Christine Lagarde to leave ECB before the end of her 8-year term

D.C. Gas Ban Gets Favorable Hearing In Federal Appeals Court Authored by Julianne Geiger via OilPrice.com, A federal appeals panel appeared inclined Tuesday to let Washington, D.C.'s restrictions on natural gas in certain new buildings stand. The case turns on the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, or EPCA, which gives the Department of Energy authority to set efficiency and energy-use standards for appliances including furnaces, water heaters, dryers and stoves. Industry groups argue that D.C. cannot accomplish through a building code what federal law prevents it from doing directly to an appliance. The...

Two Empty Qatari LNG Tankers Head Toward Gulf After Weekend Hormuz Transit Breakthrough Bloomberg ship-tracking specialist Stephen Stapczynski has identified two empty Qatari LNG tankers, Al Gattara and Fraiha, transiting north toward the Gulf area after idling near Mauritius. This movement comes just days after a Qatari LNG carrier successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting that Doha may be engaged in backchannel discussions with Tehran about a gradual normalization of LNG flows through the maritime chokepoint. Al Gattara and Fraiha could be returning to Qatar to load LNG cargoes. If confirmed,...

Oil Tanker Rates Hit Record Highs as Middle East Shipping Risks Soar By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com Oil tanker rates have jumped to record highs as escalating risks to shipping in and out of the Middle East are prompting traders and tanker operators to undertake inefficient and more expensive trade routes. While the crude oil supply is actually there, shipping it through the Strait of Hormuz remains a very risky endeavor, especially in light of the escalating U.S.-Iran tanker war in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, while Saudi Arabia...