Tag - oil

 
 

OIL

Dunes of low-grade coal are seen near a coal mine in Ruzhou, in China's Henan province, in 2021.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2026
China revives coal-to-gas projects as energy security frays
The government is looking to tap cheap domestic coal to limit its exposure to natural gas imports.
A coal mine in Candiota, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 2025
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Apr 20, 2026
Nations gather for first-ever conference on fossil fuel exit
Concerns over energy security are expected to shape the high-level discussions over April 28 and 29 as much as climate priorities.
China may be pushed into an uncomfortable reactive stance by the Iran war, but over time it retains a steadier position to outmaneuver Washington.
COMMENTARY / World / Perspectives
Apr 20, 2026
Is Xi feeling stronger than Trump?
In the U.S.-China great power competition, the American president’s handling of the Iran war may have given a strategic edge to Beijing.
Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, on Saturday
WORLD / Politics
Apr 19, 2026
Hormuz at standstill, denting U.S.-Iran peace deal hopes
The standoff threatens to deepen the energy crisis and undermine expectations of a peace deal touted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Buildings in the historic area of Takayama, Gifu Prefecture
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Apr 19, 2026
Japan’s tourism industry begins to feel pain of Iran war
With the Iran war continuing, travel costs between Europe and Japan have increased to the point that many European travelers are canceling their plans.
Longline tuna fishing boats in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2026
Japanese fishers hit hard by high crude oil prices
Revenue from tuna caught is almost offset by fuel costs, the owner of a company in Miyagi Prefecture said.
Merchandise featuring U.S. President Donald Trump is sold during The National Rifle Association’s annual meetings and exhibits in Houston on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 19, 2026
The Iran war has revealed Trump’s pressure point: the economy
Iran has taken a beating militarily, but demonstrated it can exact economic costs that ​Trump and his aides underestimated, unleashing the worst-ever global energy shock.
U.S. military AH-64 Apaches fly above the Strait of Hormuz during a patrol on Friday in this photo released by U.S. Central Command via their X account.
WORLD
Apr 19, 2026
U.S. and Iran cite progress in talks as uncertainty hangs over strait
Neither side offered any specifics about the state of negotiations on Saturday, days before a fragile ceasefire is set to expire.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event at Dream City Church in Phoenix on Friday.
WORLD
Apr 18, 2026
Defiant message from Iran as vessels attempting to cross Hormuz report gunfire
At least two merchant vessels reported they were hit by gunfire as they attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
Oil pump jacks outside Almetyevsk in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan in June 2023
WORLD
Apr 18, 2026
U.S. renews Russian oil waiver after pressure from countries dealing with Iran war price shocks 
U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle accused the government of going easy on Moscow ​as its war on Ukraine grinds on.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 18, 2026
Bessent’s busy week clashes with global thirst for U.S. attention
At the IMF and World Bank spring meetings, some participants grumbled that U.S. officials were reluctant to discuss the U.S.-war driven oil shock.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron leave a news conference after the multinational virtual summit at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2026
European leaders offer military help to secure Strait of Hormuz
Trump said the waterway is “open and ready for business,” though a U.S. naval blockade would remain in place until a broader agreement is reached.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, in Busan, South Korea, last October.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 18, 2026
China steps up Iran diplomacy while seeking smooth summit with Trump
China is accelerating its efforts to end the Iran war, walking a diplomatic tightrope as it prepares for a summit next month with U.S. President Donald Trump while trying not to alienate Tehran.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Friday indicted five Japanese oil distributors, including East Japan Usami, Eneos Wing and Enex Fleet, over their alleged operation of a price cartel for gas oil.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
Five Japanese oil distributors indicted over cartel after FTC probe
According to the indictment, officials from the firms allegedly agreed to raise the selling prices of gas oil and curb price reduction at meetings in Tokyo in 2024.
An oil refinery in Yokohama. The government has stressed that the total volume of oil needed for Japan as a whole can be sourced from reserves and alternate locations that do not require transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2026
Japanese government urges suppliers not to hold back critical materials from the market
It insists that shortages are in part the result of companies limiting sales due to fear of future scarcity.
Crude oil buyers in Japan led the charge to purchase May-loading cargoes from the U.S. early in the month, along with South Korean, Singapore and Thai processors.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2026
Asia relying on U.S. crude to replace Middle East supply
U.S. exports of oil, including crude and refined products, reached a record 13 million barrels a day last week, government data showed.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand. With the fragile U.S.-Iran ​ceasefire in mind, analysts and investors warn Thailand faces another difficult year.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Apr 16, 2026
Foreign investors flee Thailand as Iran war dashes hope for economic revival
The conflict has sent global oil prices up to near $100 a barrel, sharpening the focus on Asia’s reliance on energy supplies from the Gulf.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2026
Japan foreign minister urges diplomacy in call with Iran
Toshimitsu Motegi reiterated the importance of keeping the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. in place in his latest conversation with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to reporters Wednesday at the Prime Minister’s Office following an online meeting with Southeast Asian leaders.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2026
Japan to provide $10 billion to Southeast Asia to secure oil
Sanae Takaichi added that Japan relies on Asian nations to secure medical supplies like surgery gloves.
Smoke rises from the Thai-registered bulk carrier Mayuree Naree near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after it was attacked.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 15, 2026
Gulf oil crisis reveals shortcomings in government readiness
After just two weeks, the International Energy Agency concluded that the Iran war had created the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.

Longform

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