February, 2017

• 23 February

  Jordan hands 15-year prison terms for 8 in alleged IS plots

    AMMAN / AP Jordan’s state security court has sentenced eight men to 15-year prison terms for involvement in alleged plans by the extremist IS group to attack a military airport, military personnel, foreign aircraft and foreign embassies in the kingdom. The sentences are part of an ongoing crackdown. Jordan is a member of a US-led coalition against IS, which ...

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• 23 February

  3 Indian soldiers, woman killed during rebel attack

    SRINAGAR / AP Three Indian soldiers and a woman were killed when rebels ambushed soldiers in the disputed region of Kashmir, police said on Thursday. Inspector-General Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani said the militants tossed grenades and sprayed bullets at soldiers returning from a search operation in the southern Shopian area early Thursday. Gillani said the attack triggered a brief ...

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• 23 February

  US, Mexico at odds over deportation as top officials meet

  

    MEXICO CITY / AP Mexico’s mounting unease and resentment over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown are looming over a gathering of US and Mexican leaders that the U.S. had hoped would project a strong future for relations between neighbors. There is no shortage of tension points as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly ...

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• 23 February

  China ‘shoal’ would strain ties: Philippines

    MANILA / AP The Philippines’ top diplomat says any move by China to transform a Manila-claimed shoal into an island would be a “game-changer” in blossoming relations although he says Beijing has pledged not to undertake any construction in the strategically located area of the South China Sea. Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said in response to a reporter’s ...

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• 23 February

  N Korean state media say China dancing to US tune

    TOKYO / AP North Korea’s state-run news agency issued a tough critique of China on Thursday, suggesting Beijing’s criticism of the North’s recent missile test and suspension of imports of North Korean coal are tantamount to the actions of an enemy state “dancing to the tune of the US.” The article took a tone normally reserved for North Korea’s ...

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• 23 February

  Europe oil majors eye Brazilian expansion as more blocks open

  

    Bloomberg European oil majors given a taste of Brazil may soon be ready for more. Norway’s Statoil ASA, Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch Shell Plc and France’s Total SA have paid billions since 2013 to gain access to Brazil’s fertile offshore oil riches. They’re now seen as having the best chance to expand when Brazil later this year auctions four ...

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• 23 February

  Aramco IPO could push other Gulf states to list oil assets

    Reuters Saudi Aramco’s initial public offering (IPO) could encourage other Gulf countries to list their oil assets, a leading regional economist said, but the oil giant must clear uncertainties over taxation, OPEC policy and ownership of crude. Nasser Saidi, a former economy minister of Lebanon, told Dubai Eye Radio in an interview broadcast on Wednesday that Aramco has to ...

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• 23 February

  Leviathan partners approve $3.75bn gas-development plan

  

    Bloomberg The companies that own the rights to Leviathan, Israel’s largest natural gas reservoir, approved a plan to allocate $3.75 billion to develop the offshore site. Israel’s main gas equity index rose the most in almost five months. The partners, led by Delek Group Ltd. and Houston-based Noble Energy Inc., have agreed on a final investment decision, which lays ...

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• 23 February

  Aramco competes against Socar for OMV’s Turkish unit

    Bloomberg Saudi Arabian Oil Co. and Azerbaijan’s State Oil Co. are competing to buy OMV AG’s fuel-retailing business in Turkey in a deal that may value the asset between $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said. Aramco, as the Saudi state company is known, and Socar have submitted binding bids for Istanbul-based OMV Petrol ...

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• 23 February

  OPEC still waiting for evidence of ‘oil cut’s success’

  

    Bloomberg OPEC officials this week hailed the “excellent” and “unprecedented” implementation of their agreement to cut oil production, but were still waiting for solid evidence that the deal was fulfilling their key measure of success and shrinking the global glut. A reduction in the amount of oil held in storage around the world is the most important factor for ...

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