US strikes kill at least 53, says Houthi-run ministry Russia urges U.S. to cease strikes and engage in dialogue Iran warns of decisive response to any threats Houthis threaten to resume Red Sea attacks on Israeli shipping WASHINGTON/ADEN, Yemen, March 16 (Reuters) - The United States will keep attacking Yemen's Houthis until they end attacks on shipping, the U.S. defense secretary said on Sunday, as the Iran-aligned group signaled it could escalate in response to deadly U.S. strikes the day before. The airstrikes, which the Houthi-run health ministry said killed at least 53 people, are the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January. One U.S. official told Reuters the campaign might continue for weeks. Sign up here. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Sunday that his militants would target U.S. ships in the Red Sea as long as the U.S. continues its attacks on Yemen. "If they continue their aggression, we will continue the escalation," he said in a televised speech. The Houthi movement's political bureau described the attacks as a "war crime," while Moscow urged Washington to cease the strikes. The Houthis' military spokesperson on Sunday said, without offering evidence, that the group had targeted U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its warships in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones in response to the U.S. attacks. U.S. warplanes shot down 11 Houthi drones on Sunday, none of which came close to the Truman, a U.S. official told Reuters. U.S. forces also tracked a missile that splashed down off the coast of Yemen and was not deemed a threat, the official said. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures": "The minute the Houthis say we'll stop shooting at your ships, we'll stop shooting at your drones. This campaign will end, but until then it will be unrelenting." "This is about stopping the shooting at assets ... in that critical waterway, to reopen freedom of navigation, which is a core national interest of the United States, and Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long," he said. "They better back off." The Houthis, who have taken control of most of Yemen over the past decade, said last week they would resume attacks on Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea if Israel did not lift a block on aid entering Gaza. They had launched scores of attacks on shipping after Israel's war with Hamas began in late 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Gaza's Palestinians. Trump also told Iran, the Houthis' main backer, to stop supporting the group immediately. He said if Iran threatened the United States, "America will hold you fully accountable and, we won't be nice about it!" IRAN WARNS US NOT TO ESCALATE In response, Hossein Salami, the top commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said the Houthis made their own decisions. "We warn our enemies that Iran will respond decisively and destructively if they carry out their threats," he told state media. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for "utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities" in Yemen and warned new escalation could "fuel cycles of retaliation that may further destabilize Yemen and the region, and pose grave risks to the already dire humanitarian situation in the country," his spokesperson said in a statement. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS News' "Face the Nation" program: "There's no way the ... Houthis would have the ability to do this kind of thing unless they had support from Iran. And so this was a message to Iran: don't keep supporting them, because then you will also be responsible for what they are doing in attacking Navy ships and attacking global shipping." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Rubio to urge an "immediate cessation of the use of force and the importance for all sides to engage in political dialogue," Moscow said. Five children and two women were among the 53 people killed in the U.S. strikes, said Anees Alsbahi, spokesperson for the Houthi-run health ministry. Another 98 people were injured, the ministry said. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the claims of civilian casualties. Reuters could not independently verify the claims. Residents in Sanaa said the strikes hit a neighborhood known to host several members of the Houthi leadership. "The explosions were violent and shook the neighborhood like an earthquake. They terrified our women and children," said one of the residents, who gave his name as Abdullah Yahia. In Sanaa, a crane and bulldozer were used to remove debris at one site and people used their bare hands to pick through the rubble. At a hospital, medics treated the injured, including children, and the bodies of several casualties were placed in a yard, wrapped in plastic sheets, Reuters footage showed. Strikes also targeted Houthi military sites in the city of Taiz, two witnesses said on Sunday. HOUTHIS' RED SEA ATTACKS DISRUPT GLOBAL TRADE ROUTE Another strike, on a power station in the town of Dahyan, led to a power cut, Al-Masirah TV reported early on Sunday. Dahyan is where Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the enigmatic leader of the Houthis, often meets visitors. The Houthi attacks on shipping have disrupted global commerce and set the U.S. military off on a costly campaign to intercept missiles and drones. The group suspended its campaign when Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza in January. But on March 12, the Houthis said their threat to attack Israeli ships would remain in effect until Israel reapproved the delivery of aid and food into Gaza. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/houthis-say-they-are-ready-escalate-after-us-strikes-yemen-2025-03-16/

Almost 1000 export registrations set to lapse China not responding to US government renewal requests $5 billion in US meat exports to China at risk Potential meat export snag comes amid renewed Sino-US trade spat Stricter checks at Shanghai port raise costs for US meat exporters CHICAGO/BEIJING, March 14 (Reuters) - Hundreds of U.S. meat plants granted access to China in a 2020 "Phase 1" trade deal with President Donald Trump are set to lose export eligibility on Sunday, threatening roughly $5 billion in trade to the world's largest meat market amid a renewed trade war. Losing access to China would deal a fresh blow to American farmers after Beijing earlier this month imposed retaliatory tariffs on some $21 billion worth of American agricultural goods, including 10% duties on U.S. pork, beef and dairy imports. Sign up here. Beijing requires food exporters to register with customs to sell in China. Registrations for almost 1,000 beef, pork and poultry plants, including some owned by Tyson Foods and Cargill Inc [RIC:RIC:CARG.UL], are set to expire on Sunday, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) records and Chinese customs data. That's roughly two-thirds of all those registered. The companies declined to comment or did not respond to Reuters questions. China has not responded to repeated requests from U.S. agencies to renew plant registrations, the USDA said in a report last week, potentially violating an obligation under the Phase 1 deal. Registrations for some 84 plants lapsed in February and while shipments from affected plants continue to clear customs, the industry doesn't know for how long China will allow imports. "The risk involved in shipping product with a looming expiration date is high," Joe Schuele, spokesperson for the U.S. Meat Export Federation told Reuters. "The situation is certainly dire if [registrations for] these plants are not renewed. The situation has the attention of every exporter." The USDA has made the expirations a priority issue in discussions with Beijing, Schuele added. Shanghai port has also imposed stricter inspections and documentation for U.S. meat cargoes, the Federation told members in a bulletin seen by Reuters, with some containers subject to full unpacking and inspection, raising processing time and additional fees. To be sure, there are no signs to suggest that Beijing is imposing a blanket ban. Several hundred plants have had their registrations renewed until 2028 or 2029, according to a senior diplomat based in Beijing. The U.S. was China's third largest meat supplier last year after Brazil and Argentina, accounting for 590,000 tons or 9% of total imports. The USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not respond to questions from Reuters on Thursday. China's Commerce Ministry and customs department did not respond to faxed questions. China's foreign ministry redirected questions to other agencies without naming any. The "Phase 1" trade deal, signed in 2020, ended the first U.S.-China trade war with a pledge from Beijing to boost its purchases of U.S. goods and services, including meat, by $200 billion over two years. China didn’t reach the target, which was agreed shortly before the pandemic hit. That year, 1,124 beef, poultry and pork processing plants or logistic facilities were registered with Chinese customs for export, according to USDA, gaining access to the world's largest meat importer. There are 1,842 facilities certified today, but slightly less than half will remain if Sunday's batch of registrations lapse. China is obligated under the Phase 1 deal to revise its approved plant list within 20 days of receiving updated lists from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, according to the Meat Institute, an industry group for U.S. meat processors. It is unclear whether the current delays constitute a violation of the deal. The potential impact from lapsed licenses could total up to $4.13 billion for the beef industry and $1.3 billion for pork, the U.S. Meat Export Federation said in a daily bulletin. Loss of access to China would be an especially hard blow for exporters of parts like chicken feet and pork offal, which are consumed less domestically. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/china-access-hundreds-us-meat-exporters-doubt-trump-10-deal-nears-end-2025-03-14/

MOSCOW, March 16 (Reuters) - Members of the Louis-Dreyfus family behind the eponymous global grain firm have sold their share of Russian agricultural firm RZ Agro to co-owner Steppe Agroholding, Interfax reported on Sunday, citing a source familiar with the deal. "This is logical that Steppe took over RZ Agro, it was expected. The deal was closed some time ago, now the management has changed in the company. The 'divorce' with the French partners was amicable," the source said. Sign up here. The deal size was unknown but it was done at "a big discount", the source told Interfax. Steppe, owned by the Russian conglomerate AFK Sistema (AFKS.MM) , opens new tab, declined to comment on the report, Interfax said. The Louis-Dreyfus family members had been present in RZ Agro via Sierentz, a commodity investment firm. While part of the same family with roots in France that developed and still controls Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), they have not been involved in the global agricultural commodity firm for years. Sierentz did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside office hours. RZ Agro controls, manages and cultivates agricultural land, focusing on grains and oilseeds production, and currently operates on an area of over 100,000 hectares of arable land in southern Russia, according to its website. LDC, meanwhile, has been winding down operations in Russia since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. From July 1, 2023 LDC stopped exporting Russian grain like other multinational merchants and said it was assessing options for transferring its existing Russian business and grain assets to new owners. Russian President Vladimir Putin approved late last year the acquisition by an unnamed buyer of 100% of the shares in a grain storage firm owned by LDC, a government document showed. https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/louis-dreyfus-family-sells-russian-agricultural-firm-big-discount-interfax-2025-03-16/

March 16 (Reuters) - Once the United States has imposed tariffs on its major trading partners it could engage in bilateral talks with countries on new trade arrangements, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trumpthreatened on Thursday to slap a 200% tariff on wine, cognac and other alcohol imports from Europe, opening a new front in a global trade war that has roiled financial markets and raised recession fears. Sign up here. Rubio said the United States would retaliate against nations that had imposed tariffs on it. "This is global. It's not against Canada, it's not against Mexico, it's not against the EU, it's everybody," he told the CBS show "Face the Nation." "And then, from that new baseline of fairness and reciprocity, we will engage - potentially - in bilateral negotiations with countries around the world on new trade arrangements that make sense for both sides," he continued. Rubio, who did not give details of what the new deals could look like, said the United States would "reset the baseline" to ensure it was treated fairly. "We don't like the status quo. We are going to set a new status quo, and then we can negotiate something, if they (other nations) want to," he said. "What we have now cannot continue." https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/rubio-says-us-could-engage-new-trade-deals-after-tariffs-imposed-2025-03-16/

PARIS, March 16 (Reuters) - The European Union was probably mistaken in targeting American whiskey in its riposte to U.S. tariffs, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Sunday, calling for talks to avoid more damaging duties on France's cognac industry. U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to impose a 200% tariff on all wines and other alcoholic products from the EU if the bloc does not scrap its planned tax on U.S. bourbon. Sign up here. "Have some missteps been made? Yes, probably, because Kentucky bourbon has been included as if it were a trade threat," Bayrou said of the EU's proposed tariffs in response to U.S. duties on steel and aluminium. "A very old (product) list has been retrieved without it being checked like it should have been," he told France Inter radio. Trump's threat against EU wine and spirits has caused dismay among European producers who rely on exports, including French cognac makers already hit with tariffs by Beijing in a separate row over EU duties on Chinese electric cars. Bayrou, who met representatives of the cognac industry on Friday, said he hoped talks with Washington and Beijing would resolve the tariff dispute. The EU's first round of counter-tariffs against U.S. goods including bourbon is due to take effect on April 1. Bayrou, meanwhile, is expected to visit China to discuss the cognac issue but no dates have been announced. https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/french-pm-says-eu-tariff-american-bourbon-probably-mistaken-2025-03-16/

HAVANA, March 16 (Reuters) - Pockets of Cuba's capital Havana saw the lights flicker back on though vast areas of the city and country continued without electricity on Sunday morning, after a nationwide grid collapse that knocked out power to 10 million people. Havana´s electric company said on social media that approximately 19% of its clients in the city had seen power restored, but gave no estimate for full recovery. Sign up here. Cuba´s energy and mines ministry said early on Sunday it had fired up its Felton power plant, one of the country´s largest and a major benchmark for restoring power in the eastern provinces. The country´s largest plant, Antonio Guinteras, in Matanzas, was not yet online, the ministry said. In Havana and elsewhere, the clock was ticking for many residents who worry scarce stores of frozen foods could begin to spoil after around 36 hours without electricity. Much of the city of two million people - densely populated and a major tourism center - has been without power since around 8:15 p.m. (0015 GMT) on Friday. Only popular tourist hotels, a few restaurants, and homes and businesses with their own generators had kept the lights on. Cuba's grid collapsed on Friday evening after a transmission line at a substation in Havana shorted, beginning a chain reaction that completely shut down power generation across the island. The Friday collapse marked the fourth nationwide blackout since October. Cuba's oil-fired power plants, already obsolete and struggling to keep the lights on, reached a full crisis last year as oil imports from Venezuela, Russia and Mexico dwindled. Even before Friday´s grid collapse, many across the island had already been experiencing daily blackouts that reached 20 hours or more. Cuba blames the mounting crisis on a Cold War-era U.S. trade embargo and fresh restrictions from U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently tightened sanctions on the communist-run government and vowed to restore a "tough" policy toward the long-time U.S. foe. The government is pushing to develop large solar farms with help from China in a bid to reduce dependence on antiquated oil-fired generation. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cuba-begins-restoring-power-capital-havana-outlying-provinces-2025-03-16/

MOSCOW, March 16 (Reuters) - One worker was killed and three other were injured in an explosion at an oil refinery in Russia's city of Ryazan, TASS and RIA news agencies reported. "During scheduled technical works at the plant, performed by employees of the contractor organisation... equipment depressurisation occurred," TASS cited the refinery's representative. Sign up here. The refinery, owned by Russian largest oil producer Rosneft (ROSN.MM) , opens new tab, was several times targeted by Ukrainian drones. In February, it suspended operations after a drone attack. Ryazan refinery processed 13.1 million metric tons (262,000 barrels per day), or almost 5% of Russia's total refining throughput in 2024. It produced 2.3 million tons of gasoline, 3.4 million tons of diesel, 4.2 million tons of fuel oil and 1 million of jet fuel, according to source-based data. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/one-killed-explosion-rosnefts-oil-refinery-news-agencies-report-2025-03-16/

PAITA, Peru, March 15 (Reuters) - A Peruvian fisherman who spent 95 days lost in the Pacific Ocean, eating roaches, birds and sea turtles to survive, is returning home to his family. Maximo Napa had set off for a fishing trip from Marcona, a town on the southern Peruvian coast, on December 7. He packed food for a two week trip but ten days in, stormy weather threw his boat off course and he ended up adrift in the Pacific Ocean. Sign up here. His family launched a search but Peru's maritime patrols were unable to locate him until Wednesday, when an Ecuadorian fishing patrol discovered him some 680 miles (1,094 km) off the country's coast, heavily dehydrated and in critical condition. "I did not want to die," Napa told Reuters after reuniting with his brother, in Paita, near the border with Ecuador. "I ate roaches, birds, the last thing I ate was turtles." He said he stayed strong thinking about his family, including his two-month-old granddaughter, even as he survived on rainwater he collected on the boat and ran out of food, ultimately spending the last 15 days without eating. "I thought about my mother everyday," he said. "I'm thankful to God for giving me a second chance. His mother, Elena Castro, told local media that while her relatives had stayed optimistic she had began to lose hope. "I told the Lord, whether he's alive or dead, just bring him back to me, even if it's just to see him," she told TV Peru. "But my daughters never lost faith. They kept telling me: Mom, he'll come back, he'll come back." Napa was scheduled for more medical checks in Paita before heading south to Lima. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/peru-fisherman-lost-95-days-pacific-ocean-returns-home-2025-03-16/

SYDNEY, March 16 (Reuters) - Australia's New South Wales on Sunday sweated in a heat wave that raised the risk of bushfires and prompted authorities to issue a total fire ban for state capital Sydney. New South Wales, coming to the end of a high risk bushfire season that runs until the end of March, was a focus of a catastrophic 2019-2020 "Black Summer" of wildfires that destroyed an area the size of Turkey and killed 33 people. Sign up here. On Sunday, the nation's weather forecaster said temperatures would be up to 12 degrees Celsius (21.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above average in some areas of the state, with temperatures in Sydney, Australia's most populous city, set to hit 37C (98.6F). At Sydney Airport, the temperature was already 29.3C (84.7 F) at 9:30 a.m. local time, more than three degrees above the March mean maximum temperature, according to forecaster data. Gusty winds, "hot conditions and low relative humidity will result in extreme fire danger over the greater Sydney region," the forecaster said on its website. The state's Rural Fire Service said on X that a total fire ban was in place for large swaths of the state including Sydney due to the forecast of "hot, dry and windy conditions". In neighbouring Victoria state, a home was destroyed in a bushfire on the outskirts of Melbourne that was being battled by around 200 firefighters, Country Fire Authority official Bernard Barbetti told the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Sunday. Climate change is causing extreme heat and fire weather to become more common in Australia, a bushfire-prone country of around 27 million, the country's science agency said last year. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-new-south-wales-sweats-through-heatwave-faces-extreme-bushfire-risk-2025-03-15/

March 15 (Reuters) - A fire that was sparked by Ukraine's drone attack on Friday at the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region has been contained but not yet extinguished, the region's administration said late on Saturday. The fire has been contained to an area of 1,250 square metres (13,500 square feet), the administration said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. Nearly 200 firefighters are fighting the blaze, it said. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/firefighters-rein-fire-russias-tuapse-refinery-regional-authorities-say-2025-03-15/