The European Environment Agency said biodiversity in Europe is declining due to unsustainable production and consumption, especially in the food system

International News via Reuters:

Climate change and environmental degradation pose a direct threat to the natural resources that Europe needs for its economic security, the EU’s environmental agency said on Monday.

The European Environment Agency said biodiversity in Europe is declining due to unsustainable production and consumption, especially in the food system.

Due to over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution and invasive alien species, more than 80% of protected habitats are in a poor or bad state, it said, while water resources are also under severe pressure.

EUROPE’S FASTEST-WARMING CONTINENT

“The degradation of our natural world jeopardises the European way of life,” the agency said in its report: “Europe’s environment 2025”.

“Europe is critically dependent on natural resources for economic security, to which climate change and environmental degradation pose a direct threat.”

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent and is experiencing worsening droughts and other extreme weather events.

But governments are grappling with other priorities including industrial competitiveness, and negotiations on EU climate targets have stoked divisions between richer and poorer countries.

EU countries last week confirmed that the bloc will miss a global deadline to set new emissions-cutting targets due to divisions over the plans among EU governments.

TIME RUNNING OUT, AGENCY SAYS

“The window for meaningful action is narrowing, and the consequences of delay are becoming more tangible,” executive director Leena Yla-Mononen said.

“We are approaching tipping points – not only in ecosystems, but also in the social and economic systems that underpin our societies.”

Reporting by Bart Meijer. Editing by Mark Potter

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