nothing like this. My house had never flooded." Authorities said on local radio that upwards of 800 people had been evacuated from riverside towns and warned that the river could keep rising, but said the reservoir dam would not burst. Cuba has reported no deaths from Melissa, which had begun to dissipate in the Atlantic Ocean on Friday after sowing devastation across much of Jamaica, drenching Haiti and leaving at least 50 dead. Across eastern Cuba, authorities prior to the storm mobilized a massive evacuation effort, moving 735,000 people to shelters outside the hurricane's predicted path. Tourists along Cuba's northern keys were also relocated to inland hotels. Recovery from the severe flooding to infrastructure and crop damage will be complicated by a dire economic crisis that has already led to shortages of food, fuel, and medicine across the island. Officials said several countries including Venezuela and United Nations agencies had offered aid to the communist-run nation. The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it was also ready to offer to help those affected by Hurricane Melissa in Cuba - a close neighbor but long-time foe of the United States. Cuba's deputy director of U.S. affairs Johana Tablada said on Friday that the administration of President Donald Trump had not yet followed up with details. "The U.S. has not made any concrete offers, nor has it responded to the questions we raised regarding the announcement made by the secretary of state," Tablada told reporters in Havana. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/cuba-rescues-residents-stranded-by-floodwaters-wake-hurricane-melissa-2025-10-31/