logo
Kuwait oil minister says OPEC monitoring market, Trump remarks on Russian oil

Kuwait oil minister says OPEC monitoring market, Trump remarks on Russian oil

Reuters7 days ago
KUWAIT, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Kuwait's Oil Minister Tariq Al-Roumi said on Thursday that OPEC is closely monitoring global oil supply, demand trends, and U.S. President Donald Trump's recent remarks on Russian oil.
"Through OPEC, we are monitoring the market in terms of supply and demand, and we are monitoring the U.S. President's statements," Al-Roumi told reporters, adding that he expects oil prices to be below $72 per barrel.
The minister described the market as healthy, with demand growing at a moderate pace.
Oil prices slid about 1% to an eight-week low on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks about progress in talks with Moscow created uncertainty over whether the U.S. would impose further sanctions on Russia.
Trump has threatened additional sanctions on Moscow if no moves are made to end the war in Ukraine.
Washington imposed on Wednesday an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Australia jobs rebound in July, unemployment dips in major relief
Australia jobs rebound in July, unemployment dips in major relief

Reuters

time2 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Australia jobs rebound in July, unemployment dips in major relief

SYDNEY, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Australian employment rebounded in July as firms took on more full-time workers, data showed on Thursday, pulling the jobless rate down from a 3-1/2 year high and calming concerns the labour market was about to fall over. The upbeat report implied there was less urgency for the Reserve Bank of Australia to follow up this week's rate cut with another in September, and nudged the local dollar up 0.3% to a two-week high at $0.6566 . Yet policy makers have indicated more easing is likely should inflation continue to cool as expected and markets remain fully priced for a further quarter point easing to 3.35% in November. "The data are reassuring in that they suggest conditions are not deteriorating quickly," Sean Langcake, Head of Macroeconomic Forecasting for Oxford Economics Australia. "Nevertheless, weak economic momentum and global uncertainty will be strong headwinds for the labour market to overcome through the rest of the year." Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed net employment rose 24,500 in July from June, when it added a meagre 1,000. That was dead in line with market forecasts, while full-time jobs more than recovered a June drop with a jump of 60,500. In a relief for the economic outlook, the jobless rate eased back to 4.2%, from 4.3%, which had been the highest reading since November 2021. The participation rate ticked down to 67.0%, while hours worked rose 0.3% after a pullback in June. The ABS noted female full-time jobs jumped by 40,000 in July and their participation rate rose a record high of 63.5%. The central bank had expected unemployment to rise to around 4.3% this quarter, which is still low by historical standards, and stay there for the foreseeable future. Leading indicators of labour demand have been solid with vacancies still almost 50% above pre-pandemic levels, while there were 1.8 unemployed per vacancy compared to 3.1 back in early 2020. Business surveys are generally upbeat and consumer spending has picked up in the last couple of months as lower borrowing costs and past tax cuts feed through to incomes. RBA Governor Michele Bullock has also flagged the likelihood of at least another 50 basis points of total easing should core inflation continue to moderate from its current 2.7% pace to the mid-point of the central bank's target band of 2% to 3%. While unemployment is low, there is little sign of wages being an inflationary threat with annual pay growth holding at 3.4% in the second quarter, well below its 2023 peak of 4.2%.

Trump orders easing of commercial spaceflight rules, in boon to Musk's SpaceX
Trump orders easing of commercial spaceflight rules, in boon to Musk's SpaceX

Reuters

time2 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Trump orders easing of commercial spaceflight rules, in boon to Musk's SpaceX

WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to streamline federal regulation governing commercial rocket launches, a move that could benefit Elon Musk's SpaceX and other private space ventures. Trump's order, among other things, directs the U.S. transportation secretary to eliminate or expedite environmental reviews for launch licenses administered by the Federal Aviation Administration, the White House said in a statement. The declaration also calls on the secretary to do away with "outdated, redundant or overly restrictive rules for launch and reentry vehicles." "Inefficient permitting processes discourage investment and innovation, limiting the ability of U.S. companies to lead in global space markets," the executive order states. While Musk and Trump had a high-profile falling out months ago, the billionaire entrepreneur's SpaceX rocket and satellite venture potentially stands to be the single biggest immediate beneficiary of Trump's order on Wednesday. SpaceX, though not mentioned by name in Trump's order, easily leads all U.S. space industry entities, including NASA, in the sheer number of launches it routinely conducts for its own satellite network, the U.S. space agency, the Pentagon, and other enterprises. Jeff Bezos' private rocket company Blue Origin and its space tourism business could also gain from a more relaxed regulatory regime. Musk has repeatedly complained that environmental impact studies, post-flight mishap investigations and licensing reviews required by the FAA have needlessly slowed testing of SpaceX's Starship rocket, under development at the company's South Texas launch facility. Starship is the centerpiece of Musk's long-term SpaceX business model, as well as a core component of NASA's ambitions for returning astronauts to the moon's surface, establishing a permanent human lunar presence and ultimately sending crewed missions to Mars. Musk has viewed FAA oversight as a hindrance to his company's engineering culture, considered more risk-tolerant than many of the aerospace industry's more established players. SpaceX's flight-test strategy is known for pushing spacecraft prototypes to the point of failure, then fine-tuning improvements through frequent repetition. This has appeared to run afoul at times with the FAA's mission of safeguarding the public and the environment as it exercises its regulatory jurisdiction over commercial spaceflight. Earlier this year, the FAA grounded Starship test flights for nearly two months after back-to-back post-launch explosions rained debris over Caribbean islands and forced dozens of airliners to change course. The FAA ended up expanding the aircraft hazard zone along Starship's launch trajectories before licensing future flights.

Pauline Hanson rips into Albo for 'betraying' the values of Australians - and why the PM has made the world 'more dangerous'
Pauline Hanson rips into Albo for 'betraying' the values of Australians - and why the PM has made the world 'more dangerous'

Daily Mail​

time2 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Pauline Hanson rips into Albo for 'betraying' the values of Australians - and why the PM has made the world 'more dangerous'

has accused Anthony Albanese of emboldening terrorists after a senior Hamas extremist praised his decision to recognise the state of Palestine. On Wednesday, Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Youssef praised the Australian Prime Minister 's 'courage' in recognising the state of Palestine, a move the senior West Bank leader said vindicated the October 7 attacks. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who opposes recognition without making security guarantees for Israel, said the endorsement should 'send a chill down your spine'. 'Albanese has handed a propaganda victory to terrorists,' the Senator posted to social media on Thursday morning. 'He's rewarded violence. And he's betrayed the values we stand for, freedom, democracy, and loyalty to our allies. 'Every time weak leaders appease extremists, the world becomes more dangerous. And Australians pay the price. This isn't leadership. It's surrender.' Youssef, who has been arrested several times by Israel, said recognition by countries like Australia had proven Hamas' armed resistance had raised its diplomatic heft. 'We believe that the escalation of armed resistance, including the operations carried out on October 7, has significantly contributed to highlighting the suffering of the Palestinian people and the injustice they face,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'Resistance has proven to be an effective means to break the siege and bring the Palestinian cause back to the international discussion table.' It contradicts claims by Mr Albanese that Hamas would oppose Australia's decision to recognise Palestine as a step towards a two-state solution. On Tuesday - the day after Mr Albanese announced Australia would recognise Palestine at an upcoming UN General Assembly meeting - he said Hamas would be 'totally opposed' to recognition. 'Hamas don't support two states, they support one state,' he told Channel Seven's Sunrise program. In a statement, Mr Albanese said the decision would 'further isolate Hamas' and relied on assurances made by the Palestinian Authority, the governing body in the West Bank. Ms Hanson added the endorsement by Youssef posed a threat to Australia's security, claiming it would embolden domestic extremists. 'I believe that we have fundamentalist terrorist cells in Australia, that is going to give them some confidence in what they stand for, the radicalisation that is happening in this country,' she told Sky News. 'You lay down ground rules first and say: "This is what we want". 'You don't give them what they want and then hope they're going to get a democratic government, that Hamas will give up their weapons, they'll hand over their hostages and the bodies of the dead and the dying and make an agreement.' Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Michaelia Cash said Mr Albanese should 'hang his head in shame' after being praised by Hamas. 'All Australians should be appalled at the massive propaganda victory Mr Albanese has handed Hamas on a platter,' she said. On Thursday morning, Albanese told reporters he would 'not be a cheer squad for Hamas' and cast doubt on Youssef's statement, claiming he has been imprisoned in Israel since October 2023 and has no way of communicating. 'What that should be is a warning to the media to be very careful about the fact that Hamas will engage in propaganda, because what is happening is that the international community are united about isolating Hamas, about supporting a peaceful way forward,' he said. He urged the media not to 'repeat Hamas's propaganda.' Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has said the Coalition would revoke Palestinian recognition if elected in three years. 'The Coalition would have never made this call and we do not agree with it,' Ms Ley said in a statement on Tuesday. Australia is set to recognise the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September along with Canada, France and the UK.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store