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Iraq Minister Says Oil-Producing South is Safe From Violence in Mosul

Iraq’s oil minister Abdul Kareem Luaiby said Wednesday that he didn’t expect violence in the country’s north to spread to its oil-producing south and that the situation in Mosul wouldn’t affect oil exports. "The accident is only in the north of Iraq…the south is a very very safe area," the minister said, speaking ahead of Wednesday’s meeting of the Organization if Petroleum Exporting Countries. Islamist insurgents overran Iraq’s second-largest city on Tuesday, raising concerns about exports from the country’s northern oil fields, which have already been shut in because of repeated attacks on the pipeline that runs north to Ceyhan in Turkey. Mr. Luaiby said that repairs on the pipeline are continuing notwithstanding the current situation in Mosul. However, he added that there was a possibility that oil from the north could be piped south through oil-product pipelines for domestic consumption and then exported from Basrah, […]

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Lukoil: Iraqi oil field output above 200,000 bpd

Russian energy company Lukoil said Wednesday it’s fulfilled its contractual obligations for the West Qurna-2 field in Iraq and production is above 200,000 bpd. "The West-Qurna-2 project is developing at a fast pace, and production is going up," the company said in a statement . Lukoil, which serves as operator at the oil field, said it’s maintained a steady level of production of at least 120,000 barrels per day for the last 90 days. Currently, daily oil production is above 200,000 bpd, the company said. "As of today, the project has reached another milestone by paving the way for LUKOIL to receive contractual remunerations," the Lukoil statement said. First oil was produced from West Qurna-2, located in southern Iraq, in March. Lukoil, Russia’s largest private oil company, signed a contract revision last week to build two 75-mile long pipelines and associated infrastructure. The system will link the oil field […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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U.S. objects to Kurdish oil deliveries

Washington does not support any export or sale of oil from Iraq without consent from the federal government in Baghdad, a State Department spokeswoman said. Two cargo vessels have left the Turkish sea port of Ceyhan loaded with oil from the Kurdish north of Iraq. United Leadership left port in May and is parked off the coast of Morocco. United Emblem set sail early this week and is positioned north of the island of Crete, Greece. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said during a press briefing Tuesday the U.S. government has long sided with Baghdad on the sale or export of Iraqi crude oil. "We don’t support the export or sale of oil, absent the appropriate approval of the federal Iraqi government," she said . "This [export] exposes those who are undergoing this effort to potentially serious legal risks." The semiautonomous Kurdistan Regional Government said it’s acting within […]

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Iraq Says Southern Oil Facilities 'Very, Very Safe'

Iraq’s southern oil export facilities, currently its only export outlet, were secure, with shipments now running at around 2.6 million barrels per day, Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said on Wednesday. An al Qaeda splinter group seized control of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Tuesday, putting security forces to flight in a spectacular show of strength against the Shi’ite-led Baghdad government. "All our exports now are from the Basra terminal in the south – and it’s a very, very safe area," Luaibi told reporters ahead of an OPEC meeting. Iraq’s northern export pipeline, which connects to a Turkish terminal, has been out of action since March after a bomb attack. Luaibi also said there was better chance of agreement between the central government and the Kurdish region due to the situation in Mosul. (Reporting by Peg Mackey and Georgina Prodhan in Vienna, […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Iraq Says Southern Oil Facilities ‘Very, Very Safe’

Iraq’s southern oil export facilities, currently its only export outlet, were secure, with shipments now running at around 2.6 million barrels per day, Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said on Wednesday. An al Qaeda splinter group seized control of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Tuesday, putting security forces to flight in a spectacular show of strength against the Shi’ite-led Baghdad government. "All our exports now are from the Basra terminal in the south – and it’s a very, very safe area," Luaibi told reporters ahead of an OPEC meeting. Iraq’s northern export pipeline, which connects to a Turkish terminal, has been out of action since March after a bomb attack. Luaibi also said there was better chance of agreement between the central government and the Kurdish region due to the situation in Mosul. (Reporting by Peg Mackey and Georgina Prodhan in Vienna, […]

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Libya maintains optimism over oil sector

It’s possible Libyan oil production could more than double to 700,000 barrels per day within the next two months, a Libyan delegate to OPEC said Wednesday. Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Counties met Wednesday in Vienna for a regular conference. Libyan envoy to OPEC Samir Salem Kamal said if major oil fields closed by labor strikes and protests are brought back online, production could increase from the current rate of around 200,000 bpd. "Libya could get to 700,000 bpd in two months," he said . The envoy said negotiations were ongoing in an effort to bring closed fields back into production. The Libyan National Oil Corp. lifted a state of emergency at operations at the eastern Zueitina oil terminal earlier this year. It was in the control of forces vying for more autonomy in the region. Internal conflicts in Libya have spilled over into […]

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BBC uncovers new evidence of civil unrest in Saudi Arabia

There’s no doubt his [Morsi’s] martyrdom is a great loss to the uprising. But this makes it stronger and his friends more determined.Hassan The BBC has gained unprecedented access to anti-government activists in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province as the Kingdom strives to crackdown on civil unrest. In one of the most secretive countries in the world, frequent protests by the Shia minority have gone largely unreported. But for the first co-production between BBC Our World, BBC Arabic and BBC Persian, reporter Safa Al Ahmad travels into her native Saudi Arabia to investigate how three years of protests have continued in spite of a violent government crackdown. It’s nearly impossible for foreign journalists to operate in the Eastern Province, but Safa grew up in the area and was able to travel in and meet activists under the radar, without alerting the authorities. Filming over the course of a year (2013-14), […]

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Scorching Heat Exposes India's Power Woes

Scorching summer heat caused power outages and triggered protests in India’s capital, underscoring the challenges the country’s new government faces as it strives to improve dilapidated energy infrastructure and restore India’s appeal as an investment destination. Temperatures across northern India have hovered around 115 degrees Fahrenheit, or 46 Celsius, for nearly a week, straining power grids and causing sporadic outages in New Delhi and the adjoining states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana. This week, the Delhi state government instructed government offices to turn off air conditioners during peak hours and ordered electricity to shopping malls in the capital to be stopped after 10 p.m. Delhi police said three people were arrested for vandalizing a bus on Tuesday while they protested electricity cuts, and that officers stepped up their […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Scorching Heat Exposes India’s Power Woes

Scorching summer heat caused power outages and triggered protests in India’s capital, underscoring the challenges the country’s new government faces as it strives to improve dilapidated energy infrastructure and restore India’s appeal as an investment destination. Temperatures across northern India have hovered around 115 degrees Fahrenheit, or 46 Celsius, for nearly a week, straining power grids and causing sporadic outages in New Delhi and the adjoining states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana. This week, the Delhi state government instructed government offices to turn off air conditioners during peak hours and ordered electricity to shopping malls in the capital to be stopped after 10 p.m. Delhi police said three people were arrested for vandalizing a bus on Tuesday while they protested electricity cuts, and that officers stepped up their […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Japan slams China over close encounter of jets

Japan lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing on Wednesday after Chinese military jets flew near Japanese military aircraft over the East China Sea, an official said. Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said two Chinese SU27 fighters approached as close as 30 meters (100 feet) to Japanese aircraft on Wednesday morning. He said the Chinese planes posed a danger to the Japanese aircraft and a serious incident could have occurred. He said the Japanese planes were on a regular surveillance mission in international airspace, and that Japan would continue to defend its territory. Calls to the Chinese defense ministry’s press office rang unanswered. The two countries have increased patrols by ships and military planes to press their conflicting territorial claims in the East China Sea. They had a similar incident on May 24. Tensions between the two Asian rivals worsened in recent years over a group of uninhabited […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple