Mark Carney to Build a New Economy with the EU – It appears he is working for China and the EU, and not the Canadians.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has accelerated efforts to deepen Canada’s economic and security ties with the European Union, framing diversification as essential amid escalating trade friction with the United States. Official statements and actions indicate a strategic pivot toward Europe (and select other partners) rather than prioritizing new comprehensive U.S. trade arrangements beyond existing […]

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Houthis Target Saudi Oil Tanker in Red Sea Missile and Drone Attack, and Oil Goes Down

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi forces claimed a ballistic missile strike on the Saudi-flagged VLCC Amzan (IMO 9693745, Bahri-owned, approximately 320,926 deadweight tons, built 2014) in the northern Red Sea off Yanbu on August 24, 2026. The attack formed part of the group’s ongoing “siege for siege” campaign enforcing a maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping, which began […]

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US Treasury Begins Operation Economic Outcast on Iran

WASHINGTON — On August 24, 2026, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the launch of “Operation Economic Outcast,” describing it as an unprecedented campaign to sever Iran’s remaining economic lifelines. Speaking at a press conference, Bessent stated: “Today, at President Trump’s direction, the United States Treasury has begun Operation Economic Outcast… Our objective is to […]

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Will Iraq leave OPEC, or will OPEC allow Iraq to double exports within six years?

Iraq is pushing aggressively to more than double its oil production capacity, targeting 8–10 million barrels per day (bpd) within six years—up from roughly 4 million bpd before the recent Iran-related regional conflict disrupted Strait of Hormuz shipping. On August 21, 2026, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the goal at the Baghdad Dialog conference and […]

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West Texas Oil Producers Pushing Power Demand ‘To the Moon’

Oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin are driving electricity demand skyward in West Texas, even as technology companies race to site data centers in the world’s most prolific shale play. The dual surge—from electrifying drilling, fracturing, and production operations, plus hyperscale computing loads—is straining the regional grid and prompting warnings of potential reliability […]

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Ukraine Hits Lukoil Refinery. How Degraded is the Russian Refinery Capacity?

On the morning of August 21, 2026, Ukrainian drones struck the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Russia’s Perm Krai, more than 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Thick black smoke rose over the facility, one of Russia’s 10 largest refineries with a design capacity of around 13 million metric tons of crude per year (approximately 262,000 […]

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