First Qatar Supply Shock, Now Cyclone Chaos Slams Major Australian LNG Plants

Energy Department Issues Emergency Order As Hot Weather Conditions Threaten Blackouts The Department of Energy (DOE) issued an emergency order authorizing Southwest Power Pool Inc. to use certain energy resources to reduce the risk of potential blackouts, according to a July 21 statement from the department. Electrical transmission poles and lines in Commerce, Calif., on Aug. 7, 2025. Mike Blake/Reuters The order, issued on July 20 and signed by Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, stated that Southwest Power Pool (SPP) had asked the DOE to temporarily permit certain resources to operate beyond...

Judge Rejects States' Attempt To Block Medicaid Work Requirements Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times, A federal judge on July 30 declined to block new work requirements for Medicaid recipients that states must implement by Jan. 1, 2027. Judge Richard Stearns of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts turned down a request for a preliminary injunction made by Massachusetts and 25 other states to block the work requirements as the states’ legal challenge proceeds. Stearns said in a six-page decision that the harms about which the states complained—added...

The Growing Burden Of Old-Age Dependency Many countries around the world are facing a rapidly rising old-age dependency ratio, according to projections published in the UN’s World Population Prospects 2024. As Statista's Anna Fleck details below, this indicator measures the number of people aged 65 and older relative to the working-age population (between 15 and 64 years old). South Korea is expected to experience a particularly steep increase, with the number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age adults projected to jump from 31.2 in 2026 to 75.6 by 2050. You will find more...