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US pipeline operator Kinetik exploring potential sale, sources say
Three sources familiar with this matter confirmed on Wednesday that U.S. pipeline operator Kinetik Holdings was in the 'early stages' of exploring the sale of its company. Sources said that the company was working with advisors on the process. They cautioned, however, that there is no guarantee of a deal. Kinetik is a company that focuses on the transportation of natural gas and crude oil from the Delaware portion of Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. According to its website, it has over 4,600 miles of pipelines as well as the associated compression and processing infrastructure. Kinetik?did not?respond immediately to a comment request. Bloomberg News reported earlier on Wednesday that Kinetik was exploring its sale options.
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Enbridge, a Canadian company, will buy Tallgrass Crude Oil for $2.55 billion.
Enbridge announced on Wednesday that it would acquire the crude oil business of Tallgrass Energy, owned by Blackstone. The deal will cost $2.55 billion in cash. Enbridge also plans to expand its U.S.liquids pipeline network through the purchase of a majority stake and other assets. The Canadian pipeline operator stated that the deal will strengthen its presence in U.S. key crude-producing areas, including the Bakken and Powder River basins as well as the Denver-Julesburg Basins. It also creates operational synergies between its existing Express-Platte system. Enbridge, for example, is benefiting from the rising demand for natural gas and utility infrastructure, as well as power supply to data centers. This allows Enbridge to maintain a steady growth despite geopolitical tensions or commodity price volatility. Enbridge will acquire a ?75% interest in the Pony Express Pipeline, a 1,050-mile (1,690-km), 460,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) crude system that links production in the Rockies ?to the Cushing, Oklahoma, storage hub and provides access to about 500,000 ?bpd of refining capacity. The?acquisition is expected to close in 2026 (subject to regulatory approval), and includes a 51 percent stake in the Powder River Gateway Pipeline System, nearly 8,4 million barrels in storage at nine crude terminals that are connected to Pony Express as well as the crude marketing company Stanchion Energy. Enbridge stated that?the acquisition will be accretive in terms of distributable cash flow for each share during the first year after ownership. Its financial guidance for 2026 remains unchanged. The company said that it plans to?partially?fund its acquisition by way of an equity offering in conjunction with the August 26 purchase Salt Creek Midstream?s crude gathering business. Enbridge's C$41 billion (US$29.70billion) secured growth backlog is expected to be financed by an annual average growth capital investment of C$10 billion - C$11 billion. In April, the U.S. In April, President Donald Trump granted?several permits for pipelines, including one to build a new pipeline that will facilitate the transport of crude oil and petroleum between the U.S.
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Zelenskiy’s plane was almost struck by drone on Tuesday according to Norway PM
On Wednesday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said that the 'plane taking the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy to Oslo - for the funeral of Norway's king - was almost?struck? by a drone as it took off from Moldova on?Tuesday. "His plane almost got hit by a drone when it was taking off from Moldova." Stoere said that this is what he faces. He did not specify his source or the distance the drone was from the plane. Stoere made no comments about Zelenskiy or his plane. The arrivals and departures of Chisinau Airport were temporarily suspended on Tuesday due to two?Russian 'drones' that had entered Moldovan airspace. Flightradar24 data shows that several flights headed for?the city's capital landed in airports outside of Moldova or were placed into holding patterns. A drone crashed in a field and ignited a fire. The second drone continued into Romanian airspace. The Moldovan president Maia Sandu condemned the intrusions and called them a "serious danger to people's life". She also condemned an attack at a border crossing between Ukraine, which killed two people. Zelenskiy marched behind the coffin of King Harald V in Oslo on Wednesday. He was joined by other heads of state. After the funeral, he left Norway. Stoere said in a statement on Tuesday he would be meeting the Ukrainian leader that evening. Their discussions will focus on Ukraine’s air defence. Zelenskiy said that while he was visiting Norway, 'there would be discussions with companies participating in the Freyja initiative for creating a European Anti-Ballistic System.
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EIA: US power consumption will surpass previous records in 2026 and '27, as AI usage surges.
?U.S. The U.S. Energy Information Administration stated in its Short-Term Energy Outlook on Wednesday that power consumption would reach record levels in 2026-2027 due to the AI-hungry data centres and electrification. The EIA predicted that the power demand would rise from 4,195 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) at a record in 2025, to 4,270 billion in 2026, and 4,349 trillion?kWh by 2027. The demand for electricity is increasing as more homes and businesses are using less fossil fuels to heat and transport their vehicles and use more electricity. EIA's report stated that despite a pause on connecting new data center projects to the grid in Texas, the West South Central Region accounts for the majority of the total electricity sales growth. According to the EIA, power sales will reach?1,527 kWh in 2026 for residential customers, 1,542 kWh commercial customers and 1,059 kWh industrial customers. These forecasts are compared to all-time records of 1,515 billions kWh in 2025 for residential customers, 1,493 for commercial customers and 1,064 for industrial customers. The EIA says that as renewable energy output increases, coal's share in power generation will decline from 17% to 16% by 2025, and then to 14% by 2027. Natural gas' share will remain at 40% until 2026, but will drop from 2025. According to the outlook, renewable energy will increase from 24% to 25% by 2026, and to 27% by 2027. Nuclear power will remain at 18% until 2026, and then to 20% in 2027. This is the same as it was in 2025. Gas sales for residential customers will drop to 12.5 billion cubic foot per day in 2026, while commercial customers will increase to 9.5 billion cubic feet a day. However, industrial customers and power generators are expected to rise to 23.9 bcfd. These figures compare to all-time records of 14,3 bcfd for residential customers in 1996, 9.9 for commercial customers in 2025, 23.8 for industrial customers in 1973, and 36,8 for power generation in 2024.
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Ariane, Europe's space rocket, wins Amazon Space Gathering boost
Arianespace, the operator of Europe's flagship rocket programme, announced on Wednesday that Amazon 'Leo' has ordered six more launches using Europe's 'Ariane 6' launcher. Amazon has now ordered 24 Ariane launches by 2031, following the announcement made at a space conference in Paris. ArianeGroup's commercial arm announced that new flights on the Ariane 64 high-capacity version will start in 2029. Emmanuel Macron, French President, praised the deal during the opening of a 2-day space summit that was boycotted by a number of?top U.S. companies, including Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. This followed what sources described last week as White House pressure regarding the summit's Europe led agenda. Amazon plans to offer broadband internet worldwide with its network of low-Earth orbit satellites. This will compete against SpaceX's Starlink which boasts millions of users around the world. Amazon relies on the Atlas V rocket, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to launch its satellites into space. The deal on Wednesday shows that Europe is increasingly reliant on its prime launcher, as the U.S. faces a supply shortage. However, Elon Musk's SpaceX remains the dominant European launch company. Arianespace has launched 100 Amazon Leo satellites on three Ariane 6 missions this year. Amazon was previously required to launch half its initial 3,232 satellites before this summer. However, that requirement was waived in June when the company cited shortages in supply. Arianespace announced earlier on Wednesday that it would announce new business, bringing the total number of "extra launches" to 10. A spokesperson stated that it currently has about 30 orders, with slots in 2029 or 2030.
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Delta is urged to be neutral in the unionization effort by Democratic Senators
Two?Democratic Senators on Wednesday urged Delta Air Lines' CEO Ed Bastian to stay neutral in the ongoing attempts by some airline.flight attendants unionize. In a letter seen by the?Senators, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, they said that flight attendants at the Atlanta-based carrier have been trying for years to organize. They argued that management's attitude is "threatening future pay and benefits to flight attendants if they decide to organize", and called it inappropriate. Delta welcomed discussions with senators. Delta fully supports our employees' rights to decide if union representation is the right choice for them, and maintains a strict non-interference policty," it said. The airline added that they "respect every employee's decision and do not tolerate harassment, bullying or intimidation, regardless of whether their views about union representation." In June, more than 170 House members also wrote to Bastian to urge him to remain neutral regarding the efforts of flight attendants, fleet service workers and technicians to organize. They wrote: "We encourage Delta to respect these workers' rights by adopting a neutrality contract that commits the company to following the law, not interfering in union organizing activities, and refraining from intimidation, retaliation or any other illegal interference." Delta employees began a coordinated campaign to organize a trade union in November 2022. "Delta Flight Attendants have exercised their right to organise for 'years and leading coordinated union campaigns ever since the 1990s," Warren & Markey wrote. They cited reports that 'Delta said joining a Union would jeopardize benefits of its employees and published an official Delta anti union website. The senators pointed to emails sent by Delta last summer, in which the flight attendants were told that signing union authorization cards could cause "inner chaos" within the company. They said workers can now organize without fear or interference under the law. Once a majority has voted in favor of the union, it can request a representation election at the National Mediation Board. Delta's Pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association.
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Bombardier wants to fill 500 US job openings despite Trump's threats
Bombardier continues to recruit American workers for 500 "open jobs" in the U.S. Some of these jobs will be for a new Fort Wayne service center, Indiana. It is scheduled to open mid-November. Sources in the industry said that despite Trump's threats to ban the Montreal-based company, Bombardier is still able deliver planes to U.S. clients despite the trade dispute between Canada and the U.S. escalating. The latest round of U.S. retaliatory actions against Canada, which was introduced on Tuesday, did not affect the aerospace sector. On Wednesday, a?White House official stated that the Trump administration was preparing options and actions regarding Bombardier. Trump agreed last year to reinstate the multi-decade agreement that grants tariff-free status for airplanes and component parts. Some Republican legislators have reached out to the White House because they are concerned that Bombardier may lose access to one of its largest markets, which represents about half of their sales. U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (a Republican candidate for reelection in November) said that he would fight for the jobs of Bombardier in his state where it employs?about 1,500 people. He said, "I've taken this concern inside the Oval Office," on?X Tuesday. Jerry Moran, a Republican senator from Kansas, said he reached out to President Trump on Monday to "ensure that he is aware of Bombardier's significant contributions to Kansas." Trump's threats against Bombardier risk worsening a bitter trade dispute between Canada and the United States. The tariffs that the Trump administration has imposed have become a major issue for Democrats in their bid to regain control of Congress during the November midterm elections.
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Container ship arrives in UK from China via Arctic
The container ship arrived in Britain on Wednesday, after a 'historic voyage' from China via the Arctic. This is part of plans to encourage more ships to use this route as an alternative to the Suez Canal that could be shorter and safer. The Dubai Tower reached Teesport, off the northeast coast of England on August 15 after arriving from eastern China. The Arctic route, which is significantly faster than freighters that go through the Suez Canal or around the Cape Good Hope, is meant to be a start for a regular container service from Europe via the North Sea Route. South Korean container ships are also currently making a similar journey, joining China and Russia as shipping firms test?cargo service along the route. This is more feasible due to the faster melting of Arctic sea-ice. As the U.S. war with Iran continues, the route offers shorter journeys while avoiding?security risk in the Middle East. Weather and sailing conditions can be unpredictable, and the commercial feasibility of this route is not certain.
Businessman suspected of falsifying deeds after selling land to Kushner Resort in Albania
The country's organized crime-fighting agency revealed in case files reviewed by that a Miami-based Miami businessman was wanted in Albania for allegedly laundering drugs money. He is suspected of fabricating the deeds on land where Jared Kushner plans to build a multibillion-dollar resort.
Kujtim Kakrani, the lawyer of Artur Shehu denies any accusations made against him. He confirmed that Albanian prosecutors issued a warrant for Shehu to be arrested for money laundering for drug gangs.
The case files accuse Shehu and his associates of trafficking South American cocain into European ports and laundering funds by using them to create a real estate business, which included falsifying land ownership documents.
"None of the allegations made about Mr. Artur Shehu are true. Cakrani stated that Shehu is not a drug dealer or a forger.
"Mr Shehu knows of the accusations made by the Albanian prosecutor." He is not concerned by these allegations because he believes that the truth differs from what the Albanian prosecution claims.
The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment if it received any requests from Albania to find or detain Shehu.
Shehu sold in April the planned resort's strip of pristine Albanian coast to Albania Land Development. This company is owned by Sazan Real Estate Development, the project developers who are backed by Kushner, and other investors.
Prosecutors wrote in case files that "reasonable suspicions" were formed based on the evidence that the assets mentioned above had been acquired by using forged documents.
No allegations of wrongdoing are made in the files against Donald Trump's daughter-in-law Kushner or any other investor involved in the project. No evidence was found that any of the investors knew about any suspicions regarding Shehu before they purchased land from him.
When asked about the allegations made against Shehu, a spokesperson from Sazan Real Estate Development said that the company did not respond to them but believed the land acquisitions had been legitimate.
Albania Land Development has not responded to any requests for comment.
A spokesperson for?Kushner refused to comment on this story. Sazan confirmed that Kushner was an investor in this project. However, Sazan did not reveal the exact nature or extent of Kushner's investment.
DISPUTED PROJECTS ON PRISTINE LAND
The claim that the deeds were falsified adds another obstacle to a project that is already facing protests from?allegations it threatens wildlife.
Residents of Zvernec, a village near the project, have been fighting Shehu in court for more than 10 years.
Last month, 12 of them presented title deeds or tax records which they claimed proved that they were the legal owners of the property. Kostandin Beko, their lawyer, stated that the case was still open and they planned to ask a court to stop the resort project.
Albania, once one the poorest, most isolated countries of Europe, is now a EU candidate and experiencing a construction boom along the last unspoiled coast of Europe on the Adriatic Sea.
The Kushner resort will be built along a stretch with wild beaches, forests and a wetlands that is home to sea turtles. The flamingos have become a symbol for those who oppose the project. They call their protests "the Flamingo Revolution".
Ivanka Trump, Kushner's spouse, has stated that she and Kushner came up with the idea of the resort after they saw the coast years ago from a boat.
Kushner revealed the plans in 2024 on social media, with an artist's rendition showing the land covered by a hotel, villas and pools, as well as jetties for yachts. He hasn't publicly revealed how much he invested.
Albanian government strongly supports the plans, and claims that the protests were staged by political opponents. Edi Rama, the Prime Minister of Albania, said last month that this was a beautiful project and it would proceed regardless.
A government spokesperson responded that it would not interfere in private transactions but said that the project was being carried out in accordance with Albanian and EU law.
Brussels had previously urged Albania, as an EU candidate, to adhere to EU environmental regulations in relation to the project. The spokesperson of the EU's executive Commission declined to comment on this story.
ALBANIAN PROSECUTORS STEP INSIDE
The case files against Shehu have been prepared by Albania’s Special Structure Against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK), which was set up in 2019. Its investigators and prosecutors are independent from the regular police and prosecutor service.
The 200-page files have not been released. A spokesperson confirmed the investigation of the SPAK but refused to elaborate further.
The files date from June 12, 2026. SPAK announced publicly on the same day arrest warrants against 20 people accused of trafficking in narcotics, and laundering money from that trade.
The arrest warrants do not identify the suspects by name but only by initials. This is in accordance with the standard practice of Albania, where suspects are never publicly identified before being charged.
The initials on the arrest warrants correspond to the full name of the people described in the case file, including one suspect who is identified as "A.Sh."
Shehu's attorney Cakrani confirmed that Shehu is a target. He said that he wasn't concerned about the arrest warrant because it was "widely known" that Albanian prosecutors worked under the influence politicians and businessmen.
SPAK has yet to confirm if any of the suspects have been arrested or charged.
The Albanians living in Miami
SPAK documents state that Shehu sold the land for the project of the resort for approximately EUR110 million. It claims to have frozen the funds in the account a notary so they could not reach Shehu.
SPAK stated in its files that Shehu, and his associates, "purchased property using illegally acquired funds and forging ownership documents by creating fake property titles or artificially enlarging properties."
The properties were transferred or traded so that they could not be easily traced by authorities.
A spokesperson from Sazan Real Estate said: "We still believe that the land acquisitions in question were done lawfully and according to applicable procedures." We will always respect any legal process and cooperate as needed.
The spokesperson did not respond to my question about why Shehu's land acquisitions are legal, despite the allegations made by the prosecutors.
Shehu’s lawyer Cakrani told Shehu that Shehu’s family owned the land from the Ottoman Empire, more than 100 year ago, and had sold it lawfully to the investors.
Cakrani described Shehu, a good citizen who sought asylum in the United States after "criminal groups" had killed his brother in front of him in 1998. This account could not be independently verified. Reporting by Fatos bytyci, Edward McAllister, Timour Azhari in Dubai, Amina lsmail in Brussels, and Andrew Goudsward, Washington. Writing by Edward McAllister, Editing by Peter Graff.
(source: Reuters)