Category:

Foreign Minister Fabius Concerned Tehran Won’t Drop Ability to Build a Bomb

France’s foreign minister voiced doubts that Western powers will reach a final nuclear deal with Iran, questioning Tehran’s willingness to abandon its ability to build an atomic bomb. Laurent Fabius has propelled France to the forefront of nuclear talks by taking a tough stance on Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for civilian and scientific use only. To reach a lasting agreement, six Western powers are pressing Tehran to adopt measures that unwind its nuclear capabilities to the point that a weapon is no longer within reach. That goal has been partly overshadowed by disagreements over how to implement a preliminary accord that temporarily freezes Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for limited relief from biting sanctions. "We have to implement honestly the first phase," Mr. Fabius said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "Then my main concern is the second phase. It is unclear if the […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
Category:

Shiite Pilgrimage Is Target of Attacks in Iraq

Shiite Muslims making one of their most important pilgrimages in Iraq were targeted again on Wednesday by gunmen and suicide bombers, medical and police officials said. Gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Pakistani Shiites traveling from Samarra to Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 11, officials said. In Diyala Province in northern Iraq, a policeman guarding Shiite pilgrims noticed a person he suspected was a suicide bomber trying to infiltrate the crowd, medical and security officials said. When the officer grabbed hold of him, the attacker detonated his explosives, killing the officer and four other people. Many Shiites from Iraq and other countries are making their annual pilgrimage to the city of Karbala for Arbaeen, which marks the 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The pilgrims typically travel by foot or vehicles over long distances to reach shrines in Karbala […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
Category:

Libya oil deadlock causes jitters in global energy market

Libya’s deadlocked oil crisis, with rebel warlords refusing to reopen blockaded oil terminals along the Mediterranean coast, is causing jitters on international energy markets as oil exports are reduced to a trickle. The beleaguered government of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said last week that the export terminals in the eastern cities of Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Zueitina, which account for 60 percent of Libya’s oil exports, would reopen Sunday. But rebel chieftain Ibrahim Jedran, who once commanded the 30,000-strong Petroleum Facilities Guard assigned to protect the very facilities he has shut down for months, refused to allow them to resume operations until the Tripoli government recognizes eastern Libya as an autonomous region. Eastern Libya, known as Cyrenaica, holds most of the North African country’s oil reserves of 76.4 billion barrels, the largest in Africa and the fifth largest in the world. "International […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
Category:

Israeli Firms Distance Themselves From Noble Energy's Oil Field Estimates

The Israeli partners of Noble Energy Inc. (NBL) in the offshore Leviathan field on Wednesday distanced themselves from comments made by the U.S. company about its estimated oil potential. Noble in a conference call with investors said it has increased its estimate to 1.5 billion barrels of oil in the field, with an additional 1.5 billion barrels of oil in a nearby Cyprus field it also controls with Israeli partners. Noble’s Israeli partners–Delek Drilling Ltd. Partnership (DEDR.L.TV), Ratio Oil Exploration Ltd. Partnership (RATI.L.TV), Avner Oil Exploration Ltd. Partnership (AVNR.L.TV) and Alon Natural Gas Exploration Ltd. (ALGS.TV)–said the new estimates weren’t in accordance with Israeli reporting regulations. The requirements about how energy companies can publish reserve estimates differ between the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, which often has more stringent requirements than the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, under which Houston-based Noble […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
Category:

Israeli Firms Distance Themselves From Noble Energy’s Oil Field Estimates

The Israeli partners of Noble Energy Inc. (NBL) in the offshore Leviathan field on Wednesday distanced themselves from comments made by the U.S. company about its estimated oil potential. Noble in a conference call with investors said it has increased its estimate to 1.5 billion barrels of oil in the field, with an additional 1.5 billion barrels of oil in a nearby Cyprus field it also controls with Israeli partners. Noble’s Israeli partners–Delek Drilling Ltd. Partnership (DEDR.L.TV), Ratio Oil Exploration Ltd. Partnership (RATI.L.TV), Avner Oil Exploration Ltd. Partnership (AVNR.L.TV) and Alon Natural Gas Exploration Ltd. (ALGS.TV)–said the new estimates weren’t in accordance with Israeli reporting regulations. The requirements about how energy companies can publish reserve estimates differ between the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, which often has more stringent requirements than the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, under which Houston-based Noble […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
Category:

Britain to Evacuate Its Citizens from South Sudan

In a sign of mounting international concern about fighting in South Sudan, Britain said on Thursday that it had dispatched an airplane to evacuate British nationals as clashes were reported to have spread following claims of an attempted coup. The Foreign Office said that around 150 of the estimated 500 Britons in the newly created country had been in touch with British officials, many of them wanting to leave the country. The developments came a day after the South Sudanese Army said that it had lost control of a town in the north of the country. South Sudan declared its independence in July 2011, after years of struggle to break away from the Arab-dominated north of Sudan. But in the past few days, President Salva Kiir has accused his former vice president, Riek Machar, of attempting to overthrow him — a charge Mr. Machar denied on Wednesday. […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
Category:

Rebels take South Sudan town Bor after 'coup attempt'

Displaced Sudanese civilians arrive at the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) compound on the outskirts of the capital Juba in South Sudan 19 December 2013 Last updated at 08:22 Thousands of people are seeking refuge from the fighting in UN compounds South Sudanese rebels have taken over a key town, the military has said, as fighting continues after Sunday’s reported coup attempt. "Our soldiers have lost control of Bor to the force of Riek Machar," said army spokesman Philip Aguer. President Salva Kiir has accused Mr Machar, the former vice-president, of staging a coup – a claim he denies. The unrest, which began in the capital Juba, has already killed 500 people and sparked fears of a civil war. The United Nations has called for political dialogue to end the crisis, and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said about 20,000 people had taken refuge in […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
Category:

Rebels take South Sudan town Bor after ‘coup attempt’

Displaced Sudanese civilians arrive at the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) compound on the outskirts of the capital Juba in South Sudan 19 December 2013 Last updated at 08:22 Thousands of people are seeking refuge from the fighting in UN compounds South Sudanese rebels have taken over a key town, the military has said, as fighting continues after Sunday’s reported coup attempt. "Our soldiers have lost control of Bor to the force of Riek Machar," said army spokesman Philip Aguer. President Salva Kiir has accused Mr Machar, the former vice-president, of staging a coup – a claim he denies. The unrest, which began in the capital Juba, has already killed 500 people and sparked fears of a civil war. The United Nations has called for political dialogue to end the crisis, and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said about 20,000 people had taken refuge in […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
Category:

BP Gulf of Mexico Find Caps Best Exploration Year in Decade

BP said the Gila prospect in the Gulf of Mexico produced a “significant” discovery, capping the most successful year for exploration since 2004 for Europe’s second-biggest oil company. Gila, co-owned with ConocoPhillips, was found in the Paleogene trend, the same layer of rock as the Kaskida discovery in 2006 and Tiber in 2009. The well was drilled under 4,900 feet (1,500 meters) of water about 300 miles (480 kilometers) southwest of New Orleans. More drilling will be needed to determine the size of the Gila find, BP said. Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley pledged to focus more on exploration to help return the company to growth following the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Gila is the seventh discovery from 15 exploration wells completed this year and follows potentially commercial finds in India, Egypt, Angola and Brazil. “Exploration is at the heart of BP’s upstream strategy,” Lamar […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
Category:

Wood Mac: Uganda-Kenya pipeline vital for region

A proposed oil pipeline from central Uganda to the coast of Kenya could be a vital step toward unlocking East Africa’s potential, Wood Mackenzie said Wednesday. "There is huge untapped potential across both countries, with over 3.5 billion barrels of [expected] volumes in Kenya, and a further 1 billion barrels of [expected] reserves in Uganda," Martin Kelly, an African analyst for energy consultant Wood Mackenzie, said in a statement. "The proposed pipeline is fundamental in unlocking value for both countries." Wood Mackenzie estimates it will cost at least $4 billion to build an 869-mile long pipeline from central Uganda to the Kenyan coast. Uganda is a landlocked country and the region in general lacks the infrastructure needed to take full advantage of the oil potential. Wood Mackenzie adds the type of oil found in Uganda needs to be heated in order to facilitate pipeline […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple