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☆ Former Canadian soldier extradited to Thailand over gang killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The deceased is connected with the United Nation Gang and was linked to the murder of one of the leaders of another gang, called the Red Scorpion, in Canada," Jirabhop said. The extradition involved a Thai air force flight after commercial airlines declined requests for transport over safety concerns, Thai police said. "We have ensure that there is security in Thailand and uphold our reputation that this country is safe to live in," she said. An Alberta court approved the extradition of Dupre last December. Reporting by Juarawee Kittisilpa and Napat Wesshasartar; Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Mike HarrisonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Alberta Election Tests Conservatives’ Hard-Right Turn
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Ian Austen | Amber Bracken | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sitting at a cafe terrace overlooking a park commemorating the birthplace of the vast oil industry in the western Canadian province of Alberta, Audrey Cerkvenac and Ernestine Dumont, wrestled with a political dilemma. In a province long the epicenter of Canada’s conservative politics, the two older women had been unwavering conservative supporters. But now, as Monday’s provincial election approached, they said they had been turned off by the strident right turn the province’s conservative party had taken as it ruled Alberta during the pandemic, fueled by extremist protests against Covid restrictions and baseless claims about vaccines. The hard-right turn of the United Conservative Party has put a province that was once a sure win for Canada’s conservatives up for grabs in Monday’s elections. Beyond a referendum on the ideological shift of the party, the vote could also serve as a gauge of the conservative standing nationwide.

☆ Oil slips as U.S. debt caution offset supply concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Florence Tan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Companies Baker Hughes Co FollowSINGAPORE, May 22 (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Monday as caution around the U.S. debt ceiling talks and concerns about demand recovery in China offset support from lower supplies from Canada and OPEC+ producers. The resumption of U.S. debt ceiling negotiations later on Monday will remain a key driver for crude and risk sentiment this week, IG's Sydney-based analyst Tony Sycamore said. "If the housing market continues to fall and policymakers fail to respond, the risk of a double-dip China slowdown increases, which spells bad news for crude oil consumption and demand," Sycamore said. Last week, both oil benchmarks gained about 2%, their first weekly gain in five, after wildfires shut in large amounts of crude supply in Alberta, Canada. Total exports of crude and oil products from the group plunged by 1.7 million barrels per day (bpd) by May 16, JP Morgan said, adding that Russian oil exports will likely fall by late May.

☆ Alberta wildfire fighters hope rain, cooling bring relief
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Smoke rises from the Stoddart Creek wildfire near Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada May 13, 2023. Amid hot, dry conditions, forecasters were tracking a front likely to move into the province on Sunday that should bring much-needed relief, including humidity and even rain, Christie Tucker, information unit manager at Alberta Wildfire, said at a Saturday briefing. "That will help us more than a short burst that would bring lightning and could spark a new wildfire." Alberta is enduring energy production cuts, home evacuations and poor air quality after an intense start to the wildfire season. This year, Alberta Wildfire responded to 496 wildfires burning more than 842,000 hectares, compared with just 459 hectares in 2022.

CNN —Residents of the central United States experienced poor air quality and smoke over the weekend. The effects of the fires extend far beyond Canada, with poor air quality emerging in states as far away as Missouri and New York. Several states, including Nebraska, Washington, Montana and Wisconsin, announced air quality alerts early Friday. The service in Tacoma reported the smoke would be “pushed eastward in time for the weekend.”As of Sunday afternoon, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index reported “unhealthy” levels of air quality in parts of Montana and North and South Dakota. Poor air quality caused by the smoke would mostly affect those “that are particularly sensitive to particle pollution,” they said.

☆ Alberta on high alert for wildfire upsurge over scorching holiday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Sky crane helicopter dumps water on the Eagle Wildfire Complex near Fox Creek, Alberta, Canada May 19, 2023. Record-high temperatures and lack of rain this year have led to widespread fires burning nearly 830,000 hectares (2 million acres) of land in Alberta, about 10 times the size of the province's largest city, Calgary, according to Alberta Wildfire. "We will all be on high alert this weekend," Christie Tucker, information unit manager at Alberta Wildfire, said on Friday. The wildfires have tested Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's disaster management skills ahead of a provincial election on May 29. Some 275 houses, businesses and other properties had been damaged, while more than 10,000 people remained evacuated by Friday, according to Alberta government officials.

☆ Russia's military youth
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The Western Canadian city of Calgary received a special weather alert on Tuesday, warning residents of poor air quality and reduced visibility as tinder-dry weather and shifting winds elevated the risk of spreading wildfires in Alberta.

☆ Wildfire risk spurs Alberta to close parks, urge caution ahead of holiday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Leslie Kramer walk her dogs as some 90 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 23 out of control, according to the provincial government, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada May 16, 2023. Traditionally, residents spend the Victoria Day weekend outside as families take advantage of the warmer weather to go camping or enjoy other outdoor activities. The long weekend in May has usually seen an uptick in seasonal wildfires, some of which are accidentally caused by people, according to Alberta Wildfire. With abnormally hot and dry weather forecast until at least early next week, Alberta has preventively closed some provincial parks and campgrounds for the weekend and imposed a fire ban. Consultancy firm Rystad Energy has estimated nearly 2.7 million barrels per day of Alberta oil sands production in May is at risk in "very high" or "extreme" wildfire danger rating zones.

☆ A ‘Canadian Armageddon’ Sets Parts of Western Canada on Fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Dan Bilefsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

British Columbia was the site in 2021 of one of Canada’s worst wildfires in recent decades, when fires decimated the tiny community of Lytton after temperatures there reached a record 49.6 degrees Celsius, or 121.3 Fahrenheit. Not since the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic buffeted the region has the area been so overcome by apprehension, accompanied by the all-too familiar need to wear masks outside. Only this time, residents say, a silent killer has been replaced by something more visceral and visible. The bulk of the fires are in the far north of the province, home to many Indigenous communities, dealing a heavy blow to people who depend on the land and natural resources. He worried how they would get by.

☆ Alberta wildfires hit gas flow out of Canada to US, spiking prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Smoke rises above the southeast perimeter of the Paskwa fire (HWF030) as it burns near Fox Lake, Alberta, Canada May 16, 2023. Alberta Wildfire/Handout via REUTERSOTTAWA, May 18 (Reuters) - Alberta officials on Thursday warned more wildfires could spread in next few hot and dry days, even as firefighters make progress in tackling widespread blazes that have slowed the outflow of natural gas from Canada into the United States, spiking prices. There were about 92 active wildfires and over 10,000 people out of their homes as of Thursday, Alberta officials told a daily briefing. "Firefighters can experience challenging conditions in hot, dry and windy weather, but progress has been made on many active wildfires," said Christie Tucker, information unit manager at Alberta Wildfire. "We are expecting and preparing for more active wildfire behavior today and over the next few days," she said.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Walmart, Take-Two Interactive, Bath & Body Works and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sale signs inside the Bath and Body Works store in Edmonton. Walmart also reported stronger-than-expected adjusted earnings and revenue, according to Refinitiv. Take-Two Interactive Software — The video game company surged 14% after posting better-than-expected revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter. Bath & Body Works — The retailer of body care and fragrance saw its stock surge nearly 10% in premarket after the company posted stronger-than-expected earnings and revenue for the latest quarter. Bath & Body Works also raised its full-year earnings guidance.

☆ Ethics official cites Alberta premier for violation, ahead of election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OTTAWA, May 18 (Reuters) - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith interfered with the judicial process, the Canadian province's ethics commissioner said in a ruling released on Thursday, two weeks before a provincial election that is expected to be hard fought. Ethics Commissioner Marguerite Trussler said Smith had breached conflict of interest laws by contacting the province's justice minister about the case of a Calgary pastor facing criminal charges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In statement on Thursday, Smith said she would seek legal advice on how a premier could talk to a justice minister about sensitive matters in the future. Last week Smith apologized for having compared Albertans vaccinated against COVID-19 with followers of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. In March, another UCP candidate resigned after claiming children are exposed to pornography in schools and teachers help them change their gender identities.

☆ No respite for wildfire-hit Alberta as conditions set to worsen
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Leslie Kramer walk her dogs as some 90 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 23 out of control, according to the provincial government, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Record-high temperatures and tinder-dry vegetation have led to an intense, early start to wildfire season in western Canada this year. Alberta has been the worst-hit, with about 91 wildfires burning, including 27 out of control, as of Wednesday. On Wednesday, consultancy firm Rystad Energy said nearly 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) of Alberta oil sands production in May is at risk in "very high" or "extreme" wildfire danger rating zones. Of estimated May production volumes, about 60% are subject to extreme wildfire danger levels, with the remaining 40% subject to very high danger, Oslo-based Rystad said.

☆ Wildfires choke Alberta skies as air quality deteriorates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The United States will lift COVID-19 border restrictions known as Title 42 on Thursday night, a major shift that has drawn tens of thousands of migrants to the U.S.-Mexico border, straining local communities and intensifying political divisions.

[1/3] Smoke rises above the southeast perimeter of the Paskwa fire (HWF030) as it burns near Fox Lake, Alberta, Canada May 16, 2023. Alberta Wildfire/Handout via REUTERSMay 17 (Reuters) - Smoke blanketed the skies over much of Alberta on Wednesday as firefighters from Canada and the United States battled raging wildfires that have prompted evacuations, disrupted rail service and shuttered energy production in Canada's main oil-producing province. Of estimated May production volumes, about 60% are currently subject to extreme wildfire danger levels, with the remaining 40% subject to very high danger, Oslo-based Rystad said. Wildfire smoke has covered a large part of Western Canada. Air quality in places including Edmonton and Alberta has deteriorated to category 10+, the worst level on Environment Canada's Air Quality Health Index, indicating "very high risk."

☆ Wildfires burn millions of acres in Canada, send oil prices higher
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Wildfires burning across western Canada have forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes and have prompted some oil and gas companies to curb production as blazes approach pipelines. There were nearly 90 fires burning in the western province of Alberta, a quarter of which are expected to grow larger, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. The fires have had a notable impact on the region's oil industry, as some drillers were forced to halt a small percentage of production as a precautionary measure due to shifting fire conditions. This week, Benchmark Canadian heavy crude prices tightened to multi-month highs over concerns about the blazes. Nearly 2.7 million barrels of daily oil sands production in Alberta is in "very high" or "extreme" wildfire danger zones, according to Rystad Energy, an energy consulting firm.

☆ Canada’s Wildfires Have Been Disrupting Lives. Now, Oil and Gas Take a Hit.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Hiroko Tabuchi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The damage to oil and gas production was likely to significantly surpass current tallies, Thomas Liles, vice president of Rystad’s upstream research, said in a note. The disruptions from the fires in Canada, a major oil- and gas-producing nation, have helped push oil prices higher. Chevron said it had shut down all production at its Kaybob Duvernay oil and gas fields in central Alberta. Paramount temporarily shuttered a natural gas processing plant along with production in several gas fields, the company said in its latest update on Sunday. It isn’t the first time Canada’s oil and gas fields have been hit by fires, and the shutdowns, for now, affect a small proportion of the country’s total oil and gas output.

☆ Opinion | There’s No Escape From Wildfire Smoke
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This season so far, the total is already more than 1.5 million — which would make it the province’s third-worst annual result, just a few weeks into May, with months more of wildfire season still to burn. In the United States, by contrast, those who live in fear of wildfire are probably breathing a bit easier. Last year was a relatively light one, with fewer than eight million acres burning across the country — close to the two-decade average and well below the damage of several especially scarring recent seasons. But a new lesson from the evolving science of wildfire is about how far its toxic smoke spreads and how widely its noxious impacts are distributed. In fact, according to one not-yet-published study led by Stanford researchers exploring the distribution of wildfire smoke, an estimated 60 percent of the smoke impact of American wildfire is experienced by those living outside the states where the trees are in flames.

However, an 18.9% year-on-year rise in China's oil refinery throughput in April to the second-highest level on record helped to keep a floor under crude prices. The IEA raised its forecast for global oil demand this year by 200,000 bpd to a record 102 million bpd. It said China's recovery after the lifting of COVID-19 curbs had surpassed expectations, with demand reaching a record 16 million bpd in March. In another bullish development, the U.S. Department of Energy on Monday said it would buy 3 million barrels of crude oil for delivery in August in a move to begin refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Meanwhile, U.S. commercial crude stocks fell by about 1.3 million barrels last week, according to analysts polled by Reuters.

TOKYO, May 16 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose for a second day on Tuesday, supported by U.S. plans to purchase oil for its Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) and by raging wildfires in Canada that fuelled supply worries. The U.S. Department of Energy said on Monday it would buy 3 million barrels of crude oil for the SPR for delivery in August, and asked that offers be submitted by May 31. China's oil refinery throughput in April rose 18.9% from a year earlier to the second-highest level on record, data showed on Tuesday. Oil prices on Tuesday also drew support from supply worries stemming from wildfires in Canada. "With so much uncertainty surrounding the macro environment, the lack of any strong signals from the physical market is likely to see oil prices remain under pressure," said ANZ analysts.

TOKYO, May 16 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose for a second day early on Tuesday, as U.S. plans to purchase oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) lent support while raging wildfires in Canada fuelled supply worries. Brent crude futures rose 31 cents, or 0.4%, to $75.54 a barrel by 0043 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $71.38 a barrel, up 27 cents, or 0.4%. Both benchmarks rose more than 1% on Monday, reversing a 3-session losing streak. The U.S. Department of Energy said on Monday it would buy 3 million barrels of crude oil for the SPR for delivery in August, and asked that offers be submitted by May 31. Oil prices on Tuesday, however, drew support from supply worries stemming from wildfires in Canada.

[1/2] A smoke column rises from wildfire WCU001 near Wildwood, Alberta, Canada May 5, 2023. Alberta Wildfire/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoTORONTO, May 16 (Reuters) - Tinder-dry weather and shifting winds in Alberta on Tuesday elevated the risk of spreading wildfires in the Canadian oil-producing province where thousands have already been forced from their homes. Some 90 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 23 out of control, according to the provincial government. Judy Levesque, 50, stood outside in the central Alberta town of Drayton Valley on the night of May 4 as ash rained down. The change in wind direction can pose a problem for firefighters as the path of the fires changes suddenly, said Christie Tucker, spokesperson for the Alberta Wildfire agency.

☆ Oil prices extend gains on U.S. plans to refill reserve, Canada's wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices rose for a second day early on Tuesday, as U.S. plans to purchase oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR, lent support while raging wildfires in Canada fueled supply worries. Brent crude futures rose 31 cents, or 0.4%, to $75.54 a barrel by 0043 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $71.38 a barrel, up 27 cents, or 0.4%. Both benchmarks rose more than 1% on Monday, reversing a 3-session losing streak. The U.S. Department of Energy said on Monday it would buy 3 million barrels of crude oil for the SPR for delivery in August, and asked that offers be submitted by May 31. Oil prices on Tuesday, however, drew support from supply worries stemming from wildfires in Canada.

☆ Wall Street advances, Treasury yields rise as debt-ceiling debate rolls along
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It feels like there's some optimism regarding talks on the debt ceiling," said Joseph Sroka, chief investment officer at NovaPoint in Atlanta. "Part of that may be political gamesmanship, but it's helping the market a little bit today." European stocks ended the session higher as investors eyed ongoing U.S. debt ceiling negotiations and Turkey's impending election runoff. Emerging market stocks rose 0.54%. Gold edged higher in opposition to the weakening dollar as the ongoing debt ceiling standoff stoked fears of a global economic slowdown.

☆ Tech lifts Nasdaq, Treasury yields gain as debt ceiling debate plods on
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 11, 2023. "It feels like there's some optimism regarding talks on the debt ceiling," said Joseph Sroka, chief investment officer at NovaPoint in Atlanta. European stocks ended the session higher as investors eyed ongoing U.S. debt ceiling negotiations and Turkey's impending election runoff. Emerging market stocks rose 0.53%. Gold edged higher in opposition to the weakening dollar as the debt ceiling standoff wore on, and investors clung to hopes of interest rate cuts by year-end, despite comments from Fed officials.

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