KoBold Metals, a California-based startup supported by investors including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, is expanding its efforts to search for lithium deposits across several continents. The Silicon Valley startup, which employs artificial intelligence for critical metal exploration, is set to…

What was once a narrow question of whether storage would be full enough to get through winter has become a political litmus test for EU energy independence. That sense of urgency drove Brussels to impose strict requirements two years ago mandating storage levels of 90% by November, rules that distorted prices, triggered frantic bidding wars for LNG, and strained relationships with Asian buyers.

Those rules have since been softened, and unlike the panicked scrambles of 2022 and 2023, no such crisis looms this year. As of late August, EU storage stood at 76% of capacity, equivalent to about 85 billion cubic metres of gas. That is slightly below last year’s 92% but broadly consistent with the 10-year average.

Japan’s reaction to the recent Hamas-Israel conflict has been influenced by its persistent apprehension regarding potential ramifications for its crucial oil supply from the Middle East, given the nation’s energy insecurity and multifaceted diplomatic interests in the region. Initially…