Bualoi had moved along the country’s northern central coastline before making landfall early on Monday, causing waves as high as eight metres, the national weather agency said

International News via Reuters:

Typhoon Bualoi tore through Vietnam’s coast on Monday, killing eight people and leaving 17 others missing as strong winds and rain damaged houses, knocked out power and flooded roads before the storm lost some strength as it headed towards Laos.

Bualoi had moved along the country’s northern central coastline before making landfall early on Monday, causing waves as high as eight metres, the national weather agency said.

Seventeen fishermen were missing after huge waves hit two fishing boats off Quang Tri province, while another fishing boat lost contact during the storm, the government’s disaster management agency said. 

“I stayed awake the whole night fearing the door would be pulled off by strong winds,” said Ho Van Quynh from Nghe An province. His neighbours said they spent the night trying to protect their homes as the power to their apartment building went out.

“I’ve witnessed many storms, and this is one of the strongest,” said 45-year-old Nguyen Tuan Vinh. 

Strong winds killed eight people and injured seven others in Ninh Binh province, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

One person died after being caught in floodwater in Hue city, and another was killed by a falling tree in Thanh Hoa province, the disaster management agency said.

By 11:00 a.m. (0400 GMT), the typhoon was moving over Nghe An province into Laos, with maximum wind speeds weakening to 74 kph (46 mph) from 117 kph when it made landfall, the weather agency said.

Bualoi has so far damaged 245 houses, inundated nearly 1,400 hectares of rice and other crops, and cut off access to several areas, the disaster management agency said in a report. 

No major damage to industrial properties was mentioned in the report, though there are some large factories in or near Bualoi’s path, including those owned by Foxconn, Luxshare, Formosa Plastics and Vinfast. 

Ahead of the typhoon hitting, the government had evacuated more than 28,500 people, while hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed as four airports in central provinces were closed.

The cyclone has triggered heavy rains across most of Vietnam since Saturday, and authorities have warned of the risk of severe floods and landslides. 

Rainfall in several parts of the country was forecast to hit 500 millimetres from Sunday night through Tuesday, according to the weather agency. 

With a long coastline facing the South China Sea, Vietnam is prone to typhoons that are often formed east of the Philippines,  where at least 10 people died after Bualoi hit there last week.

Reporting by Khanh Vu in Hanoi and Thinh Nguyen in Nghe An; Editing by John Mair and Saad Sayeed

OPEC+ has reversed its strategy of output cuts from April and has already raised quotas by more than 2.5 million barrels per day

International News via Reuters:

OPEC+ will likely approve another oil production increase of at least 137,000 barrels per day at its meeting next Sunday, as rising oil prices encourage the group to try to further regain market share, three sources familiar with the talks said.

OPEC+ has reversed its strategy of output cuts from April and has already raised quotas by more than 2.5 million barrels per day, representing about 2.4% of world demand, to boost market share and after coming under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to lower oil prices.

Eight OPEC+ countries will hold an online meeting on October 5 to decide on November output. OPEC+ pumps about half of the world’s oil and includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus Russia and other allies.

OPEC headquarters and authorities in Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

WHAT HAVE OIL PRICES BEEN DOING?

Oil prices have fallen from over $80 per barrel at the start of the year but have mostly traded in a narrow range of $60-$70 per barrel since OPEC began production increases in April.

On Friday, prices rose to their highest since August 1, hitting levels above $70 per barrel, supported by Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure which disrupted refining and shipments from one of the world’s biggest oil exporters.

The group’s total output reductions amounted at their peak to 5.85 million bpd, made up of three different elements – voluntary cuts of 2.2 million bpd, plus 1.65 million bpd by eight members, and another 2.0 million bpd by the whole group.

FURTHER INCREASE TO BE DISCUSSED

The eight producers plan to fully unwind one element of those cuts – 2.2 million bpd – by the end of September. For October, they started removing a second layer, of 1.65 million bpd, with an increase of 137,000 bpd.

OPEC+ also gave the United Arab Emirates approval to boost production by 300,000 bpd between April and September.

The November increase to be discussed on October 5 will amount to at least 137,000 bpd, equal to the October hike, the three sources said. A final decision has not been made, the sources said.

OPEC+ hikes have fallen short of the pledged amounts because most members are pumping at capacity, analysts have said.

OPEC+’s third group-wide layer of cuts of 2 million bpd is due to last until the end of 2026.

Reporting by Olesya Astakhova and Ahmad Ghaddar; Additional reporting by Maha El Dahan; Editing by Alex Lawler, Dmitry Zhdannikov and David Holmes

Ramkalawan had been looking to block a comeback by the party that previously dominated politics for four decades in Africa’s wealthiest country per capita

International News via Reuters:

The Seychelles presidential election will go to a runoff between opposition leader Patrick Herminie and incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan after no clear winner emerged in the first round of voting, the electoral commission said on Sunday.

Ramkalawan had been looking to block a comeback by the party that previously dominated politics for four decades in Africa’s wealthiest country per capita.

The western Indian Ocean archipelago is a magnet for investment and security cooperation with China, Gulf nations and India.

Herminie, head of the United Seychelles (US) party, secured 48.8% of the vote, while Ramkalawan, of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), followed closely with 46.4%, the electoral commission said.

Neither candidate surpassed the 50% threshold required for an outright victory in the first round.

The US party also made significant gains in the National Assembly, winning 15 constituency seats and an additional four seats through proportional representation, giving it a clear parliamentary majority. 

LDS won 11 constituency seats and four proportional seats, leaving the ruling party behind its main rival in the legislative chamber.

In the presidential race, the two front-runners will now face off in a decisive second round scheduled to be held from October 9 to 11.

The winner will be handed a five-year mandate.

Nearly 82% of registered voters participated in the first round, which was held from Thursday to Saturday, the electoral commission said.

Reporting by Gabriel Robert-Gironcelle; Writing by Portia Crowe; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne

The typhoon was generating winds of up to 133 km/h (83 mph) as of 1000 GMT and is forecast to make landfall in central Vietnam around 0100 on Monday

International News via Reuters:

Vietnam closed airports and evacuated thousands of people in areas under storm threat on Sunday, as intensifying Typhoon Bualoi barrelled towards the country, days after causing at least 10 deaths and widespread flooding in the Philippines.

The typhoon was generating winds of up to 133 km/h (83 mph) as of 1000 GMT and is forecast to make landfall in central Vietnam around 0100 on Monday, slowing as it nears the coast, state-run Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

“This is a rapidly moving storm – nearly twice the average speed – with strong intensity and a broad area of impact,” the national weather forecast agency said.

“It is capable of triggering multiple natural disasters simultaneously, including powerful winds, heavy rainfall, flooding, flash floods, landslides, and coastal inundation.”

Northern and central provinces may see up to 600 mm of rain through October 1, with rivers rising by 9 meters and risks of flooding and landslides, it said.

Authorities in the central province of Ha Tinh have started to evacuate more than 15,000 people, the government said, adding thousands of troops were standing ready.

Residents in Vinh, capital of Nghe An province where the typhoon is expected to make landfall, were rushing to secure homes, tie down boats, and stack sandbags or water-filled sacks on rooftops.

“We already suffered from losses from recent Typhoon Kajiki this year and haven’t recovered yet,” said Bui Thi Tuyet, a 41-year-old resident. “Over the last 20 years living here, I have not felt this terrified because of storms.”

Vietnam suspended operations at four coastal airports from Sunday, including Da Nang International Airport, and adjusted the departure time of several flights, the Civil Aviation Authority said.

Schools in the typhoon-affected area will be closed on Monday, with closures potentially extended if necessary, according to news site VnExpress.

Heavy rain has already caused flooding in Hue and Quang Tri, the government said.

With a long coastline facing the South China Sea, Vietnam is prone to typhoons that are often deadly. Last year, Typhoon Yagi killed around 300 people and caused $3.3 billion of property damage.

Reporting by Thinh Nguyen and Phuong NguyenEditing by Kim Coghill and Peter Graff