Rio Tinto is streamlining operations and drafting a fundamental reset to accelerate projects with quicker and better returns. The strategy overhaul is courtesy of the mining giant’s former head of the iron ore division, the group’s biggest business, who became chief executive officer a few months ago. New Rio Tinto CEO Simon Trott will unveil his vision of a streamlined Rio Tinto at a Capital Markets Day event in London on Thursday. Trott has signaled that reorganization will continue to fundamentally reset the company’s businesses.…

The U.S. federal government is considering further steps to speed up the buildout of liquefied natural gas export infrastructure as flows of natural gas to LNG plants hit a record high. Exports, as it happens, are also running at all-time highs. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s chairwoman announced the coming changes in a statement that said, “Energy infrastructure needs to be built now, and existing projects need to be maintained efficiently to ensure grid reliability today and in the future. We are taking a hard look at…

Pro?West Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al?Sudani performed strongly in the 11 November parliamentary elections – the seventh since Saddam Hussein’s fall in 2003. With turnout around 56%, Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development Coalition emerged as the largest faction, winning 1.3 million votes out of nearly 11 million cast, beating the pro-Iran State of Law Alliance by 370,000. However, Sudani’s faction still only received 15% of the seats in parliament, totalling 46 out of 329. On the other hand, pro-Iran…

The national average price of gasoline dropped below $3 a gallon over the weekend, sinking to their lowest level since 2021. The median U.S. gas price is now $2.83 per gallon, with the national average 6.9 cents cheaper from a month ago and 5.4 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. However, prices vary widely by state, with drivers in Oklahoma paying $2.409 per gallon compared to $4.560 in California.  According to GasBuddy, a handful of gas stations are offering gas under $2 per gallon. That said, diesel prices have seen an even steeper…

A tanker carrying Russian gasoil was hit by multiple explosions off the coast of Senegal, marking the third case in recent days. The Mersin had made several calls at Russian ports this year before it met its fate on Monday. The vessel was later stabilized and placed under tow, with reports that crew members were safe. Gasoil is a fuel used for non-road applications like agricultural machinery, construction equipment, generators, and some heating systems. Ukrainian naval drones have been attacking sanctioned tankers in the Black Sea in recent weeks…

A tanker carrying Russian gasoil was hit by multiple explosions off the coast of Senegal, marking the third case in recent days. The Mersin had made several calls at Russian ports this year before it met its fate on Monday. The vessel was later stabilized and placed under tow, with reports that crew members were safe. Gasoil is a fuel used for non-road applications like agricultural machinery, construction equipment, generators, and some heating systems. Ukrainian naval drones have been attacking sanctioned tankers in the Black Sea in recent weeks…

China is looking to expand its lead in clean energy by deepening multilateral cooperation on green technologies and supporting its new energy vehicle (NEV), battery, and photovoltaic companies in expanding their global presence, according to a top government official. The move is intended to accelerate the low-carbon transition of the nation's vast manufacturing sector. Li Lecheng, minister of industry and information technology, said in a piece for China Daily, that China's determination to pursue a green transition in manufacturing underscores…

Iraq’s Khor Mor gas field, the country’s largest non-associated gas field, has resumed operations after it shut down following a recent drone attack. Last week, a rocket struck a storage tank at the Khor Mor site, stopping production and triggering widespread power outages. The drone attack was one of the largest since terrorist attacks began in July, cutting regional production by ~150,000 barrels per day. Whereas no terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack, a military expert has pointed fingers at Iraq’s…

A plan to merge two FTSE-listed funds to form the UK’s largest infrastructure investment firm has been abandoned after shareholders expressed frustration with the terms of the deal. HICL Infrastructure said it will no longer be proceeding with its planned merger with The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) after its board “determined that it cannot progress the transaction without a substantial majority of support from its own investors”. “Both boards remain convinced of the strategic rationale for the combination,”…

The provincial government of Alberta, Canada’s key oil and gas-producing province, has advised the Alberta Energy Regulator to go soft on imposing penalties for excess flaring, Reuters reported on Monday, citing documents it had obtained through access to information laws.  The provincial government has urged the regulator to take a “softer” tone in communication with companies that are found to have exceeded the flaring limit, according to the documents Reuters has reviewed.  Moreover, the regulator was advised to take…

The provincial government of Alberta, Canada’s key oil and gas-producing province, has advised the Alberta Energy Regulator to go soft on imposing penalties for excess flaring, Reuters reported on Monday, citing documents it had obtained through access to information laws.  The provincial government has urged the regulator to take a “softer” tone in communication with companies that are found to have exceeded the flaring limit, according to the documents Reuters has reviewed.  Moreover, the regulator was advised to take…

One of the ways you can claim rights to water sources is to own land next to them or over them. It seems intuitive that you should be able to dip into a river running along your property to get a drink for yourself and possibly your livestock, or water for your plants and possibly your farm fields. That works so long as you don't hog too much of the river flow and your downstream neighbors can do the same as you are doing. In practice, there are so many humans today demanding so much water that the amounts each person or enterprise can withdraw…

BHP Group’s last offer to acquire Anglo American was for about $53 billion (£40 billion) in the late-November blitz in which the mining giant sought to derail an Anglo American-Teck resources tie-up, sources familiar with the details have told Bloomberg. In November, a year and a half after abandoning a previous attempt to take over Anglo American, BHP offered around $53 billion, or £40 billion, in mostly stock but also cash, to acquire Anglo American, according to Bloomberg’s sources.   BHP’s unsolicited…

BHP Group’s last offer to acquire Anglo American was for about $53 billion (£40 billion) in the late-November blitz in which the mining giant sought to derail an Anglo American-Teck resources tie-up, sources familiar with the details have told Bloomberg. In November, a year and a half after abandoning a previous attempt to take over Anglo American, BHP offered around $53 billion, or £40 billion, in mostly stock but also cash, to acquire Anglo American, according to Bloomberg’s sources.   BHP’s unsolicited…

The U.S. military build-up in the southern Caribbean continues unabated. The arrival of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, heralded Washington’s largest military deployment in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama. Around 25% of all U.S. warships deployed globally are concentrated off the coast of Venezuela. U.S. President Donald Trump recently declared there will be strikes on land targets and that the airspace above Venezuela is closed. There are fears that the White House’s campaign, which…

The UK government has decided to withdraw a $1.1-billion loan guarantee for TotalEnergies’ Mozambique LNG project as risks have increased and it is no longer in the interest of the UK or its taxpayer. UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK government’s export credit agency, pledged in 2020 a $1.15-billion financing guarantee to the $20-billion Mozambique LNG project.  “After a detailed review, the UK Government has decided to end UKEF’s participation in the project,” Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Business and Trade,…

Top US and Ukrainian officials wrapped up their talks in Florida, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling the session "very productive" but saying additional work was needed in the effort to thrash out a plan to end Russia's war on Ukraine. "We had another very productive session, building off [talks in] Geneva, building off the events of this week, but there's more work to be done," Rubio told reporters on November 30 following the meeting, without being specific. "There are a lot of moving parts, and obviously there's another party involved…

Loadings of crude oil from Chevron’s project in Kazakhstan continue at the CPC terminal at the Russian port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea, the U.S. supermajor told Reuters after a Ukrainian attack damaged CPC infrastructure this weekend.  Chevron holds 50% in Tengizchevroil, the company operating the huge Tengiz field in Kazakhstan, whose exports go through the CPC pipeline to Novorossiysk.  The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) operates the pipeline from the Caspian coast in northwest Kazakhstan to the Novorossiysk port, which…

Oil prices rebounded in early Asian trade on Monday following the latest OPEC+ meeting, as traders responded to the producer group’s decision to hold output steady through the first quarter of 2026. At the time of writing, West Texas Intermediate crude stood at $59.32, up 1.32%, while Brent crude had climbed to $63.16, up 1.25%. The bounce reflects relief over the group’s cautious stance, with OPEC+ reaffirming its plan to maintain current production levels rather than raise output further. The move had been expected and is seen as…

At its Sunday meeting, OPEC+ reaffirmed its decision to keep oil production levels unchanged for the first quarter of 2026 and formally approved a long-debated process to reassess member production capacities for future quotas. The production decision aligned closely with expectations set by delegates, who signaled that the group would pause further supply increases amid concerns about a potential glut. The most significant development in the statement concerns future production baselines. Building on the mandate established at the 39th meeting,…