📊 US shale business faces decline, while OPEC+ remains strong

The US oil and gas industry is frustrated with falling prices, Bloomberg reports, citing the latest energy survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

"The US shale business is broken," said one anonymous respondent from production and service companies. "What was once the world's most dynamic energy engine has been gutted by political hostility and economic ignorance."

While OPEC+ output continues, Washington's oil dominance strategy is pushing the US benchmark WTI lower. It has plunged nearly 10% in 2025, trading below $65 a barrel on Wednesday.

“The US isn’t running out of oil, but it is running out of $60-per-barrel oil,” another respondent warned.

The US rig count is down 13% this year, according to Baker Hughes, as falling prices and labor shortages in remote areas squeeze profits and dividends.

Reuters noted in August that the sliding US rig count is outpacing efficiency gains. In April 2019, the US had over 1,000 rigs in operation, producing 12M barrels per day. By August 2025, only 540 rigs remained active. Production has held at 13.5M barrels per day, but a turning point is near. Analysts expect rig counts to keep falling, with US onshore output set to decline next year and continue dropping through 2027.

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🔥 Trump prepares mass firings ahead of potential shutdown — reports

The White House has instructed federal agencies to draft reduction-in-force plans for a possible government shutdown, Politico reports.

The plan targets permanent elimination of positions in programs not deemed "essential."

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🗣 US Energy Secretary to Europe: Dump Russia, buy American

In a bold declaration, Energy Secretary Wright stated the US is ready to "displace all Russian gas and refined oil products" going to Europe.

He framed the offer as part of "Trump's agenda for peace."

📍 He doesn't mention it will cost European consumers triple the price and have to be transported halfway around the world.

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🇺🇸🇨🇳 China slams US tariffs as attack on global trade system

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao declared that US tariff hikes have "seriously damaged the multilateral trading system" during a UN meeting in New York.

He called for all parties to "firmly uphold multilateralism and free trade" against Washington's unilateral actions.

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🗣 Iran deal is 'the only meaningful thing' to me — Witkoff

"We have no desire to hurt Iran. We have desire to realize a permanent solution on snapbacks," US envoy Steve Witkoff said.

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🗣🇷🇺🇨🇭Lavrov: Switzerland LOST reputation of neutral mediator

Russian top diplomat Sergey Lavrov told Swiss FM Ignazio Cassis that Switzerland has lost its reputation as a credible neutral mediator.

Key points by the Russian Foreign Ministry:

🟠 Russia and Switzerland discussed the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict

🟠 Unfriendly policy of the Swiss authorities toward Russia cannot be ignored

The meeting between Lavrov and Cassis took place on the sidelines of the UNGA.

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🇷🇺⚡️ World Atomic Week forum kicks off in Moscow

🟠 The event, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Russia's nuclear industry, takes place from September 25 to 28 at Rosatom's pavilions at the VDNKh exhibition and amusement park

🟠 The forum will be the largest international platform on this topic, bringing together representatives from countries developing nuclear programs

📹👉 President Putin will address the forum after 10 am GMT on Thursday (tune in for live broadcast on Sputnik!)

Over 100 countries are expected to participate in the event, including:

🇧🇾 Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
🇲🇲 Myanmar Acting President Min Aung Hlaing
🇦🇲 Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan
🇪🇹 Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed
🇮🇷 Representatives from Iran
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
🇪🇬 Egypt
🇳🇪 Niger

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is also attending the forum.

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🗣🇪🇺🇭🇺 EU wants PUPPET GOV'T in Hungary - FM Szijjarto

The EU is increasing pressure on Hungary ahead of the elections in 2026, Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto said on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UNGA.

💬 "There is a constant pressure on us by the European Union. Brussels has been putting its pressure on since 2010, since we have won the elections, so we got used to this feeling. This pressure is growing because next year elections will take place in Hungary, and Brussels would like to kick us out, this government. This is obvious. They want a puppet government to seat in government offices," Szijjarto said.

Hungary will hold parliamentary elections in April 2026.

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🟠 Trump demands UN probe into 'triple sabotage' against him

🟠 China slams US tariffs as attack on global trade system

🟠 World Atomic Week forum kicks off in Moscow

🟠 Huge explosion at UK's Swindon industrial estate

🟠 Ukraine faces grim reality on the battleground

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🚨🇷🇺 Russia ready to participate in process of general renunciation of biological weapons - Kremlin

🗣The initiative to ban countries from developing biological weapons put forward by Trump is brilliant, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

During his address to the UN General Assembly earlier this week, Trump called on all countries to join the United States in ending the development of biological weapons.

💬 "The initiative itself is brilliant, and, of course, Moscow supports it," Peskov said.

Russia is ready to participate in the process of general renunciation of biological weapons, the official said, adding that this process must be formalized.

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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES

⚡️ The liberation of the settlement of Kirovsk in the Donetsk People's Republic is nearly complete

Capturing the town will allow the Russian army to strengthen its positions in the area, creating a bridgehead for a further advance towards the major railway junction of Krasny Lyman.

🟠 Two Ukrainian Yak-52 aircraft and ten A-22 UAVs were destroyed at an airfield by the Russian Armed Forces

🟠 Russian forces struck long-range UAV launch and storage sites, as well as a Patriot SAM system position, destroying a launcher, the command post and a radar

🟠 The Black Sea Fleet destroyed three boats and fifteen unmanned vessels of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Black Sea

🟠 Air defense superiority: three guided aerial bombs and 178 fixed-wing drones were shot down by Russian air defence systems over the past 24 hours

🟠 Ukrainian losses: 1,490 troops killed or wounded

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