Energy

Biden calls on Congress to suspend the gas tax — Here’s what that means for prices at the pump
World

Biden calls on Congress to suspend the gas tax — Here’s what that means for prices at the pump

President Joe Biden called on Congress Wednesday to temporarily suspend the federal gas tax, as he tries to quell the rapid surge in prices at the pump. While experts say a suspension could provide some immediate relief, it could also keep demand elevated, thereby exacerbating tight supply. Consumers are getting hit with higher prices everywhere, […]

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Moscow and NATO could be heading for a confrontation over Russia’s European exclave of Kaliningrad
World

Moscow and NATO could be heading for a confrontation over Russia’s European exclave of Kaliningrad

A sign reading ‘Kaliningrad’ stands atop the city’s south railway station. Harry Engels | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images A new front in tensions between Russia and NATO has opened up after one of the Western military alliance’s members, Lithuania, banned the transit of some goods coming from Russia to its exclave Kaliningrad on […]

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UK inflation hits new 40-year high of 9.1% as food and energy price surge persists
World

UK inflation hits new 40-year high of 9.1% as food and energy price surge persists

More than four in five people in the U.K. are worried about rising living costs and their ability to afford basics necessities like food and energy over the coming months, according to a new survey. Tolga Akmen | Afp | Getty Images LONDON — U.K. inflation hit 9.1% year-on-year in May as soaring food and […]

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Coal investments set to rise 10% this year as nations fret over energy security
Technology

Coal investments set to rise 10% this year as nations fret over energy security

Coal and a wind turbine in Hohenhameln, Germany, on April 11, 2022. A number of major economies have formulated plans to reduce their reliance on Russian hydrocarbons in recent months. Mia Bucher | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Global energy investment is on course to jump by more than 8% in 2022 and hit $2.4 […]

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Last year it was floods. Now heat waves are driving record power consumption in China’s Henan
World

Last year it was floods. Now heat waves are driving record power consumption in China’s Henan

A citizen wearing a breathing mask to escape heat rides on the road on May 23, 2019 in China. The electricity load in the Chinese province of Henan reached a new record on Monday, primarily driven by air-conditioning demand, as scorching heat waves spread across regions north of the Yangtze river. Vcg | Visual China […]

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Canada is banning single-use plastics, including grocery bags and straws
Business

Canada is banning single-use plastics, including grocery bags and straws

Restaurants and grocery stores worry about a supply of alternative products as the government announces details of its ban on single-use plastics. in Toronto. June 20, 2022. Steve Russell | Toronto Star | Getty Images Canada is banning the manufacture and import of single-use plastics by the end of the year, the government announced on […]

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Russia is squeezing Europe’s gas supplies, sparking a bitter and reluctant return to coal
World

Russia is squeezing Europe’s gas supplies, sparking a bitter and reluctant return to coal

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck has warned that the situation is going to be “really tight in winter” without precautionary measures to prevent a supply shortage. Ina Fassbender | Afp | Getty Images Reduced flows of Russian gas and the specter of a full supply disruption have prompted some European governments to reconsider coal, one […]

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Volvo says it has started testing trucks with fuel cells powered by hydrogen
World

Volvo says it has started testing trucks with fuel cells powered by hydrogen

According to Volvo Trucks, fuel cells for the vehicles will be provided by cellcentric, a joint venture with Daimler Truck that was established in March 2021. Tomohiro Ohsumi | Bloomberg | Getty Images Volvo Trucks said Monday that it had begun to test vehicles that use “fuel cells powered by hydrogen,” with the Swedish firm […]

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‘The situation is serious’: Germany plans to fire up coal plants as Russia throttles gas supplies
World

‘The situation is serious’: Germany plans to fire up coal plants as Russia throttles gas supplies

Germany plans to compensate for a cut in Russian gas supplies by increasing the burning of coal — the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel in terms of emissions. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Germany has said the deteriorating gas market situation means Europe’s largest economy must limit the use of natural gas for electricity production […]

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Bitcoin drops below ,300 as sell-off accelerates — here’s what happened
Technology

Bitcoin drops below $18,300 as sell-off accelerates — here’s what happened

Bitcoin plunged to $18,248, and ether fell to $944 as of mid-afternoon on Saturday, as the sell-off in the crypto market accelerates. The world’s two most popular cryptocurrencies are down more than 35% in the past week, as both breach symbolic price barriers. Carnage in the crypto market is partly to do with pressure from […]

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