Switzerland Considers Electric Vehicle Ban To Avoid Blackouts
Video via Irina Slav
Strikes grow as Macron postpones threat to crush French refinery strike
Related:
French left-wing parties gather protesters to march in Paris, as refinery strikes persist




MSM was all over the cost of living protests but nothing about the Anti-NATO protests. Videos have emerged of police repression in Paris (at which protest, I’m unsure). Meanwhile, in the US, the Poor People’s Campaign, and allies, held multiple demonstrations to get out the vote (which were mainly covered by local news).
The demonstrations were sparked by what protesters called economic “disruption” and “energy and health restrictions”
Mass protests against NATO and EU hit Paris streets (VIDEOS)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Cuba’s government has made a rare request for emergency assistance from the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden after Hurricane Ian knocked out power to the whole island of 11 million people, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
Cuba requests U.S. aid after Hurricane Ian knocks out power -WSJ
Video via Belly of The Beast Cuba

Thousands of Colorado residents found themselves locked out of their smart thermostats during sweltering temperatures last week in an effort to prevent power demand from overwhelming the grid.
A utility company locked thousands of customers out of their smart thermostats in Colorado
As many as half of British households may be facing fuel poverty because of the inexorable rise in energy prices, EDF, the French utility that also has business in the UK, has warned.
Half Of UK Households Will Be In Fuel Poverty By January
International Monetary Fund (IMF) last Thursday announced that a preliminary staff-level agreement with the Sri Lankan government had been reached for a four-year arrangement to provide a $US2.9 billion loan facility, subject to the approval of the IMF the executive board.
IMF announces preliminary bailout loan agreement with Sri Lanka

Europe’s impending depression is not to be discounted in terms of its relevance to this side of the Atlantic pond. Since the turn of the century, US exports to the European Union have soared from $12.3 billion per month to $30.4 billion. That latter amounts to $365 billion on an annual basis.
Needless to say, when European GDP descends into a double-digit slide, demand for US exports will plunge, causing declines in production and employment on this side of the Atlantic.
Europe’s Coming Winter From Hell: Thanks for Your Sanctions War, Washington!
Global conferences demand that developing countries hasten their journey to clean energy, but African political leaders are pushing back. They want to develop the continent’s gas deposits, in particular, to deliver vitally needed power.
‘We are not the problem’ – Africa insists on gas as transition fuel
The writing is on the wall for Europe in terms of this coming winter – It’s going to get ugly. With natural gas imports from Russia cut by 80% through Nord Stream 1 along with the majority of oil shipments, the EU is going to be scrambling for whatever fuel sources they can find to supply electricity and heating through the coming winter. Two sources that were originally suggested as alternatives were Iran and Venezuela.
Venezuela Stops Oil Shipments To Europe As Alternatives To Russian Energy Dry Up
Related:
Venezuela: Oil Production Declines as Shipments to Europe Suspended
Caracas’ oil operations were affected by mechanical disruptions caused by alleged attacks against oil facilities. On July 16 a natural gas pipeline explosion and a power outage interrupted PDVSA’s supply to its main crude production and export hub, the José Antonio Anzoátegui industrial complex in eastern Venezuela.
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With the operational disruption depleting Venezuela’s lightest oil grade stocks, Iran recently began to increase its supply of 29.5°API blend, a lighter alternative to Venezuela’s 16°API Merey, in order to boost fuel production and free domestic upgraded blends for exports.
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However, anonymous sources revealed that Caracas might suspend crude cargoes to Europe while the industry recovers from recent setbacks. PDVSA is reportedly negotiating the terms of the oil-for-debt agreements with Eni and Repsol to receive fuel while still settling long-standing debts owed to the two companies.
Neither Venezuela’s Oil Ministry nor PDVSA has issued statements confirming the alleged halted shipments to Europe or the renegotiation of the swap deals.
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