National Energy Administration released H1 2026 national EV charging facility data

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, at 16:27 local time on July 28, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Kumamoto region in Kumamoto Prefecture at a depth of about 10 kilometers, with a maximum seismic intensity of 7 observed in Uki City and Hikawa Town, Kumamoto Prefecture. Following the earthquake, the agency briefly issued a tsunami advisory for the Ariake Sea and Yatsushiro Sea, which was lifted within two hours. The earthquake caused damage to some local buildings, roads, and power facilities, and some manufacturing enterprises in the Kyushu region evacuated personnel or temporarily suspended production. According to SMM, as of now, Sumitomo Metal Mining’s Toyo Smelter (Toyo Smelter) remains in normal operation; whether other major copper smelters in Japan have been affected is still to be confirmed, and SMM will continue to monitor the situation.

Russia has officially lifted its rail transport ban on sulfur originating from Kazakhstan transiting through Russian territory for export. The Federal Agency for Railway Transport (Roszheldor) imposed the ban on May 24, 2026, suspending the shipment of Kazakh sulfur to Russian seaports and railway checkpoints. The restriction forced exporters to reroute shipments via alternative corridors, with logistics costs for Tengiz and Kashagan sulfur roughly doubling through the port of Batumi, according to sources. The lifting order was signed on July 24, 2026, following instructions from First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. Russian Railways (RZD) has notified its subsidiaries to resume accepting railcars carrying Kazakh sulfur, with shipments directed to port stations on the Oktyabrskaya, Severnaya, Kaliningradskaya, Severo-Kavkazskaya, Privolzhskaya and Dalnevostochnaya railways. Kazakhstan is a major sulfur producer and exporter, with annual exports exceeding 4 million tonnes, the bulk of which traditionally flows through Russian ports. The lifting of the ban is expected to restore normal export routes for Kazakh sulfur.