U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil Corp has formally exited the West Qurna 1 oilfield in southern Iraq and handed over its operations to PetroChina as lead contractor, a deputy oil minister told Reuters on Monday. Senior Iraqi oil officials met with executives from ExxonMobil, PetroChina and Basra Oil Co on Monday at the West Qurna 1 … Read more
As the curtains draw on a tumultuous year, 2023 leaves behind a tapestry of unraveled events, painting a world shrouded in uncertainty and grappling with an ominous glimpse of the future. In a kaleidoscope of occurrences that defy easy categorization, selecting defining images for an annual overview becomes a difficult task. To encapsulate the essence … Read more
2023 was marked by crisis, transition and conflict. As the war in Ukraine dragged into its second year, the EU was confronted with yet another conflict on its doorstep: The Israel-Hamas war, which brought fresh instability to the Middle East and exacerbated divisions between EU countries. Europe now heads into a big election year and … Read more
It’s been a busy year in EU policy land as lawmakers, leaders and officials raced to tie up loose ends before the European Parliament election next June, with some efforts more successful than others. The EU’s green ambitions became the center of a right-wing backlash as the real-life impact of proposed reforms started to bite. … Read more
Canada’s economy was essentially unchanged for the third consecutive month in October, missing growth forecasts, but gross domestic product likely edged up in November, Statistics Canada data showed on Friday. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.2 per cent month-over-month rise. September’s GDP was downwardly revised to zero growth from an initial report of … Read more
When Evelyn Schaffer first saw her engagement ring, she was speechless. It was a 0.76-carat, oval-cut stunner — and she said no one has been able to tell that the diamonds were created in a lab. “I’ve never seen anything like it and it’s gorgeous,” Schaffer said. “The lab-grown diamonds are actually more sparkly in my … Read more
The end of the road is coming for gas-powered vehicles in Canada. New regulations being published this week by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will effectively end sales of new passenger vehicles powered only by gasoline or diesel in 2035. Guilbeault said the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard will encourage automakers to make more battery-powered cars and … Read more
A volcanic eruption started Monday night on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the country’s civil defence to be on high alert. The eruption appears to have occurred about four kilometres from the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Grainy webcam video showed the moment of the eruption as a flash of … Read more
A hacktivist group called “Predatory Sparrow” (“Gonjeshke Darande” in Persian) claimed that it had disabled the majority of gas stations across Iran in a cyberattack on Monday. “We, Gonjeshke Darande, carried out another cyberattack today, taking out a majority of the gas pumps throughout Iran. This cyberattack comes in response to the aggression of … Read more
Canada’s upstream oil and gas industry and drilling services sector has a “very favourable” outlook for 2024, according to Enserva’s State of the Industry report released on Thursday. Key highlights of the report show that oil prices are expected to remain strong, demand will be robust, export capacity will increase, and investment and drilling activity are set … Read more
