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Uzbekistan evidently is on a fast-track to gain membership in the World Trade Organization. Tashkent’s application could win acceptance by the spring of 2026, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iveala said in an interview with Uzbek television. Gaining membership in the WTO involves what can be a lengthy process of negotiations. It took China, for example, 15 years for its application to be approved. Technically, Uzbekistan’s accession process dates back to 1994, but Tashkent only demonstrated a serious intent to meet WTO requirements…
In a shock development, U.S. President Donald Trump decertified Colombia as a partner in the decades-long drug war for the first time since 1997. This is a monumental blow for the historically close relationship between Colombia and the United States. The White House declared Colombia “failed demonstrably” to meet obligations imposed by international counternarcotics agreements. This is indicative of the antagonistic relationship between Colombia’s first-ever leftist President, Gustavo Petro, and the Trump administration. It bodes…
Following almost three years of strict sanctions on Russian energy by the United States and European Union, Russia continues to use shadow fleets to transport vast quantities of crude to countries looking to invest in its discounted energy products. While several countries have used shadow fleets to avoid sanctions in the past, Russia has invested heavily in this practice and now has hundreds of unmarked, aging ships on the water, transporting crude to anyone who will take it. Shadow fleets are “dark fleets” that use a range of…
Shrinking discovered volumes, rising oil and gas demand, and a renewed focus on energy security have driven the global oil and gas industry to refocus on frontier regions in pursuit of new discoveries essential for sustaining long-term growth. The peer group of six global majors – ExxonMobil, Shell, TotalEnergies, BP, Chevron, and Eni – is responsible for about 20% of the total conventional oil and gas volumes discovered since 2020. These companies possess the technical skills and financial muscle needed to explore technically challenging…
Russia is considering extending its current ban on exports of gasoline and introducing a ban on diesel exports as fuel shortages have emerged amid intensified Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries and other energy infrastructure. The government discusses extending the gasoline export ban for producers through the end of October, from September 30, sources with knowledge of the talks told Russian news agency Interfax on Tuesday. At the end of August, Russia extended the gasoline ban until September 30, 2025, for producers, and until…
