Skip to main content

Featured

Oil Prices Are Spiking — Here's What It Means for Your Gas Tank and Grocery Bill

  Published July 17, 2026 Crude oil is trading near one-month highs this week, and if you've filled up your tank recently, you've probably already felt it. The culprit: an escalating conflict in the Middle East that's disrupting one of the world's most important oil shipping routes — and it's starting to show up at Canadian pumps and, eventually, on grocery store shelves. What's happening with oil prices West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the North American benchmark, has been trading around the $79–$80 per barrel range this week — up roughly 5% over the past month. Brent crude, the global benchmark that matters more for what Canadians pay at the pump, has been hovering near $85 per barrel, also near a one-month high. The spike traces back to renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and has intensified strikes, while Iran has responded with attacks on U.S. bases and threats to disrupt regional energy shipments further. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

article

Labels

Gaza faces famine amid aid chaos and Israeli fire


The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached a breaking point, as hundreds of thousands of people face acute hunger and malnutrition, while aid deliveries are hampered by Israeli attacks and civil disorder.

On Thursday, a tragic incident highlighted the desperation of the people living in northern Gaza, where the World Food Program (WFP) warned of an imminent famine. A group of about 30 trucks carrying food aid was met by a massive crowd of hungry Palestinians, who tried to grab whatever they could. Israeli troops stationed nearby opened fire on the crowd, killing 115 people and wounding many more, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israel claimed it fired warning shots and that most of the deaths were caused by a stampede.

The WFP said it had to suspend its aid operations in the north due to the breakdown of civil order and the danger to its staff. The agency said that one in six children under the age of two in the area suffers from severe malnutrition and wasting, calling it “the worst level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world.”

The situation in Gaza has deteriorated since October, when Hamas launched an attack into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israel responded with a massive air, sea and ground offensive that destroyed much of the densely populated territory, especially the north. The Israeli military told Palestinians to move south, but many stayed behind, either unable or unwilling to leave their homes.

Residents say they have resorted to eating tree leaves, animal food, and rotten bread to survive. Many families have not received any aid for more than four weeks. Some people have been killed or wounded by Israeli fire while trying to fish or search for food in the rubble.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday that the U.S. would soon begin airdropping assistance to Gaza and look for other ways to get aid in, such as a marine corridor. He also said the deaths at the aid convoy would complicate the ceasefire talks, which are set to resume on Sunday in Cairo. International mediators hope to reach an agreement on a six-week pause in fighting and an exchange of some Israeli hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins around March 10.

Meanwhile, the fighting continued, with the Palestinian death toll rising to 30,320, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment