Latest news with #GrantSmith
Scoop
3 days ago
- Scoop
Councils Condemn Overnight Disruption And Thank Police For Strong Response
Horowhenua District Council and Palmerston North City Council are thanking Police and emergency services for their strong, coordinated response to unlawful gatherings in the region overnight, and are condemning the dangerous behaviour that put the safety of residents at risk. The gatherings involved a large convoy of vehicles and over 1,000 individuals. This follows similar illegal activity in Levin last year that saw State Highway 1 barricaded and weapons reportedly present. This year, Police acted early — deploying teams including Riot Police, Armed Offenders Squad and the Eagle helicopter, implementing a visible and proactive presence across the region. While their efforts successfully prevented major disruption in Levin, the group dispersed north along Tavistock Road and State Highway 57, State Highway 56 and Palmerston North before coming back to Levin. One bystander was taken to hospital with moderate injuries after an incident on SH57, with Police reporting further incidents with other bystanders and vehicles on SH56. No police are reported to be injured despite, having a vehicle deliberately rammed, Police car tyres slashed and fireworks being aimed at officers. 10 arrests have been made so far, with more to come as Police investigate footage from the evening. Mayor Bernie Wanden said the behaviour witnessed last night is disgraceful. 'This activity isn't just reckless — it's dangerous. People have been hurt. Most of the individuals involved are not from Horowhenua, yet it's our community that bears the burden. I commend Police and emergency services for their quick and decisive actions. Their efforts have helped to keep our residents safe and prevent further harm.' Mayor Grant Smith says street racing is completely unacceptable. 'It was great to see the significant police presence in Horowhenua and Palmerston North overnight to help demonstrate that street racing is not welcome in our city or our wider region. While those involved may think it's just a bit of fun, it is intimidating behaviour for communities. In past events, these incidents have also passed on large costs to ratepayers to repair damaged roads and clean up broken glass and car parts. We understand from the Police that a number of youths were involved in what occurred last night. We encourage parents to chat to their young people about the dangers of street racing and encourage them to ask questions when their teens are going out late at night about their plans. I want to thank the Police for their efforts last night and hope those involved get the message that street racing is simply not welcome in our region' Both Councils are continuing to liaise with Police to monitor the situation and support any required responses. Our thoughts are also with those injured last night, and their loved ones.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
UK rare earths company to build plant in France
LONDON, May 29 (Reuters) - Britain's Less Common Metals, one of the few firms outside China involved in a key step of rare earths processing, plans to build a plant in France, teaming up with a recycling firm there, LCM's majority owner and chairman said. The move would mark another step to diversify Western supplies of rare earths - critical for making magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines and electronic components. China accounts for about 90% of the world's processed rare earth production. LCM aims to launch production of rare earth metals and alloys in France by 2027, using raw materials from a plant being built by Carester, Grant Smith told Reuters. France, aiming to become a European hub for the rare earths sector, is also home to a rare earths plant owned by chemicals group Solvay ( opens new tab, which launched an expansion in April. A final decision is due soon on LCM's 110 million euro ($124 million) project that would be built in Lacq, southwestern France, adjacent to Carester's plant, which will take old permanent magnets and recycle them, Smith added. "To put the finishing touches on our project, we need two things: get the funding in place and finalise the offtake to make sure the project's going to be viable," Smith said in an interview. Carester has received 216 million euros in funding from Japanese sources and the French government for its processing unit Caremag, which is expected to produce 1,400 metric tons of rare earth oxides a year, mainly from recycled magnets. LCM aims to apply for funds from both the European Union and France and also plans to raise equity or debt funding, Smith said. LCM would take the rare earth oxides from Caremag and process them into rare earth metals and alloys, which would be sold to permanent magnet producers. Rare earths go through a lengthy and complex process to be transformed from mined ore to finished permanent magnets and only a handful of companies outside of China are involved in the metals and alloying segment. Since 1992, LCM has produced a range of rare earth metals and alloys at its plant at Ellesmere Port in northwest England and it will continue that production as it expands abroad, Smith said. In the longer term, LCM is also considering establishing operations in North America and Asia, he added. ($1 = 0.8862 euros)
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
OPEC+ Prepares Third Dose of Oil Shock Therapy
Welcome to our guide to the commodities markets powering the global economy. Today, OPEC reporter Grant Smith looks at the cartel's oil production strategy ahead of a virtual meeting at the weekend. OPEC+ looks set to push more oil onto a fragile global market for the third month in a row — but the motive behind the group's strategy is no less elusive.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Opec+ to gather for quota review before key decision on July output
The more market-sensitive discussion on whether to continue their 411,000 barrel-a-day hikes, which have sent prices crashing over the past two months, will be finalised in a video conference Bloomberg By Grant Smith, Salma El Wardany and Fiona MacDonald Opec+ will gather online on Wednesday to review production quotas for this year and next, before eight key members decide at the weekend whether to bolster output again in July. Several delegates said they expect the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners to leave their longer-term targets for 2025 and 2026 — which underpin its current supply restraints — unchanged. The more market-sensitive discussion on whether to continue their 411,000 barrel-a-day hikes, which have sent prices crashing over the past two months, will be finalised in a video conference on Saturday, delegates said, asking not to be identified as the talks are private. The sequencing of the meetings underscores how oil quotas for the full 22-nation Opec+ alliance have receded in importance over the past two years, as actual supply adjustments are carried out by sub-group of eight countries, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia. It was these nations that shattered market expectations on April 3, when they announced their first super-sized hike — triple the volume originally scheduled. The shock move, unveiled just hours after President Donald Trump launched a global trade war, helped send crude futures to a four-year low below $60 a barrel in the ensuing days, marking a rupture with years of efforts by the coalition to try to shore up prices. Brent contracts have since stabilized near $65 as Trump has reversed some of his trade tariffs. Opec+ to gather for quota review before key decision on July output Opec+ delegates have offered a range of explanations for the policy reversal: from satisfying summer fuel demand to punishing over-producing members, and from placating President Trump to recouping lost market share. While the eight countries are just over half-way through restoring roughly 2.2 million barrels of output halted since 2023, if they maintain the current accelerated pace of increases, they will have completed that process by October. If Opec+ were fully committed to regaining market share it could propose changing those underlying output quotas during the discussion on Wednesday. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has built a reputation for springing last-minute surprises, but delegates have said they've so far seen no indication that such moves are on the agenda.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hallucinations and starvation: Meet the man who ran ultramarathon in Sahara Desert
HALLUCINATIONS, sandstorms and starvation were just some of the things Grant Smith wrestled with when he completed the Marathon des Sables. The 157-mile route in the Sahara Desert in Morocco sees participants run six marathons in seven days, while carrying their own food and survival equipment. Smith, 46, from Brize Norton, needed more than half a year to get into the physical shape required for such a challenge. READ ALSO: Hoops learn what division they will be in for 2025/26 season He told this newspaper: 'I'd never done this one before. I'd done half-sized ones previously, but this was the full one. 'I've been running for 20 years because I find it helps with work stresses and life pressures, but for this, you ramp it up and before you know it, you're running in the desert. 'Training-wise, I was doing 10 to 12 hours a week, carrying 10kg of weight. One of the furthest runs was from Brize to Broadway in Worcestershire on the back of doing a couple of 10-milers in the week and various strength and conditioning exercises. 'The preparation was over six to eight months, with the focus being able to carry that sort of weight for a long period of time. 'I wore a sweatsuit during my training. I would go on the treadmill in a room with the doors shut and the radiator on before then going out.' Grant Smith completed the Marathon des Sables (Image: Grant Smith) For all Smith's training, there were some things that Brize Norton and its surroundings couldn't prepare him for. He said: 'The temperatures get to over 40 degrees, and for one part, there was a horrific sandstorm which blew up, and there was lightning in it. That was scary, but amazing as well. 'I always knew it was going to be the hardest thing I'd done to date. I've climbed Kilimanjaro, but this is the Everest of running. 'In the race, I was conscious that people were hallucinating, and you lose all sense of reality. I hallucinated that people were running past me the other way. 'You have to self-medicate your feet, so that included daily trips to the triage tent to inject your feet and sort out blisters. 'The weight loss is quite considerable. We're burning from 4,000 to 8,000 calories a day, so starvation kicks in. 'I've got a knee problem which I've had to manage for a long time, but I had to get through it. There are the usual aches and pains, which is where the training helps you deal with it.' Upon his return to Oxfordshire, having made a vow for 20 years, there was only one thing for Smith to do. He explained: 'I've never had a tattoo before, and I'd always said if I did this that it would be the only time I would get one. 'The first thing when I got back, my wife, kids and brother got me into the shop, and I got the logo on my ankle.'
