On July 4 the China Coast Guard conducted law-enforcement patrols in waters east of Taiwan, using the term 'routine' in its report for the first time compared with last month. Marine expert Yang Xiao said 'routine' denotes continuous enforcement operations intended to assert sovereignty. The coast guard has implemented regular patrols of the Diaoyu Islands and affiliated islets and routine enforcement around Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal). The agency said it logged 357 days of patrols aroun

A Bloomberg survey shows OPEC crude output rose 2.34 mln b/d in June to 18.75 mln b/d as a U.S.-Iran peace accord enabled members to resume exports via the Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iran posted the largest gains. Tanker-tracking data indicate Gulf producers had already been clandestinely moving cargoes through the strait before the accord; the strait was almost closed in the early stages of the conflict. With the agreement allowing more open transits, Saudi shipments have recovered to about 90% of normal. After adjusting for the UAE’s exit, OPEC’s June output remained 7.3 mln b/d below February levels, a 28% decline.

PJM Interconnection, the US's largest grid operator, says it cannot meet projected electricity demand and will implement a plan to curtail load across its service area, covering the Mid‑Atlantic, the South and Washington, D.C., serving about 67 million customers.