NEW YORK (AP) – Global oil demand is set to decline this year for the first time since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, according to a report from the International Energy Agency. The drop, which the agency expects to amount to about 1 million barrels per day in 2026, is due to higher oil prices and disruptions to physical supply.

The economy, inflation and how those forces could impact the lives of Americans were front and center over the past week. Trips to the grocery store or gas station are more painful than they were last year, and rising costs are impacting the decisions of both households and businesses.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

TOKYO (AP) – Japan’s experimental reusable rocket took off and safely landed in a first test flight Saturday as the country seeks to achieve the technology key to cut launch costs and compete in the global space market dominated by SpaceX.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, economist Raj Chetty and former Bank of England governor Mervyn King are among a slate of names released by the Federal Reserve Thursday that will help develop recommended changes to the central bank’s operations.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – African countries have secured $900 million in new financial commitments to expand access to clean cooking technologies, which replace polluting fuels with cleaner alternatives, the International Energy Agency, IEA, said Thursday.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) – South Africa has asked the United States to exempt it from proposed tariffs linked to a U.S. investigation into the enforcement of bans on imports of products made with forced labor in dozens of countries, arguing that it has robust laws prohibiting the practice.

Detroit-based startup believes AI-powered drone technology could ease truck parking shortage problem