Iraqis head to the polls on November 11 for parliamentary elections, however, surveys predict record-low turnout, which may complicate creation of a government. This election differs from those before: Muqtada al-Sadr has withdrawn from politics; Hadi al-Ameri’s Badr Organization is contesting the vote independently; and Hezbollah — Iran’s ally in Lebanon — is weakened. Though regional unrest persists, Iraq itself is comparatively stable. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani’s tenure was quieter than his predecessors’,…

U.S. nuclear generation is projected to rise by 27% between 2035 and 2060, according to new analysis from Wood Mackenzie, as the rapid build-out of artificial-intelligence and cloud-computing infrastructure reshapes national electricity demand. The findings, cited by Reuters, suggest that a long-stagnant sector could enter a second expansion phase once legacy plants are extended and modular technologies reach commercial scale. The firm said U.S. nuclear power’s share of total electricity generation could stabilize near 20% through 2040 before…

U.S. nuclear generation is projected to rise by 27% between 2035 and 2060, according to new analysis from Wood Mackenzie, as the rapid build-out of artificial-intelligence and cloud-computing infrastructure reshapes national electricity demand. The findings, cited by Reuters, suggest that a long-stagnant sector could enter a second expansion phase once legacy plants are extended and modular technologies reach commercial scale. The firm said U.S. nuclear power’s share of total electricity generation could stabilize near 20% through 2040 before…

A government-run survey has cast doubt on Labour’s push for net zero as Brits fear that it would push up living expenses in both the short and long term. The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) own research has suggested that the government is losing the public’s faith in its mission to cut energy bills by accelerating Britain’s energy transition away from fossil fuels.  The Whitehall-run survey found that 69 per cent of people believed net zero policies would increase their living expenses in the next…

The United States has issued a general license allowing limited operations of Rosneft’s German subsidiaries, according to a notice posted on the company’s website and confirmed by Reuters. The authorization applies to Rosneft Deutschland and RN Refining & Marketing, both under German federal trusteeship since 2022, when Berlin assumed control to maintain refinery continuity and prevent fuel shortages. The license does not lift sanctions on Rosneft. However, it allows maintenance, payments, and service activities necessary to keep…

The United States has issued a general license allowing limited operations of Rosneft’s German subsidiaries, according to a notice posted on the company’s website and confirmed by Reuters. The authorization applies to Rosneft Deutschland and RN Refining & Marketing, both under German federal trusteeship since 2022, when Berlin assumed control to maintain refinery continuity and prevent fuel shortages. The license does not lift sanctions on Rosneft. However, it allows maintenance, payments, and service activities necessary to keep…

The United States has issued a general license allowing limited operations of Rosneft’s German subsidiaries, according to a notice posted on the company’s website and confirmed by Reuters. The authorization applies to Rosneft Deutschland and RN Refining & Marketing, both under German federal trusteeship since 2022, when Berlin assumed control to maintain refinery continuity and prevent fuel shortages. The license does not lift sanctions on Rosneft. However, it allows maintenance, payments, and service activities necessary to keep…

In a landmark move that could reshape global commodity markets and impact iron ore prices, BHP Billiton has agreed to settle 30% of its iron ore spot trades with Chinese buyers in Chinese Yuan (RMB). This represents a significant departure from the longstanding U.S. dollar standard. Set to begin in Q4 2025, the shift marks a strategic pivot in Australia-China trade relations. It also signals China’s growing influence in global pricing mechanisms. China’s confrontation with BHP over iron ore prices and currency settlement is more than…

The scale and speed at which solar power has exploded around the world is reshaping energy systems in transformative ways. As the price of solar energy has plummeted over the past decade, solar energy has become a no-brainer for energy capacity addition in contexts around the globe, and its accelerating growth trends show no sign of stopping. At this rate, the world could run on solar much sooner than previously imagined. As of 2024, solar energy provided 7 percent of the world’s electricity – a stunning two-fold increase in just two…

Russian officials have potentially opened a new revenue stream to help them generate profits from oil exports needed to keep their war effort going in Ukraine. And it runs through Georgia. Moscow is dealing with growing energy isolation and a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes that have crippled its oil infrastructure, reducing refining capacity by roughly 40 percent, according to a Washington Post report. Georgia is now providing a safe haven for Russian oil at a new refinery in Kulevi, situated on the shores of the Black Sea.  A tanker, the…

Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, told U.S. President Donald Trump at their meeting in Tokyo earlier this week that Japan would find it difficult to ban LNG imports from Russia, Japanese government officials told Reuters on Wednesday.  President Trump visited Japan earlier this week and held bilateral talks with Takaichi and other top Japanese officials. The two leaders praised a new “golden age of the ever-growing U.S.-Japan Alliance” and signed a framework agreement to support the mining and processing…

Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, told U.S. President Donald Trump at their meeting in Tokyo earlier this week that Japan would find it difficult to ban LNG imports from Russia, Japanese government officials told Reuters on Wednesday.  President Trump visited Japan earlier this week and held bilateral talks with Takaichi and other top Japanese officials. The two leaders praised a new “golden age of the ever-growing U.S.-Japan Alliance” and signed a framework agreement to support the mining and processing…

Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, told U.S. President Donald Trump at their meeting in Tokyo earlier this week that Japan would find it difficult to ban LNG imports from Russia, Japanese government officials told Reuters on Wednesday.  President Trump visited Japan earlier this week and held bilateral talks with Takaichi and other top Japanese officials. The two leaders praised a new “golden age of the ever-growing U.S.-Japan Alliance” and signed a framework agreement to support the mining and processing…

Crude oil inventories in the United States decreased by 6.9 million barrels during the week ending October 24, after losing 1 million barrels in the week prior, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released on Wednesday. The increase brings commercial stockpiles down to 416 million barrels according to government data, which is 6% below the five-year average for this time of year. The EIA’s data release follows API’s figures that were released a day earlier, which suggested that crude oil inventories…

India is weighing a bailout package for its indebted state-owned power distribution companies that could be worth more than $11.3 billion (1 trillion Indian rupees), according to a draft plan by the Indian Power Ministry seen by Reuters. Indian authorities plan to reorganize the state distribution companies which have been run inefficiently for years and which are a major drag on India’s power system.  The plan, expected to be announced in February, envisages private companies to meet at least 20% of the total power consumption in any…

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Donald Trump to press China to end its support for Russia in its war against Ukraine when the US President meets his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during a tour of Asia this week. In wide-ranging comments made to reporters that were released on October 28, the Ukrainian leader said he was ready to hold peace talks anywhere except for Russia and its ally Belarus, though Ukraine is not ready to cede territory. "It's absolutely clear that we're approaching diplomacy only from the position where we currently…

Copper prices hit a record-high on the London Metal Exchange on Wednesday amid a series of supply disruptions and brighter global economic prospects.  The benchmark three-month copper futures jumped to $11,146 per ton in London early on Wednesday, exceeding the previous record high of $11,104 a ton set in May last year.  This year, copper prices have rallied amid threats from the Trump Administration to impose tariffs on the industrial metal crucial for electrification and grid expansion. Trump backed off plans for a tariff, for now,…

India’s biggest refiner, state-held Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, is preparing to launch in early 2026 a trading joint venture with the world’s biggest independent oil trader, Vitol, to trade crude and fuels, a source familiar with the plans told Reuters on Wednesday.  Indian Oil, which together with its unit Chennai Petroleum holds about 31% of all of India’s refining capacity, had discussed a venture with supermajors BP and TotalEnergies and commodity trading giant Trafigura, before picking Vitol for the new trading JV, according…

India’s biggest refiner, state-held Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, is preparing to launch in early 2026 a trading joint venture with the world’s biggest independent oil trader, Vitol, to trade crude and fuels, a source familiar with the plans told Reuters on Wednesday.  Indian Oil, which together with its unit Chennai Petroleum holds about 31% of all of India’s refining capacity, had discussed a venture with supermajors BP and TotalEnergies and commodity trading giant Trafigura, before picking Vitol for the new trading JV, according…

Equinor (NYSE: EQNR) booked lower-than-expected earnings for the third quarter as liquids prices dropped from a year earlier. The Norwegian energy major on Wednesday reported an adjusted operating income of $6.21 billion for the third quarter of 2025, lower than the company-provided consensus of 21 analysts who had expected $6.31 billion, and below the $6.89 billion booked in the third quarter of 2024. Yet, the lower liquids prices were partially offset by higher production and higher gas prices in the U.S., Equinor said.   The Norwegian oil…