The World Bank is under fire over allegations of impropriety in financing the Rogun Dam project in Tajikistan. Specifically, bank officials are facing accusations that they failed to comply with procedures to account for potential environmental and socio-economic harms associated with the project. A statement issued April 8 by the World Bank’s Inspection Panel, an independent investigative body, announced the registration of a formal Request for Inspection, in effect a complaint, concerning the bank’s involvement in the Rogun hydropower…

Lunes, 14 de abril de 2025.- En el episodio #435 de Análisis Situacional, Oscar Schémel conversa con Judith Valencia, economista, investigadora de la UCV y Premio Nacional de Cultura 2022. Se analiza el conflicto global desde la perspectiva del bloque de poder emergente frente a la estrategia de ex...

Average national prices for a gallon of gasoline at the pump on Monday fell for the first time in a month, according to GasBuddy, dropping 8.2 cents per gallon compared to a week ago, with prices still 7.8 cents higher than a month ago, and 46.9 cents higher than this time last year.  Diesel is also tracking this month with gasoline, with the national average per gallon of diesel dropping 4.8 cents week-on-week, resting at $3.546 per gallon on Wednesday, according to GasBuddy data.   “After oil’s sharp drop over the last…

Average national prices for a gallon of gasoline at the pump on Monday fell for the first time in a month, according to GasBuddy, dropping 8.2 cents per gallon compared to a week ago, with prices still 7.8 cents higher than a month ago, and 46.9 cents higher than this time last year.  Diesel is also tracking this month with gasoline, with the national average per gallon of diesel dropping 4.8 cents week-on-week, resting at $3.546 per gallon on Wednesday, according to GasBuddy data.   “After oil’s sharp drop over the last…

Average national prices for a gallon of gasoline at the pump on Monday fell for the first time in a month, according to GasBuddy, dropping 8.2 cents per gallon compared to a week ago, with prices still 7.8 cents higher than a month ago, and 46.9 cents higher than this time last year.  Diesel is also tracking this month with gasoline, with the national average per gallon of diesel dropping 4.8 cents week-on-week, resting at $3.546 per gallon on Wednesday, according to GasBuddy data.   “After oil’s sharp drop over the last…

Nuclear talks in Oman marked the first formal engagement between Iran and the United States in years, and though progress may have been slight, it was enough to signal a willingness to temper tensions through diplomacy rather than military action. Iranian and US negotiators agreed on April 12 to continue their high-level talks over Tehran's nuclear program on April 19, with the venue likely moving to Europe from the Middle East. Axios on April 13 cited sources as saying the second round would likely be in Rome, but there has been no official comment…

Lunes, 14 de abril de 2025.- Hay varias claves para entender la actuación del presidente de EEUU, Donald Trump: "querían una batalla monetaria", ahora Trump ya está abierto a negociar aranceles, impulsando la compra de deuda de EEUU. Lorenzo Ramírez, periodista económico, ha detallado que hay razon...

El expresidente de Ecuador, Rafael Correa, cuestionó los resultados de la segunda vuelta electoral que dan la victoria al actual presidente Daniel Noboa, al considerar que los mismos "son imposibles" y difíciles de explicar. «Todos saben que estos resultados son impo...

OPEC has revised its global oil demand growth forecast for 2025, citing escalating trade tensions and weaker-than-expected economic indicators. The cartel now anticipates a demand increase of 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) for 2025, down 150,000 bpd from its previous projection. Similarly, the 2026 forecast has been adjusted downward to 1.28 million bpd.  OPEC's latest report highlights that Trump’s tariff war has dampened economic activity, leading to a more cautious outlook on oil consumption. The organization also revised its global…

La Casa Blanca aseguró este lunes que no hay límite acordado sobre el número de personas a las que puede expulsar a El Salvador bajo la acusación de ser miembros de la banda criminal Tren de Aragua (TdA) o de las maras, pese a la oposición judicial y de organizaciones de derechos civiles. ...

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), one of the UK’s central forecasters, prepared itself for President Trump’s tariff war – or at least partially.  At a presentation after Chancellor Reeves’ Spring Statement, OBR chair Richard Hughes admitted the fiscal watchdog’s central forecast risked being completely undermined by global events.  Hughes came up with three possible scenarios for what Trump could announce and how much pain the UK economy would suffer. In one scenario, where the UK was slapped with…

14 de abril de 2025.- Este domingo ocurrió un accidente aéreo cerca del helipuerto de la Planta de Generación Termoeléctrica India Urquia, ubicada en la carretera nacional que conecta Santa Lucía del Tuy con Santa Teresa, en el municipio Paz Castillo, estado Miranda. Un helicóptero pertenecien...

14 de abril de 2025.- Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT) ha revelado su lista nacional de candidatos para las elecciones parlamentarias en Venezuela, encabezada por Henrique Capriles Radonski. El anuncio se realizó tras un fin de semana de postulaciones intensas, en medio de cuestionamientos sobre el proce...

Oil prices are sagging like a tired trampoline, and U.S. shale producers are feeling the bounce—just not in a good way. With WTI dancing around $60 and analysts wringing their hands over breakeven levels near $65, you'd be forgiven for assuming the shale patch was in full panic mode. But U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright—former CEO of Liberty Energy and now the government’s top oil whisperer—seems utterly unbothered. “The U.S. shale industry is going to survive and thrive,” Wright declared this week in Abu Dhabi,…

Oil prices are sagging like a tired trampoline, and U.S. shale producers are feeling the bounce—just not in a good way. With WTI dancing around $60 and analysts wringing their hands over breakeven levels near $65, you'd be forgiven for assuming the shale patch was in full panic mode. But U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright—former CEO of Liberty Energy and now the government’s top oil whisperer—seems utterly unbothered. “The U.S. shale industry is going to survive and thrive,” Wright declared this week in Abu Dhabi,…

Electric rate hike requests in Virginia don’t generally make the headlines globally, but the Financial Times featured a story about one: Dominion Energy’s request for a 14% rate increase for its Virginia customers. It wasn’t a slow news day, either. Donald Trump had just hiked tariffs and the pages were filled with discussions about why the administration had singled out Lesotho and Madagascar for extreme tariff punishment, to say nothing of the penguins. The FT’s story suggested that there would be more of the same from…

Last week’s price crash, which saw Brent Crude prices dip below $60 per barre, was an excessive market reaction to the U.S. tariffs, with speculators assuming there would be no growth in oil demand due to recession fears, Gunvor’s head of research Frederic Lasserre told Bloomberg. “I think the market overreacted,” Lasserre told Bloomberg in an interview, commenting on last week’s market rout. “I think this was a bit too aggressive, at least for now, and from here I see a bit more upside than downside because…

Last week’s price crash, which saw Brent Crude prices dip below $60 per barre, was an excessive market reaction to the U.S. tariffs, with speculators assuming there would be no growth in oil demand due to recession fears, Gunvor’s head of research Frederic Lasserre told Bloomberg. “I think the market overreacted,” Lasserre told Bloomberg in an interview, commenting on last week’s market rout. “I think this was a bit too aggressive, at least for now, and from here I see a bit more upside than downside because…

Un grupo de empresarios de Vietnam evalúan realizar inversiones en el sector agrario nacional y en este contexto participaron en una reunión con el embajador venezolano en ese país, Juan Carlos Fernandes Juárez, en Hanói. Los inversionistas vietnamitas mostraron interés en des...

Russia expects its natural gas exports, including via pipeline and LNG, to jump twofold by 2030 and threefold to 2050 under its new long-term energy strategy approved by the government on Monday. Russia sees its pipeline and LNG overseas deliveries surge from 146 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2023 to 293 bcm in 2030, and further up to 438 bcm by 2050. Crude oil and condensate production is targeted to increase from 531 million metric tons per year, or 10.66 million barrels per day (bpd), in 2023 to 540 million tons, or 10.8 million bpd, by 2050.…