OPEC+ agrees to boost oil production in large output hike
OPEC+ had been curtailing production of oil for several years to support oil prices, but changed course earlier this year after calls by US President Donald Trump to ramp up production.
Saudi Arabia holds significant influence in OPEC+ as the dominant member of the OPEC producers' cartel, and Russia is the leading non-OPEC member in the 22-country alliance.
The decision comes amid increasing US pressure to bring Moscow to the negotiating table to end their ongoing, full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Our journalists are working on this story and will update it as soon as more information becomes available.
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Local France
an hour ago
- Local France
'Doesn't seem fair' - British pensioners speak out over apparent change to French citizenship rules
After almost eight years of living in France, British retiree Colin Howard, 68, decided it was time to apply for French nationality. "I feel French, I feel like I belong here," Colin explained. Colin, a certified B2 ( upper intermediate ) French speaker, has spent a significant amount of his time in France building relations with his local community. "Since 2017, I have taught weekly and fortnightly French lessons as a volunteer to non-French-speaking immigrants, and I continue to do this two years after retiring," Colin said. Using his background as a teacher, Colin also spent four years as a volunteer teaching English to a group of French people, and since 2021, he has served as the president of an Anglo-French integration association near his home in Charente, in south-west France. "I thought 'I contribute some to French society', so I'll give applying for nationality a go," Colin said. Colin sent in his application in October 2024. He supplied additional documentation when asked and passed various levels of checks, including the police visit and the 'assimilation' interview at the Deux Sèvres préfecture. Advertisement Over a year and a half later, in July 2025, Colin's application was rejected. As for the official reason of rejection, the local authority wrote: "You have never worked in France, and the entirety of the income you receive is not from a French source." "It does not seem fair," Colin said. "Whether deliberately or by accident, it discriminates against people of a certain age. "This is saying that if you are of a certain age, and you live on a private pension, savings or a state pension, if you apply for nationality, you will not get it." Colin's is not the only such case in recent weeks, with several retirees in France reporting on social media that they too have been turned down for citizenship on the grounds of not having income in France. The Local spoke to Liz Combes, a 73-year-old retired teacher, who was rejected in June 2025 on the grounds that she had no income in France. "I was really, really upset. I had been ill since then, and my friend noticed that I'd been ill since this all started. It's true. My health has been affected. I have put in an appeal, but I have absolutely no hope that it will work," Liz said. Liz and her husband bought a second home in France in 1996, which they renovated, and the pair became full-time residents of France in 2016, just before the Brexit vote. Advertisement Like Colin, Liz has a strong background of volunteer work and involvement in her local community. She said: "When we committed to being here in France, I said, 'I'm going to have to get involved in things.' "I got involved in our local Franco-British society as the secretary, and alongside the French president of the group, we set up a programme to organise local volunteers to come into schools and teach English. I'm still very involved in that." Liz submitted her application in March 2024, after passing her French language exam, and she had her interview in April. During the interview, Liz remembered the French official being impressed with her volunteer work. "It was all very successful. I had no problem speaking French. "The official told me that it would be normal not to hear for two months. She was very positive, but on the last day of the two months, I got an email with a letter rejecting me on the basis that none of my income came from France. "If I had known 10 years ago that I needed French income, I could have set up a French company to teach, but I was happy to do it for free. I did not need to be paid or get money for it. "The point is that I am retired. I have a very good pension, and I am no drain on society here. We have our health covered by the UK with our S1s, and we have our savings in French accounts. "I have contributed as much as I can. This new knowledge of needing French would I have applied for citizenship? The goalposts have been moved since May when this circulaire came out." Liz and Colin's rejections come despite the fact that over the past two decades, dozens, if not hundreds, of retirees in France have successfully become French - even if all of their income comes from a pension in their home country. Advertisement Both believe that their rejection was related to a recent memo ( circulaire ) sent around to préfecture staff, warning that they should reject applicants who earn the majority of their income from a non-French source. READ MORE: Why do French ministers love to send 'circulaires'? "My file was marked complete in January 2025. By March, I was invited for an interview on the 6th of June. Between those times, Bruno Retailleau (France's interior minister) decided to send his circulaire out about earnings in France," Colin said. While the circulaire, published on May 2nd, did not introduce any official legal changes, it did offer advice and clarification for préfecture employees, including on the topic of foreign-sourced income. Technically, this is not new. French case law has made it clear for many years that applicants must demonstrate that France is the "centre of their economic interests". The French government's Service-Public information page for naturalisations also specifies that applicants must demonstrate "professional insertion" in France, noting the applicant must have a "stable and regular income". Therefore it has long been the case that people living in France but working remotely for a foreign company would be highly likely to be refused for citizenship. People who are neither working nor retired have also traditionally had a hard time satisfying the income requirement. Advertisement But préfecture officials were previously told to examine the application 'holistically'. As a result, many retirees applying with solely foreign pensions have been able to gain nationality based on residency if they showed a well-rounded application in other areas. The Local has contacted the Interior Ministry to request further clarification, and to enquire whether - as seems to be the case - there is a difference in how applications from retirees are being treated. Do you have experience - successful or otherwise - of applying for French citizenship as a pensioner? Please share your experiences in the comments section below, or contact us on news@
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
Trump cranks up India tariffs to 50% in an attempt to pressure Russia
President Donald Trump on Wednesday hit India with an extra 25% tariff over its Russian oil deals, bringing total US tariffs on the ally to a steep 50%. Currently, Brazil is the only other country to face a 50% import tax on all its products across the board. This does not include the steel, aluminium and copper tariffs, also at 50%, levied on every single country in the world apart from the UK. The tariffs would go into effect 21 days after the signing of the order, meaning that both India and Russia could still have time to negotiate with the administration on a more favourable deal. Trump's moves could scramble the economic trajectory of India, a major Asian economy, which until recently was seen as an alternative to China by US companies looking to relocate their manufacturing. China, which also buys oil from Russia, is currently experiencing a stay on the full tariff measure — currently all Chinese products face a 30% levy — as it negotiates more favourable tariff measures with the US administration. Trump had previewed for reporters on Tuesday that the tariffs would be coming, saying the US had a meeting with Russia on Wednesday as the Trump administration tries to end Moscow's all-out war in Ukraine. 'We're going to see what happens," Trump said about his tariff plans. "We'll make that determination at that time.' The Indian government on Wednesday called the additional tariffs 'unfortunate". 'We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, adding that India would take all actions necessary to protect its interests. Jaiswal said India has already made its stance clear that the country's imports were based on market factors and were part of an overall objective of ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people. Ajay Srivastava, a former Indian trade official, said the latest tariff places the country among the most heavily taxed US trading partners and far above rivals such as China, Vietnam and Bangladesh. India is widely regarded as an ally, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi having visited the US in February of this year. 'The tariffs are expected to make Indian goods far costlier with the potential to cut exports by around 40%-50% to the US,' he said. Srivastava said Trump's decision was 'hypocritical' because China bought more Russian oil than India did last year. 'Washington avoids targeting Beijing because of China's leverage over critical minerals which are vital for US defence and technology,' he said. Coming to terms with the deficit In 2024, the US ran a $45.8 billion or €52.5 billion trade deficit in goods with India, meaning America imported more from India than it exported, according to the US Census Bureau. US consumers and businesses buy pharmaceutical drugs, precious stones, textiles and apparel from India, among other products. India has not supported the Ukraine-related sanctions by the US and its allies on Moscow even as its leaders maintain that they want peace. Ostensibly, the steep tariff is a means to deprive the Kremlin of revenue to fund its ongoing war in Ukraine, forcing Trump's goal of bringing the Russian government to the negotiating table and possibly agreeing to a ceasefire followed by long-term peace in Ukraine. But oil prices have fallen, with a barrel trading on Wednesday morning at $65.84 or €75.53, up by 1% on the day new tariffs were announced.
Euronews
5 hours ago
- Euronews
Historic Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement might be signed in the US
The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia are set to meet US President Donald Trump for a peace summit in Washington on Thursday and Friday, which could advance a much-anticipated peace deal between the two countries. After almost four decades of bitter conflict, Baku and Yerevan might finally settle for peace in the region and notably do it far from Moscow, with both former Soviet South Caucasus countries distancing themselves from Russia and the Kremlin's influence. Holding a meeting in the White House alongside the US president would send a strong signal to Moscow regarding the two countries' commitment to finding a solution among themselves, but also redirect their foreign policy focus to the West. It would also reinforce Trump's broader effort to assert himself and the US as a major actor in resolving global conflicts. The timing of the meeting in the White House would certainly rattle Moscow: on the day of Trump's deadline for the Kremlin to agree to a ceasefire, two of Russia's former close allies will be in Washington, possibly signing their own historic peace accord. Zangezur Corridor remains key On 10 July, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Abu Dhabi for the first formal bilateral meeting. The leaders aimed at finalising the details of the peace treaty between the two countries and forging a future side by side after nearly four decades of conflict. The critical issue on the peace talks agenda is the Zangezur Corridor — a proposed transport route designed to connect Azerbaijan's mainland with its enclave which borders Baku's ally Turkey via Armenian territory. For Azerbaijan, the corridor offers a direct land connection to Nakhchivan, strengthens ties with Turkey and consolidates post-war gains through infrastructure diplomacy. It would strengthen Azerbaijan's position as a crucial transport and logistics hub on a global scale. But Azerbaijan did not want to have any third party involved and instead would prefer to have it under Baku's control, without the US, Europe or Russia's involvement. For Yerevan, the, the Zangezur Corridor would provide an opportunity to further integrate into wider trade networks, diversify its battered economy and attract foreign investment. Geopolitically, it would also help Armenia normalise relations with its neighbours. But Yerevan fears it could threaten Armenian sovereignty and insists any route remain under Armenian control, wary that true 'corridor' status could mean surrendering authority. The 43-kilometre corridor through Armenia's Syunik Province is of strategic importance not only for Azerbaijan and Armenia. It would have an impact and repercussions for the geopolitical situation in the whole region and beyond. And this is when the US is trying to step in. Washington's interests and Moscow-Tehran opposition The Armenian government's press office said on Wednesday that the meeting in the White House aims to 'promote peace, prosperity, and economic cooperation in the region'. Washington indeed has economic interests in the South Caucasus. A few weeks ago, the US offered to manage the Zangezur Corridor, which creates an uninterrupted land route facilitating cargo and passenger flow between Azerbaijan, Turkey, and ultimately Europe and Asia. Ankara also sees the corridor as a critical link in its ambitions to become a significant energy and trade hub. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on the importance of the corridor to journalists earlier in July. But the idea caused anger and fierce opposition in Russia and Iran. For Moscow and Tehran, the US involvement would threaten their control of north–south trade through the South Caucasus. Iran could lose leverage over its northward trade, being deprived of land access to the South Caucasus through Armenia. Moreover, the corridor could expand Turkish influence and, now, bring a direct US presence right at Iran's borders. For the Kremlin, this would mean losing the last bits of its influence in what used to be its stronghold region. Moscow's former allies While bogged down in Ukraine, Moscow has been gradually losing its influence in its decades-long stronghold in the South Caucasus region. In September 2023, Azerbaijan reclaimed complete control of the Karabakh region after a lightning military campaign, following a decades-long conflict with Armenia in which the Kremlin was a central actor. Almost two years later, Yerevan and Baku made history away from Russia by agreeing on the text of a peace accord and normalising their relations after a bloody conflict that until recently had no end in sight. Moscow has been trying to repair the cooperation with both Baku and Yerevan, offering "mediation" and launching disinformation campaigns against Yerevan. Russia's attempts to repair its ties with Baku were entirely destroyed when an Azerbaijani airliner crashed in Kazakhstan in December, killing 38 of 67 people aboard. As exclusively reported by Euronews, investigations into the incident revealed that the Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 was shot at by Russian air defence over Russia's Grozny and rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev recently announced that his country is preparing to file lawsuits in international courts against Russia regarding the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash. Referring to the investigation into the Malaysian airline Boeing case, shot down by Russian militants over the Russia-occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine, Aliyev said Baku is ready to wait as long as it takes. 'We are ready to wait 10 years, but justice must win. And unfortunately, the situation, which is currently in limbo, does not contribute to the development of bilateral relations between Russia and Azerbaijan," he explained. Last month, Azerbaijan and Russia engaged in another rare escalation. Baku detained the executive director and editor-in-chief of Russia's state-run news agency Sputnik following Moscow's raids of the Azeri community in Yekaterinburg. Two people died during the raid by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), and 50 more were detained. While distancing themselves from Russia did pave a way for Armenia and Azerbaijan to put an end to the decades-long conflict, it has also created a particular vacuum of power in the region, especially on the most critical issues, where Baku and Yerevan might take more time and compromise to agree upon, like the Zangezur Corridor. And this presents an opportunity for other countries and leaders to not only facilitate the diplomatic compromise, but also to make economic gains.
