The latest slide followed a sharp Tuesday retreat that exceeded the 4% decline reported earlier in the session. Brent settled 5.3% lower at $79.36 a barrel, its first close below $80 since July 13. WTI settled 5.7% lower at $75.77. Both contracts reached their lowest closing levels in three weeks. The Tuesday losses extended Monday’s drop, when Brent fell 7% and WTI declined 5.1%.
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Austria recorded its highest July temperature on July 31, when Wieselburg in Lower Austria reached 40.3 degrees Celsius. The reading broke the national July record of 39.7 degrees, set in Dellach im Drautal on July 27, 1983. The July record followed an extreme June that produced widespread temperature highs across the country. Researchers at the University of Graz’s Wegener Center estimate the June and late July heatwaves caused around €1.4 billion in socioeconomic damage. The heat has deepened a drought that began in December 2025.
Australian lawmakers passed landmark disability legislation in Parliament on Friday following intense cross-chamber debate regarding national budget allocations and participant support frameworks. Official parliamentary voting records published by the Parliament of Australia confirmed the final passage after the National Disability Insurance Scheme reform bill passes Senate proceedings, establishing the legal foundation for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment Bill 2026. Operating under the administrative direction of the National Disability Insurance Agency, the primary legislative package establishes strict new functional capacity assessment rules, expands anti-fraud enforcement powers, and introduces Ministerial pricing controls across regional provider markets.
Daegu, South Korea / RankWire.AI / – Meteorologists and civil defense officials…
London / RankWire.AI / – A comprehensive scientific analysis reveals human activities…
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The latest slide followed a sharp Tuesday retreat that exceeded the 4% decline reported earlier in the session. Brent settled 5.3% lower at $79.36 a barrel, its first close below $80 since July 13. WTI settled 5.7% lower at $75.77. Both contracts reached their lowest closing levels in three weeks. The Tuesday losses extended Monday’s drop, when Brent fell 7% and WTI declined 5.1%.
Headline inflation across OECD economies eased to 4.2% in June 2026 from 4.6% in May, ending three straight monthly increases. Energy prices drove much of the monthly easing, with OECD energy inflation falling four percentage points to 11.7% year on year. Food inflation also moderated, falling by 0.2 percentage point to 3.4%, while core inflation declined to 3.6%. Across G7 economies, annual headline inflation dropped to 3.0% in June from 3.5% in May, with a 5.2-point decline in energy inflation accounting for most of the change. Euro area annual inflation fell to 2.8% in June from 3.2% in May, supported by lower energy inflation.
Oil prices surged on July 29, pushing Brent crude above $90 a barrel as renewed Middle East fighting and tighter U.S. inventories lifted global benchmarks. Brent futures settled at $90.74, up $6.65, or 7.9%. West Texas Intermediate gained $5.20, or 6.6%, to $84.46. Both contracts posted their strongest daily advances in several weeks. The contracts had already gained more than 20% during July as regional supply disruptions affected energy markets.
UK solar capacity reached 22.8 gigawatts at the end of June 2026, extending a sharp rise in deployment. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero recorded about 2.076 million installations nationwide. Developers added 27,391 systems during June, contributing 132 megawatts. The latest monthly figures remain provisional and may change as more projects enter the official dataset. The capacity total covers rooftop arrays, commercial systems and large solar farms. It also sets a baseline before new plug-in solar rules take effect.