Free Republic

U.S. natural gas prices have skyrocketed nearly 150% this year while inventory levels have shrunk, signaling more consumer pain ahead of the summer season.The Henry Hub natural gas spot price, an indicator of nationwide prices, stormed past $9.30 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) Thursday, up from its early January price of $3.74 per MMBtu and the highest level since 2008, according to government data.U.S. natural gas inventories have been drained in recent months, declining 17.6% year-over-year and down 15.3% relative to their 2017-2021 average, additional data released Thursday showed.“There’s almost no ceiling for natural gas,” Kent Bayazitoglu, an energy...

Senior EU diplomats have called for financial sanctions and travel bans on Israeli settlers in a last-ditch effort to save the Middle East peace process. An internal report by EU countries’ consuls general in Jerusalem and Ramallah—seen by EUobserver—says member states should "prevent … financial transactions, including foreign direct investment from within the EU, in support of settlement activities, infrastructure and services.” It adds that individual EU states should “explore the possibility of denying entry to known settler radicals.” It also calls for EU guidelines on retail labels for settler-made products, such as wine or cosmetics, in order to “guarantee...