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London — In a glittering ballroom in central London, around 200 people in the energy industry gathered to discuss a proposition that, a mere eight months ago, seemed unthinkable: investing in Venezuelan oil. “The time is now,” Greig Gilbert, chief executive of Apertura Energy, an investment firm, told the crowd on Thursday evening at The Langham hotel. Gilbert’s company hopes to make big-ticket investments in Venezuela’s dilapidated oil sector. Apertura Energy changed its name and overhauled its strategy just months after the United States removed then-President Nicolás Maduro in January — laying the groundwork for foreign investors to move into an industry long dominated by a state-run oil company. Apertura was among the flock of investors, trading houses, and oil and gas companies at the event. It was a taster for Venezuela Energy Week, a much bigger conference scheduled for October in Caracas. But there are huge risks for firms attempting to cash in on the world’s largest pro...

In mid-July, fintech firm Stripe made an unsolicited $53 billion bid for PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL). That's good news for the crypto market overall, and potentially even better news for Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC). For much of the year, Bitcoin has been in a dismal tailspin, down 25% year to date. But after the $53 billion Stripe bid , Bitcoin perked up. It's now up more than 5% since news of the deal broke. And some analysts now think Bitcoin could be on the way to reaching $80,000 by the end of August. Crypto goes mainstream The big theme of the Stripe-PayPal deal is that digital currencies are suddenly going mainstream. The future of payments will now almost certainly include a mix of traditional cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, as well as dollar-pegged stablecoins . That's because Stripe and PayPal, in addition to being fintech giants, are both heavily involved in the stablecoin business. So Bitcoin's recent market gains can largely be chalked up to the fact ...

Infantino sends congratulatory message to Tapia In a surprising development, a private correspondence from Infantino to Argentine FA president Claudio Tapia has been made public. Despite the scenes of aggression that marred the conclusion of the tournament in New York - where the 2022 champions failed to manage a single shot on target in the final and turned their backs as Luis de la Fuente's side lifted the trophy - the FIFA chief chose to focus on the positive impact of the South American giants. The letter, which was first brought to light by media outlets in Argentina and subsequently verified by the Daily Mail ,  expressed gratitude for the nation's contribution to the tournament's atmosphere and success on the global stage. Infantino wrote: "Dear Mr. President, Yesterday, Sunday, July 19, 2026, at the magnificent New York New Jersey Stadium, Argentina won the silver medal of the FIFA World Cup 2026, after an exciting final against Spain. I would like ...

RABAT, July 24 (Reuters) - Morocco's economic growth is expected to slow to 4.2% in 2026, after ​growing 4.9% last year, the highest rate ‌in a decade, the World Bank said on Friday. Last year's growth was spurred by 2030 World ​Cup-linked infrastructure spending and a rebound ​in agricultural output, the bank said in ⁠a report. The government is investing more than ​190 billion dirhams ($20 billion) to build and expand ​rail, road, airports, stadiums and other urban infrastructure ahead of the 2030 tournament which it will co-host ​with Spain and Portugal. The 2026 forecast reflects ​a continued investment push and improving domestic demand, despite ‌higher ⁠energy costs resulting from the Middle East conflict, the Bank said. "Over the longer term, recurrent drought poses a continued risk to agricultural ​output and ​water-dependent sectors," ⁠it said. Morocco's growth also remains sensitive to the pace of economic ​recovery among its main European tr...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says "everything is on the table depending on the outcome of the negotiations" as the country's trade dispute with the US heats up. Carney's comments come after he met his provincial and territorial counterparts on Thursday to discuss a response after the Trump administration announced new 50% tariffs on some C$20bn of Canadian imports. He said the trade talks with Washington are intensifying ahead of 19 August, when the new US tariffs will come into effect. Some provincial leaders have pushed for firmer action - and faster results - on trade negotiations by Ottawa. Carney said options included continuing to diversify trade away from the US and helping sectors most exposed to tariffs. In terms of a direct response, he said "there's a full range of things we can do in that regard" but did not elaborate on potential punitive measures. "We are going to support Canadian workers, families, businesses, full ...

A South African court has ruled in favour of President Cyril Ramaphosa's bid to temporarily halt a parliamentary inquiry looking into whether he should be impeached over what has been dubbed the "Farmgate" scandal. In 2022, an independent panel said Ramaphosa might have a case to answer after burglars stole huge sums of cash, hidden in a sofa, from his private farm. The president denied any wrongdoing. At the time MPs voted against establishing an impeachment inquiry, but in May the Constitutional Court ruled that parliament had acted unlawfully by shelving the panel's report. Ramaphosa is now challenging the findings of the panel in a separate court case to be heard in September. The Constitutional Court's ruling in May paved the way for parliament to revive the impeachment process. The make-up of parliament has radically changed over the last four years as Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) party no longer holds a majority and governs as...

BEIJING, July 23 (Reuters) - China is seeking opinions from companies, business associations ​and local governments on proposed reciprocal tariff ‌cut arrangements with the United States on about $30 billion in trade, the Chinese commerce ministry said on Thursday. Teams ​from both sides have maintained close communication about ​the arrangements of the tariff reduction framework ⁠and the structure, functions and operating model of ​their  Board of Trade , a ministry official said at ​a press briefing. After reaching a trade truce late last year to halt their tariff war, China and the U.S. agreed ​this year to set up  the Board of ​Trade to explore areas where they could cut duties on ‌goods ⁠worth some $30 billion. China's commerce ministry had said in May that agricultural products  would be part of the tariff cut framework. "China is widely soliciting opinions from domestic ​enterprises, business ​associations, local ⁠governments, and U.S. busines...

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has called on the Federal Government to halt the importation of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), arguing that imported petrol now costs significantly more than locally refined products and is fuelling price instability in the downstream petroleum sector. The association said the continued issuance of petrol import licences by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) was undermining domestic refining, placing additional pressure on the naira and frustrating efforts to achieve stable fuel prices. Speaking with The PUNCH, IPMAN National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, said marketers were disappointed that imported petrol was selling for around ₦1,350 per litre, well above the prices offered by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, despite the policy being introduced to encourage competition. "Independent marketers have looked at the issues of price volatility, import licence...

The United States men's national team's performance at the 2026 World Cup was memorable for several reasons. Many will remember Mauricio Pochettino's team being torn apart by Belgium in the Round of 16 and breaking American hearts. However, they won more games (three) than at any other World Cup and won thousands of new soccer fans. Meanwhile, from Folarin Balogun  to Alex Freeman, several standout performers announced themselves on the global stage. But one USMNT  star has been rated the best midfielder at the tournament, ahead of Jude Bellingham and Rodri. Malik Tillman finished as the World Cup's highest-rated midfielder Malik Tillman was arguably the USMNT's best player at the World Cup , contributing two goals and one assist in five games. He scored a free-kick against Belgium to level the score at 1-1 that temporarily gave the USA team hope of a famous victory. Mobile sports app FotMob rated  Tillman's  performance at the World...

President Donald Trump continues to claim that the US will attack Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain – turning attention to the suspected underground nuclear site where Israel believes  Tehran has stored part of its enriched uranium stockpile and advanced enrichment centrifuges. “We’ll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon. And there’s not a thing they can do about it,” Trump  said on Tuesday .  In response, Tehran warned that that any US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be treated as an expansion of the war in the region, state media reported early Wednesday. Here’s what we know about Pickaxe Mountain. What is it? Pickaxe Mountain is a heavily fortified facility located deep underground in the center of the country, about a mile south of the Natanz uranium-enrichment facility previously bombed by the US and Israel – making it a difficult target for the US and Israel, and for any potential ground operation. The facility is buried at least 100 meters (3...

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday. Bwala said public attention should focus on the substance of the letter and the progress recorded through the bilateral partnership, rather than the timing of its release. According to him, the letter reflects growing international recognition of the Tinubu administration’s efforts to strengthen security cooperation with the United States. “The letter was written by the United States government applauding the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for deeper cooperation. Unfortunately, we are not discussing that today. Is it fair to the Nigerian people? Is it fair to the Nigerian people in rural areas who want to know that this country has experienced progress to the point where our collaboration is yielding results? “The letter is the recognition of the results of the collabo...

President Donald Trump has approved a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could lead to the kingdom enriching its own fuel for civilian reactors without adopting the “gold standard” of international oversight, according to two US officials and a source familiar with the matter. The deal would last 30 years and could be announced as soon as Wednesday, according to one US official, who added that it would involve American companies providing technology and expertise to develop the Saudi program. Any agreement to give Saudi Arabia access to nuclear technology could prove controversial, both domestically and within the wider Middle East region, since the ability to enrich nuclear fuel could, in theory, eventually lead to the creation of nuclear weapons. The Trump administration is set to send the deal to Congress after it is announced. CNN previously reported  that the administration let the deal languish for months over concerns about the Iran war and the potential for co...

This looks set to be a 30-year deal between the US and Saudi Arabia, to build civil nuclear capacity, potentially bringing in tens of billions of dollars for US firms. But it's a different kind of deal to traditional US commercial nuclear agreements. What is being widely reported is that Saudi Arabia might not be subject to the normal "gold standards" the US has previously demanded of partner countries in terms of inspections and, in particular, the non-enrichment of uranium on the host country's soil. So, this is a different kind of deal that the US is proposing, and the reason they are pushing for it - particularly now - is that Russia and China have been knocking on the door and the US simply did not want to miss out. It's a deal that’s been in the offing for some time - the Biden administration had pursued something similar; though that deal had been tied to Saudi Arabia normalising relations with Israel. That link seems now to have been dropped by...

EZEIZA: Thousands of fans braved the cold and rain Monday to give a rapturous welcome to the Argentine football squad who landed back home without star Lionel Messi, after their World Cup final loss to Spain. It was not the homecoming Argentines had hoped for, four years after millions celebrated their team’s tournament victory in 2022, but fresh scenes of joyful chaos filled the street as they danced, sang and set off fireworks to thank the players. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) said earlier that some squad members would not be on the flight, and iconic team captain Messi was not seen descending from the aircraft in images broadcast on local television. Coach Lionel Scaloni and the rest of the team were welcomed with a red carpet outside the aircraft and a military band. They then boarded a bus, waving to frenzied fans along the way. Despite falling short of a second straight championship, “Argentines will celebrate anyway,” said housewife Marga Ledezma. The 36-...

The trial of ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, is scheduled to begin on 1 June 2027, a New York judge ordered on Wednesday. US forces seized Maduro and Flores from their compound in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in a dramatic, night-time raid on 3 January, and brought them to New York to face allegations of weapon and drug offences, which they deny. Judge Alvin Hellerstein scheduled a pre-trial hearing for 17 November to hear motions from both parties. Maduro's attorney Barry Pollack signalled that he will argue at trial that his client was protected by sovereign immunity, a legal principle shielding heads of state from prosecution. The courtroom was packed with spectators, with some people lining up for hours for the chance to glimpse Maduro in person. Before the hearing began, a court officer warned the public to remain seated and that that they "can't say anything to him." Anyone who disobeyed decorum "might ...