Latest News
-
Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2019
These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been?verified and we cannot vouch for their accuracy. Dennis Cinelli, a technology executive who is currently a board member at Paramount Skydance, has been named as the company's next chief financial officer. After a visit to the White House, top officials from Denmark and Greenland stated that they had not convinced U.S. president Donald Trump to give up his plans to annex Greenland. Federal investigators are examining how Boeing has responded to previous failures on McDonnell Douglas aircraft. Alibaba Group is rolling out an update to its Qwen App, which integrates?the chatbot within its ecosystem. It will also allow it to carry out tasks for users. Affiliates of Kaiser Permanente have agreed to pay $556 million in settlement to claims that they illegally pressed doctors to add codes for diagnoses to patient records they had never considered, to increase Medicare payments.
-
Maguire: Key trends in US energy and power at home and abroad
The U.S. Energy System has begun 2026 with more momentum and buzz than it's had in decades, despite all the policy whiplash. Electricity production in the United States is increasing faster than most other western countries. This allows utilities to provide more power?to data centres that are growing rapidly and using a lot of energy, and AI applications which are the key drivers for the U.S. economic. The U.S. will continue to be the world's largest and'most influential exporter for crude oil and natural gases, which are the backbone of the vast majority of the global energy system and provide massive revenues to the U.S. Treasury. The strong state of the U.S. Energy Sector is a testament to President Donald Trump’s "energy dominance", which will gain even more momentum in 2018 as new energy policies are implemented. Here are some key metrics for electricity production, fossil fuel exports and imports that will help you track the U.S. Energy Sector through 2026. ELECTRIC GROWTH Data from Ember shows that the total electricity generated by U.S. utilities in 2025 increased by 3% from the previous year. This is the second consecutive year where wholesale electricity output has shown a rise of 3% or more. This electricity growth rate is compared to an average annual growth of 0.3% over the last five years. It shows that utilities have increased their generation efforts. The increase in utility production was due to a 5% increase in the output of electricity from clean energy sources and a 1 % rise in the output from fossil fuel plants. In Europe, the rate of growth in utility supply in total was only?0.2% last year. This is largely due to high energy prices. The U.S. is on par with the global average for 2025 but falls short of the 5% increase in the utility electricity production posted by?China. The U.S. utility industry is expected to increase electricity production in 2026. This will be due to the addition of solar and battery networks, as well as a planned restart of Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan. The federal government's decision to stop funding renewable energy projects could slow down the rate of growth in solar and wind capacity and, over time, affect the growth in electricity output. OIL, GAS & COAL According to the Energy Institute, while clean power sources have gained a record-breaking share of U.S. electric mix in 2025. fossil fuels still remain the main pillar of U.S. system of energy and are responsible for 83% of total U.S. supply of energy. The fossil fuels will continue to dominate the energy mix with their record production in 2025, both of crude oil and of natural gas. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, crude oil production in the United States will average 13.6 million barrels a day by 2025. Dry natural gas production will average 107.4 bcf/day. In 2025, coal output increased by 5% compared to the previous year. However, the total U.S. production of coal remains below levels from a decade earlier due to the reduced use of domestic power generation. Natural gas is the main power fuel for the U.S. It accounts for about 40% of the electricity produced and is a major source of power and heat for the industry. In 2026, rising natural gas prices will be a result of increasing power consumption and record demand from LNG exporters. This is expected to increase the extraction rate from gas wells. FOSSIL EXPORTS According to Kpler, the commodities intelligence firm, LNG dominated the U.S. export of energy in 2025 with a record-breaking 252 million cubic metres shipped. The total LNG exports for 2025 increased by?25% compared to the previous year. This growth is expected to continue in 2026, as more liquefaction capacity will be available along the Texas coast and the Louisiana coast. The EIA estimates that the total U.S. exports of LNG could increase by 9% to 1.3 billion cubic feet per day in 2026, and then will rise to 1.7 billion cubic feet per days in 2027. It is not clear what will happen to U.S. crude exports by 2026. Exporters should have plenty of supplies, as the domestic crude demand is relatively flat and production is robust. Kpler says it is still unclear whether exporters can ship out more than the 1.38 million barrels that they shipped out in 2025. This is because they will need to deal with increased supplies from Venezuela after the U.S. ousted Venezuelan President Maduro this month. The U.S. coal exports are also being pressured by the declining demand for the fuel globally and increased competition from Indonesian, Australia, Colombian, Russia, and South Africa who all have shorter trade routes with major importers. Even if coal exports are flat in the long run, the output and consumption of coal in the power sector is likely to grow in 2026. The U.S. Energy Sector is expected to have a strong year in 2020, with continued growth in LNG, record crude oil exports and near-record production. These are the opinions of the columnist, an author for. You like this article? Check it out Open Interest The new global financial commentary source (ROI) is your go-to for all the latest news and information. ROI provides data-driven, thought-provoking analysis on everything from soybeans to swap rates. The markets are changing faster than ever. ROI can help you keep up. Follow ROI on You can find us on LinkedIn.
-
Police say that another crane collapsed in Thailand, killing two people.
Police said that a crane in Thailand collapsed on Thursday crushing two vehicles and killing 2 people. This happened a day after a 'crane accident' in the northeast killed 32 passengers. According to Police Colonel Sitthiporn Kasi of the local district police station, the latest incident occurred in Samut Sakhon Province, near the capital Bangkok. A crane used?in construction of an elevated road fell onto the road below. Five other people were also injured, according to a second police officer from the station. The accident was the latest of many?fatal accidents in Thailand caused by construction projects. On Wednesday, a train derailed in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima after a crane collapsed in an elevated high-speed rail project. Authorities said that 66 passengers on the train, in addition to the 32 dead, were injured. Investigations are ongoing. (Reporting and writing by Panarat Thepgumpanat, Martin Petty, editing by David Stanway.)
-
Boeing reaches tentative agreements in related 737 MAX accident lawsuits
Boeing has tentatively settled with a Canadian who lost six family members in the crash of an Ethiopian Air 737 MAX shortly after takeoff on January 29, 2019. The cases had already been consolidated?into?a single trial at the U.S. District Court of Chicago. Terms of settlements reached late on Tuesday were not disclosed. Three of Manant Vaidya’s six family members died in the accident – his parents, Pannagesh Vaidya and Hansini Vaidya; and his sister, Kosha Vaidya. The crash also claimed the lives of Preritkumar, Kosha Dixit's husband and their children Ashka and Anushka. Boeing settled the lawsuits relating to their deaths in 2025. Clifford Law Firm which represented Manant Vaidya said that all six victims lived in Canada. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was destroyed five months after another 737 MAX crashed into Java Sea, Lion?Air Flight 610. Both crashes were caused by an automated flight control system. A total of 346 people died in both crashes. Boeing has previously stated that the U.S. aircraft manufacturer settled more than 90 percent of the civil lawsuits relating to the two crashes, and paid out billions in compensation via lawsuits, deferred prosecution agreements, and other payments. Boeing's most popular jet was grounded for 20 months as a result of two accidents. The cost to the company?s $20 billion. In a statement released on Wednesday, a 'Boeing spokesperson expressed their deepest regrets to those who lost loved ones in Lion Air Flight 610 or Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. "We have made a commitment upfront to compensate fully and fairly the families of those who lost their lives and accepted legal responsibility for the accidents. We respect the right of families to sue in court for damages, even though we have settled most claims. We will continue our efforts to resolve the claims made by the families of those affected by these accidents. (Reporting from Seattle by Dan Catchpole; Editing by Stephen Coates).
-
Google claims that the US transmission system is the biggest challenge to connecting data centers
Google's energy executive said that the most difficult part of powering Google data centers is connecting to the U.S. electric transmission system. In some areas, the wait time to connect can be more than 10 years. As the world's biggest technology companies race to expand energy-intensive data centres, which are increasingly used to train artificial intelligence and to?roll it out, they are up against the slow-moving power grid of China. Marsden?Hanna (Global Head of Sustainability and Climate Policy, Google) said that transmission barriers were the biggest challenge on the grid at an event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute. Hanna stated that "we had one utility tell us to study the timeline of interconnection for 12 years, which is kind?of crazy, but this is what we are seeing." Hanna stated that in order to reduce the "wait times", the country must address delays with new transmission and utilities should deploy technology to increase the power flow from the existing system. Google is examining co-location arrangements that could help it avoid some of the long wait times. The company would do this by placing some data centers next to power plants. Colocated arrangements allow for the transmission system to be bypassed and the lengthy wait times that come with it. Hanna stated that "that's the strategy we're pursuing when it comes to colocation, and our hope is for these resources to be eventually 'grid-connected'." Hanna stated that Google prefers to be connected to the grid. The topic of colocation is complex and controversial. It has sparked debate about who should pay for the costs and what happens when a power plant diverts its power to a single customer. Federal and regional regulators are addressing the issue of colocation. They want to establish guidelines for the cost and reliability issues that arise when building data centers near existing power plants.
-
CANADA-CRUDE-Discount on Western Canada Select narrows
On Wednesday, the discount between West Texas Intermediate crude oil and North American benchmark West Texas Select futures was reduced. WCS for February deliveries in Hardisty, Alberta, settled at $14.30 per barrel less than the U.S. benchmark WTI according to brokerage CalRock. This compares with $14.40 on Tuesday. The discount on Canadian heavy crude remains $1 more than last month. The price of Canadian heavy crude has dropped?as a result of increased market volatility due to U.S. president Donald Trump's stated goal to increase Venezuelan production. The market is watching for the possibility of an increase in Venezuelan heavy oil barrels competing with Canadian heavy oils in the U.S. Gulf Coast in the long term. Some analysts have suggested that the market may have overreacted because it will be years before Venezuela is able to increase its oil production beyond current levels. The global oil price settled higher on Wednesday. However, it then lost most of its gains after U.S. president Donald Trump eased concerns about disruptions of?Iranian supply when he announced late in the afternoon the killings of Iranians who were fighting civil unrest had slowed. (Reporting and editing by Amanda Stephenson, Calgary)
-
Boeing flagged a crack in a part of the UPS fatal crash in 2011.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced on Wednesday that a cracked part on a UPS MD-11 cargo jet, which crashed in Kentucky in November, was?flagged? in a Boeing Service Letter more than a ten-year-old. The National Transportation Safety Board said that 15 people, including 3 plane crew members, were killed in the fiery crash of the MD-11 cargo aircraft at Louisville Airport. The NTSB reported that its investigation found fatigue cracks on the left pylon support structure, also known as the bearing race. Boeing's letter from 2011 stated that there were four failures in the bearing race on three aircraft, which required visual inspections. However, it was not considered a safety of flight issue by the NTSB. Boeing's letter stated that the part would be inspected on average every five years. The FAA declined comment. Boeing stated that it continues to support NTSB's investigation but declined to comment on the letter. ? The Boeing service bulletin that was cited in this update, according to air safety expert Anthony Brickhouse, flagged "a fatigue situation". Brickhouse said that if fatigue is not handled properly it could become a safety of flight issue. In its update, the NTSB also stated that the first engine of the UPS plane had caught fire and there were anomalies in the thrust of the second. Normaly, a plane with three engines and two working engines can climb. Experts say that investigators will look at the possibility of ingestion of debris. Reporting by David Shepardson, Washington and Allison Lampert, Montreal
-
Lufthansa changes Middle East operations, and Germany warns against flights over Iran
Flightradar24 reported on Wednesday that Germany had issued a directive warning its airlines against entering Iranian airspace. This came shortly after Lufthansa revised?its flight operation across the Middle East due to escalating tensions in the area. Lufthansa announced on Wednesday it will bypass Iranian and Iraqi Airspace until further notice. It will only operate daytime flights from Tel Aviv and Amman between Wednesday and Monday next week. In a statement, it said that some flights may also be cancelled as a consequence of these actions. Protests against the government in Iran are taking place across the country started The unrest has escalated over the last month. Several protesters have been reported as 'killed' while authorities blacked out the internet to curb the growing unrest. Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has threatened to intervene on behalf of Iranian protesters. Iran's protests come after a series of geopolitical tensions that have heightened tensions throughout the Middle East. Investors have been impacted by the situation. Investors have become more volatile. piled into Gold and the Dollar are safe havens. In a statement, the German airline group stated that passengers affected would be notified and automatically rebooked. It also added that crews who were flying into Israel or Amman will fly directly back without staying overnight on site. Separately Italian carrier ITA Airways, of which Lufthansa Group has now become a major shareholder, announced that it too would suspend night flights from Tel Aviv 'until next Tuesday. Flydubai and Turkish Airlines are two of the many airline operators that have a presence in the Middle East. You can cancel your order if you wish. Multiple flights to Iran have been made in the last week. Reporting by Kanjyik and Keith Weird; Editing by Chris Reese, David Gregorio and Nathan Gomes
Promising teenager skaters, ex-world champs amongst victims of Washington air crash
All 64 people aboard a flight from Wichita, Kansas-- 60 guests and four team members-- and the 3 soldiers on a U.S. Army helicopter were believed dead after the 2 aircraft collided in a fiery explosion near Washington, D.C.
. The victims consist of figure skaters, family members and coaches who had actually been participating in a national training school for top young skaters in Kansas. Amongst the victims were Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, former world champs in pairs figure skating who coached young skaters in the Boston area.
Here is what we understand about a few of the victims:
SPENCER LANE AND JINNA HAN
Spencer and Jinna, both around 16 years of ages, qualified nearly every day at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, according to the club's executive director, Doug Zeghibe. The Lane household lived in Rhode Island, and the Han household lived in the Boston area.
The two young skaters had actually been attending U.S. Figure Skating's National Development Camp in Wichita, an elite training camp that followed recently's U.S. national championships for skaters viewed as the future of the sport, Zeghibe said.
Spencer, in the best way possible, was an insane kid-- extremely talented, exceptionally talented, Zeghibe informed reporters at the club on Thursday morning. Has not been skating that long and simply rocketing to the top of the sport - extremely fun, extremely cerebral, an excellent thinker.
Spencer published a picture of the wing of the airplane before it removed from Wichita on Instagram, according to media reports, with a caption listing Washington as the location.
In another post, he stated qualifying for the camp had actually been a. longtime objective. He thanked Shishkova and Naumov, to name a few,. for an amazing experience.
Jinna was a terrific kid, Zeghibe stated.
Fantastic parents, excellent professional athlete, excellent competitor, enjoyed. by all, he told reporters.
Spencer's mother, Christine, and Jinna's mom, Jin, were. likewise on the aircraft. Both were good example parents who made a lot. of sacrifices to assist their kids excel in the sport, Zeghibe. stated.
YEVGENIA SHISHKOVA AND VADIM NAUMOV
The Russian-born Shishkova and Naumov, who were wed, won. the world champion in pairs figure skating in 1994 and had. coached at the Skating Club of Boston because 2017.
They were talented and the upper class, stated Ludmila. Velikova in St. Petersburg, where she trained both skaters when. they were kids. Zhenya (Shishkova) trained with me from the. age of 11 and Vladik (Naumov) from age 14. They resembled my own. children.
The couple's kid, Maxim, also a skater, ended up in 4th. location in the men's totally free skate at the U.S. national championships. recently. He left Wichita after the competition and was not on. Wednesday's plane.
Zeghibe described Vadim Naumov as an old-school coach who. used the rigorous Russian approach to his trainees. Shishkova, Zeghibe stated, was extremely difficult and durable, as. many female pairs skaters are.
You might not see Genia without breaking into a smile, he. said, using a label.
INNA VOLYANSKAYA
Russian-born Volyanskaya, a skating coach in the Washington. area, was on board the aircraft, according to a X post from U.S. Agent Suhas Subramanyam and a report from the Russian. news agency TASS.
Volyanskaya competed as a sets skater for the Soviet Union. in the 1980s. She coached young skaters at the Washington Figure. Skating Club, according to the club's site.
In a statement on Thursday, the club did not verify whether. any member or coach was on the flight however stated it was. devastated by news of the crash.
More information will be posted when appropriate, the club. stated.
(source: Reuters)