France Slaps Curfews On Riot-Plagued Cities As Report Links Unrest To Communists

"Optimism Has Picked Up": Retail Operators See Consumer Relief After Gas Prices Tumble As soon as the national average for 87-octane gasoline at the pump dipped below the politically sensitive $4-a-gallon level early last week, we observed multiple institutional desks begin to forecast that the light at the end of the tunnel was beginning to materialize for consumers, especially working-class households that have been financially battered by surging fuel prices over the past several months. UBS analyst Mark Paski told clients about "early signs of a turn in U.S. consumer discretionary." Then,...

Putin Again Tells Energy Giants To Use Iran War Windfall To Pay Off Bank Loans: 'Wise Decision' In yet more unintended blowback from Washington's Iran war gambit, now in its fourth week, President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russian oil and gas companies must use windfall profits from the Iran war to reduce debt. It's been no secret that higher crude prices, amid the ongoing massive disruption to global energy supplies due to the Hormuz Strait effective closure, have been a boon to Russia as it continues to fund its war...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Abu Dhabi on Sunday to meet with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Saudi officials, and other representatives from Arab states to discuss Ansar Allah in Yemen.  Earlier this month, Ansar Allah launched a large-scale offensive that captured much of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and territory from […]