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Syria's Assad 'has secret Iraq oil lifeline'

The Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad has received substantial imports of Iraqi crude oil from an Egyptian port in the last nine months, shipping and payments documents show, part of an under-the-radar trade that has kept his military running despite Western sanctions. Assad’s government has been blacklisted by Western powers for its role in the two-and-a-half year civil war, forcing Damascus to rely on strategic ally Iran as its main supplier of crude oil. An exclusive Reuters examination based on previously undisclosed commercial documents about Syrian oil purchases shows however that Iran is no longer acting alone. Dozens of shipping and payment documents viewed by Reuters show that millions of barrels of crude delivered to Assad’s government on Iranian ships have actually come from Iraq, through Lebanese and Egyptian trading companies. The trade, which is denied by the firms involved, […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Syria’s Assad ‘has secret Iraq oil lifeline’

The Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad has received substantial imports of Iraqi crude oil from an Egyptian port in the last nine months, shipping and payments documents show, part of an under-the-radar trade that has kept his military running despite Western sanctions. Assad’s government has been blacklisted by Western powers for its role in the two-and-a-half year civil war, forcing Damascus to rely on strategic ally Iran as its main supplier of crude oil. An exclusive Reuters examination based on previously undisclosed commercial documents about Syrian oil purchases shows however that Iran is no longer acting alone. Dozens of shipping and payment documents viewed by Reuters show that millions of barrels of crude delivered to Assad’s government on Iranian ships have actually come from Iraq, through Lebanese and Egyptian trading companies. The trade, which is denied by the firms involved, […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Beirut bomb kills anti-Assad Lebanese former minister, at least 4 others

Former Lebanese minister Mohammed Shattah, who opposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was killed in an explosion that targeted his convoy in Beirut on Friday along with at least four other people, security sources said. Shattah, a Sunni Muslim, was also an opposition figure and an adviser to former prime minister Saad al-Hariri. Sources at the explosion site said Shattah was on his way to attend a meeting when the explosion went off. A Reuters witness at the scene said his car was "totally destroyed. It is a wreck." The sound of the blast was heard across the city at around 9:40 a.m. (0740 GMT), and a plume of black smoke was seen rising in the downtown business and hotel district. Ambulances could be seen taking victims from the area, a Reuters witness said. A restaurant and a coffee shop were destroyed in the blast, and several cars […]

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Iran says it is developing new centrifuges

Iran’s nuclear chief said the country is building a new generation of centrifuges for uranium enrichment but that they need further tests before they can be mass produced, apparently trying to counter hard-liner criticism of its nuclear deal with word powers. Under a landmark nuclear deal reached last month in Geneva, Iran promised not to bring new centrifuges into operation for six months, part of temporary limitations on its uranium enrichment program in return for the easing of some sanctions. But the deal does not stop it from developing centrifuges. Salehi’s comments appeared aimed at showing the country is moving ahead with its nuclear program into order to fend off criticism by Iranian hard-liners, who have denounced the deal, calling it a surrender in the face of Western pressure. The government of new President Hassan Rouhani says the deal recognizes Iran’s right to enrich uranium. […]

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Egypt: Police clash with pro-Morsi protesters

Egyptian security forces fired tear gas at dozens of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi as authorities tighten security measures in the capital after renewed calls for mass rallies. Anti-riot police chased student protesters chanting against the military and the police at the Islamic Al-Azhar University on Friday. Similar clashes took place Thursday night, leaving one person dead, as anti-Morsi civilians joined in the fighting with protesters, according to Egypt’s official news agency. Clashes also erupted Friday in two other districts of the capital. Armored vehicles closed main squares and city centers in Cairo and other major cities after Morsi’s group, the Muslim Brotherhood, and its allies announced now protests in defiance of the interim government’s latest move labeling the group as a terrorist organization. © 2013 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more […]

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UN: 120,000 people displaced by S. Sudan violence

More than 120,000 people have been displaced by continuing violence in South Sudan, the United Nations said, as African leaders met Friday to find a political solution to a crisis that has exposed ethnic rifts within the country. Regional leaders under a bloc called IGAD are meeting Friday in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi to discuss South Sudan. That summit is expected to produce a roadmap for peace talks between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar, Kiir’s political rival who is accused of orchestrating a failed coup that the government says sparked unrest across the oil-producing East African country. "We in Kenya and the region are concerned with the loss of lives and resultant humanitarian crisis and would like to see the government taking the initiative to end hostilities," Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said late Thursday. The […]

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Libya Says Oil Production Reaches 250,000 Bopd

Libya’s oil production was at 250,000 barrels per day as of December 25, according to an oil ministry statement on Thursday and carried by the state news agency LANA, and while that is up slightly from 224,000 at the end of November it is down sharply from July. Gas output was at 1.928 million cubic feet on December 25, the oil ministry said. The agency did not provide additional details. A mix of militias, tribesmen and political minorities, which are demanding a greater share of Libya’s oil wealth and more political power, have shut most oilfields and ports, cutting oil output from the 1.4 million bpd in July. The seizures have also cut Libya’s oil exports to 110,000 barrels a day from more than one million in July. Libya’s oil and gas industry association said on Tuesday it was optimistic the government would soon reach an agreement […]

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Cairo bomb blast deepens crisis in Egypt

Egyptian security officials inspect the damaged bus that was targeted by a bomb in Nasr City district, Cairo, Egypt A crude explosive device on a Cairo street injured five people on a bus on Thursday morning, deepening the sense of crisis in Egypt after a massive car bomb earlier this week which killed 16 people at a security headquarters in the northern town of Mansoura. The latest bloodshed came just hours after the military-backed government formally designated as a “terrorist organisation” the Muslim Brotherhood group of Mohamed Morsi , Egypt’s first elected president, ousted by a popularly backed coup in July. In a statement late on Wednesday night, clearly intended to seal the expulsion from politics of the Islamist group which led in elections held over the past three years, the government accused the Muslim Brotherhood of “terrorist” activities, including carrying out the Mansoura attack. It comes less than […]

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Algerian oil, gas output set to rise in next five years: Sonatrach

Algeria’s oil and gas production is expected to increase in the coming five years, reversing the decline in volumes seen in recent years, according to state oil and gas company Sonatrach. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the company’s general assembly earlier this week, Sonatrach head Abdelhamid Zerguine said Algeria’s hydrocarbons production was "showing signs of recovery." Algeria’s crude oil production stood at 1.14 million b/d in November, according to a Platts survey of OPEC and industry officials. This represents a drop of around 15% from average production of 1.3 to 1.4 million b/d for most of the period from 2005 to 2010. According to the US government’s Energy Information Administration Algeria’s gas production was 2.9 Tcf in 2011, having declined steadily since 2005 as its larger, more mature fields depleted. Zerguine said the decline in output seen over the last decade was […]

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The Five Richest Cities in the U.S.

While not quite going from feast to famine, the U.S. natural-gas market suddenly looks a lot different. Futures prices have soared of late to a two-and-a-half year high as cold weather caused a spike in heating demand, taking an unprecedented bite out of inventories. Last week’s report on underground gas stockpiles from the Energy Information Administration showed a drop of 285 billion cubic feet, shattering the previous weekly record established in January 2008. The report for the week ended Dec. 20, due Friday, should show a more typical reduction. As of the most recent report, underground storage stood at 3,248 billion cubic feet. That is 13% below last year’s level on the same date and more than 7% below the average of the past five years. There is no need to turn down the thermostat, though. Not too long ago, a stockpile of 3,000 billion cubic feet was considered […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple