Venezuela to launch oil-backed cryptocurrency

The massive oil spill from 480,000 liters leaking off the Orange County coast is slowly moving south, threatening marine-protected areas as well as popular beaches. On the coastline of South California, most beaches are closed, with efforts to clean areas impacted by the oil ongoing.

Nigeria's dependence on crude oil makes its economy vulnerable. But the transition to an economy not based on oil won't be easy.

Saudi Arabia is creating the "world's first tourism destination on offshore platforms" as part of a drive to diversify the economy away from oil. The Rig will be an oil-themed “extreme park” that will be sitting atop a converted oil rig in the Arabian Gulf.⁣

Africa's abundant sunshine is ideal for renewable energy production. But the continent relies heavily on crude oil. Experts warn that the economy will continue to suffer if governments don't wean themselves off of oil.

The WikiLeaks' founder is currently fighting an appeal by Washington to extradite him back to the US. Assange's legal team has rejected US assurances that he won't be sent to a "Supermax" prison.

The explosion, in the capital, Freetown, happened as large crowds gathered to collect leaking fuel. The oil tanker was damaged earlier in an accident with a bus.

Thousands of musicians are hoping to have set a record by performing as part of the world’s largest orchestra.

The US has announced it will release 50 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves, in coordination with several major consumer nations including China and India.

Three weeks after the Santa Barbara wellhead failed, it is still blasting water, gas and oil across Nembe in Nigeria's Delta, littering the shoreline and water with yellow-brown clumps of waste as cleanup crews and booms struggle to contain it. Santa Barbara wellhead owner Aiteo Eastern E&P, the petroleum minister and Nigeria's president have all promised that specialist workers would quickly stop the spill. But experts say the difficulties containing it are a reminder of how the once-fertile, fish-filled creeks, mangrove swamps and waterways that crisscross Nigeria's Delta became some of the most polluted areas on the planet amid decades of energy exploration.

Africa's abundant sunshine is ideal for renewable energy production. But the continent relies heavily on crude oil. Experts warn that the economy will continue to suffer if governments don't wean themselves off of oil.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.⁣⁣

Captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar admitted he had been drinking alcohol as cargo ship Wakashio ran aground in July 2020, spilling more than 1,000 tons of fuel into the Indian Ocean.