March, 2017

• 5 March

  Nigeria charges Eni, Shell with oil bloc sale corruption

  

    Bloomberg Nigeria has filed criminal charges of corruption against oil multinationals Royal Dutch Shell and Eni over the $1.1 billion sale of one of Africa’s richest oil blocks. Both companies have denied any wrongdoing. Charges filed at the High Court in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, allege the companies paid $801 million to former Oil Minister Dan Etete, former Justice Minister ...

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• 5 March

  Kirkuk oil exports at risk as Kurds seize pump station

    Bloomberg Iraqi oil shipments of about 105,000 barrels a day were halted briefly after Kurdish troops seized control of a pumping station in disputed Kirkuk province and demanded that crude shipments to the country’s central government be stopped. Oil from Kirkuk stopped flowing into a Kurdish-built export pipeline to Turkey after fighters loyal to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan ...

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• 5 March

  Gazprom’s Medvedev eyes new gas supply deal

  

    Bloomberg Gazprom PJSC deputy head Alexander Medvedev is taking solace in old sayings by the founding father of the People’s Republic of China as the natural gas giant pushes ahead with a plan to become its biggest supplier. “Do you know this Chinese saying ‘Hard work for three years, happiness for 10,000’?” Medvedev said in an interview, referring to ...

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• 5 March

  Oil sands batter major explorers’ reserves as rout sinks value

  

    Bloomberg Oil-sands investments in Western Canada that gobbled tens of billions of dollars over the past decade are proving an Achilles heel for some of the world’s biggest energy producers. Exxon Mobil Corp. slashed proved reserves the most in its modern history after removing the entire $16 billion, 3.5-billion-barrel Kearl oil-sands project from its books. That followed ConocoPhillips’ announcement ...

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• 5 March

  China targets 6.5% growth amid drive to reduce risk

  

    Bloomberg China set a 2017 growth target of “around 6.5 percent, or higher if possible” as focus shifts to easing risk and ensuring stability before a twice-a-decade leadership transition this year. The objective outlined on Sunday in Premier Li Keqiang’s work report to the National People’s Congress in Beijing compares with last year’s target range of 6.5 percent to ...

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• 5 March

  India chases a V-shaped recovery from cash ban

  

    Bloomberg India’s surprising economic strength last quarter will only renew debate over how much its unprecedented cash ban has curtailed growth and how quickly activity will bounce back. While the Reserve Bank of India and the government are backing a sharp V-shaped recovery, analysts including those at the local unit of Moody’s Ratings predict a slower turnaround after growth ...

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• 5 March

  Japan’s core inflation show little changes

  

    Bloomberg Japan’s economy coasted along with only slight improvements in January despite a rebound in corporate investment. Core inflation excluding volatile food prices rose 0.1 percent, mainly due to an uptick in energy prices, data showed. The unemployment rate in the world’s third-largest economy edged slightly lower, to 3.0 percent, and the number of jobs per applicant remained at ...

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• 5 March

  Aussie economy grows faster as consumers spend

  

    Bloomberg Australia’s economy expanded faster than forecast in the fourth quarter of 2016 as household savings fell to the lowest level in more than eight years as consumers opened their wallets. Gross domestic product rose as much as 1.1% from prior quarter; economists estimated 0.8% gain. Economy grew 2.4% from a year earlier, compared with a forecast 2% increase. ...

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• 5 March

  Morrison ‘concerned’ over weak Aussie wage growth

  

    Bloomberg Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison said he’s still “very concerned” about the impact of record-low wage growth on the budget even after the economy rebounded strongly in the final three months of last year. The treasurer sought to play down the fiscal boost from 1.1 percent growth in the fourth quarter, telling Sky News only that “it’s consistent with ...

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• 5 March

  Fukushima nuclear plant cleanup chief urges better use of investigation robot

  

    Bloomberg The head of decommissioning for the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant said that more creativity is needed in developing robots to locate and assess the condition of melted fuel rods. A robot sent inside the Unit 2 containment vessel last month could not reach as close to the core area as was hoped for because it was blocked by ...

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