Author: BlackMask Financial

Oil dipped as algorithmic traders took advantage of market uncertainty, while traders weighed Chinese demand against falling US stockpiles. West Texas Intermediate fell to settle near $77 a barrel, capping the largest weekly decline since the beginning of May. Prices have struggled recently amid selling pressure from trend-following commodity trading advisers and a wider retreat in equity markets earlier this week. Those factors have added to concerns about Chinese growth after Beijing cut rates this week in a bid to stimulate the economy of the world’s largest crude importer.

Still, data this week showed a fourth drop in US inventories, which have declined to the lowest since February. Timespreads continue to point to tight near-term conditions. These mixed signals have kept futures locked in a roughly $4 trading band this week.

“We need a positive catalyst and right now inventory draws are expected and not providing enough of a reason to buy this dip,” said Rebecca Babin, senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth. Crude remains modestly higher year-to-date, helped by supply cutbacks from the OPEC+ alliance and expectations for lower US interest rates. Market watchers, however, are now split over whether the producer cartel will ease their curbs next quarter, with an online monitoring committee meeting scheduled for Aug. 1

Fiber optic networks were disrupted on Monday in six French departments, authorities confirmed to AFP. The incidents were reported in Aude, Bouches-du-Rhone, Drome, Herault, Meuse, and Oise, but not in Paris. According to BFMTV, some fiber optic cables were cut by “malicious individuals,” causing outages. The cables belong to the SFR telecoms operator but are also used by others. The incident follows arson attacks on the French railway network ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympic games last week. NN: Who do you think is doing all mischief? Try Mohmmad and his magic carpet people.

Tesla Inc. and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and X Corp. Chairman Elon Musk claimed that the incumbent United States President Joe Biden’s administration is “importing voters” to ensure Vice President Kamala Harris’s victory in the 2024 election. “They are importing voters as fast as they possibly can,” Musk tweeted in response to another post that shared his earlier similar comment. He also used Fox News’s article about Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren calling for a faster process to grant immigrants US citizenship and urging Harris to “get it done” as proof. Musk also commented on a tweet saying that the US “will become Venezuela if [former President Donald] Trump is not elected” by replying that “I think the risk of this is very real.” His remarks came after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition’s candidate Edmundo Gonzalez both claimed victory in that country’s election. NN: the Democrats will not let this bill pass.

Iranian Ambassador to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, took to X on Sunday to state that his country does not want military actions to expand to Lebanon and the region, amid fears of a possible escalation in the conflict with Israel following an attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. “Despite the show staged by the Zionist regime a few hours ago, the ‘three no’s’ still sum up our position regarding the threat of expanding military action to Lebanon and the region,” the ambassador wrote. Prior to this, the Israeli National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, called for his country to initiate a military offensive against the “terrorist” organization.

The 2024 Olympics opening ceremony in Paris has sparked international outrage with drag-queen themed imagery of religious and historical figures. In between listing all the countries participating in the Olympic Games, there have been several performances riffing on France’s history and culture, such as a headless Marie Antoinette, the last queen prior to being executed amid French Revolution, singing with her severed head in her hands sporting drag-style makeup. This was part of numerous drag queens that appeared to be a recurring theme throughout the ceremonies. Three drag queens were among the 10,000 torchbearers who relayed the Olympic flame as it started in Greece, passed through French territories and made its way to Paris. One new display on Friday showed what appear to be numerous performers, including drag queens and a large woman in an aureole halo crown, parodying “The Last Supper,” a universally recognizable painting by renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci of Christ and his apostles. Many internationally known political figures, particularly from American politics, condemned the display as a sign of the cultural rot in Western Civilization.

Major power outage hits large parts of Paris

A major power outage struck several districts of Paris on Sunday, about 24 hours after the Olympic Games opening ceremony, local media reported. This comes after France’s high-speed rail system was hit by vandals who carried out acts of sabotage across the rail network early Friday. The exact cause of the blackout is still unknown.

NN: Were they not suppose to be kicking around balls, throwing sticks, steal balls and  running round on a track? Give me that old fashioned Olympics pervert free. Imagine What would happen if they tried a drag queen based Mohamad show,

The Lebanese Hezbollah movement told the United Nations that the alleged “attack” on Israel-held Golan Heights was the result of an Iron Dome interceptor missile malfunction, Axios reported on Sunday. According to the media, the interceptor was fired to intercept the group’s rockets in northern Golan and ultimately landed on a soccer field. A US official also mentioned that this alleged attack could potentially escalate into a full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, considering the ongoing stalemate in the Gaza ceasefire.

Netanyahu: Hezbollah to pay ‘heavy price’ for attack

Israeli fighter jets struck at least four additional towns and villages in southern Lebanon as a response to Hezbollah’s alleged shelling of the Golan Heights, which killed 12 people. According to local media, Israeli warplanes “carried out air strikes on the cities of Beeqa, Majd al-Shams and Kafra in southern Lebanon,” as well as the Chebaa area, from where the IDF said earlier that the fatal rocket was launched into Majdal Shams. Israeli airstrikes targeted Lebanon’s southern towns of Burj al-Shemali, Khiam, Abbasyeh, Kferkela, Tayr Harfa and the port city of Tyre on Sunday, according to Lebanese media.

 

 

Rockets fired from Lebanon struck the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on Saturday, killing at least nine people and injuring over 30, including 17 critically, according to Israeli officials. Eli Bin, head of the Israeli Magen David Adom (MDA), confirmed the casualties and injuries. Meanwhile, Dmitry Gendelman, an advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, condemned the assault and stated that Israel plans to retaliate, attributing the aggression to Hezbollah.

Netanyahu holds security consultations after Golan Heights attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is consulting with his military secretary, Roman Gofman, following a recent attack on Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the prime minister’s office stated, adding that he will later assess the security situation with top defense officials. Rockets fired from Lebanon are said to have struck the Druze village on Saturday, killing at least nine people and injuring over 30. Israel accused Hezbollah of conducting the strikes, but some reports emerged indicating that the group denied being behind the strike. The IDF assesses that the rocket that struck the soccer field where kids were playing was relatively heavy.

The military is investigating why it failed to intercept the projectile.

Top IDF brass are currently holding assessments on the attack, the deadliest by Hezbollah amid the ongoing skirmishes on the northern border, and will determine a response against the terror group.

NN:  things are heating up. For the record another failure of Israel’s defensive sheild.

United States Vice President Kamala Harris is climbing in the polls against former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll by the Wall Street Journal. In a direct matchup, Harris would get 47% of votes compared to Trump’s 49%, within the 3.1-percentage point margin of error. Before dropping out of the race, President Joe Biden trailed Trump by six points, according to another WSJ poll. If other candidates are included in the poll, Harris would win 45% of the vote and Trump 44%. The biggest ballot share among other candidates would go to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who would receive 4%, while 5% of respondents were still undecided. NN: Trump is in for the battle of his life. America aa a democratic, free, self determine, free enterprise system based society is being challenged by a socialist Government controlled lefty bureaucratic oppressive state. Think Sanfagcisco

United States and British forces have resumed attacks on Yemen’s Hodeida governorate, a crucial Red Sea port, Houthi-affiliated media reported. Al-Masirah channel stated that there were four raids on Hodeidah International Airport after four earlier raids on Kamaran Island. This news also follows claims by the Houthis that US and British warplanes carried out airstrikes in Hajjah and Al Hudaydah provinces last week. NN: They need to be bombed back to the dark ages

Must Watch non staged video 

https://youtu.be/B9_rCARhu7E