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U.S. weighs greater role for Iraqis in joint military operations

A member of the Iraqi forces checks the horizon during a recent patrol west of Baghdad. U.S. officials are considering training Iraqi troops to act as ground controllers for airstrikes. (Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images) The Obama administration is considering training Iraqis to handle ground control for airstrikes, a move that would significantly expand their role in the fight against the militant group Islamic State, a senior administration official said Thursday. The administration has been reluctant to put U.S. special forces at risk by deploying them on the ground in Iraq to call in strikes against targets associated with Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. At the same time, officials have been reluctant to rely on the Iraqis for a job that requires lengthy training. But the absence of what the military calls joint terminal attack controllers has lengthened the time it takes to direct airstrikes, raising […]

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Iraq Expects New US-Made F-16s in July to Boost IS Fight

BAGHDAD — Iraq will at long last be getting the first batch of F-16 fighter jets it ordered four years ago, its air force commander said Thursday, a shipment that is expected to boost Iraq’s capabilities in battling the extremist Islamic State group. Lt. Gen. Anwar Hama Amin said the fighters would arrive on July 12 along with the U.S.-trained Iraqi pilots and spare parts and would immediately begin carrying out operations, according to a statement posted late Wednesday on the Defense Ministry’s web site. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad did not confirm the date, and only said the planes were expected by the summer. Iraq first ordered the 18 jets for $3 billion in 2011 to supplement its almost nonexistent air force. A year later, then-Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki complained over the delays in delivering the planes. The pilots have been training with three of the planes in […]

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Iranian General Says Saudi Arabia Will Soon Be Toppled

TEHRAN — A senior Iranian general said on Monday that the leadership of Saudi Arabia , a regional rival, was on the edge of collapse and would be toppled soon, “God willing.” Saudi-led bombardments on Yemen are “shameless and rude and an affront to all Islamic values,” the head of the 150,000-strong Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said during a speech in Tehran. Last week, Saudi Arabia announced a halt to its operations in Yemen, which started a month ago, only to restart bombing a day later . Over 1,000 people have been killed after the Houthi rebels, who are financially supported by Iran , swept through Yemen, taking advantage of years of infighting among Sunni leaders. A coalition of Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, is trying to push the Houthis back using airstrikes. “The traitor Saudi Arabia is following the path of Israel,” General […]

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Saudi demand views lift oil prices

Saudi officials see oil as a center piece of global economic momentum, telling China more oil is available if needed. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI NEW YORK, April 27 (UPI) — Crude oil prices edged higher in Monday trading after Saudi officials said Monday there would be ample oil on hand to meet China’s growing demand. Brent crude oil edged up a fraction of a percent in Monday trading to $65.37 per barrel for the June contract. Brent crude oil, which topped $100 per barrel in June 2014, remains traded in a bear market, but gained nearly 18 percent since the start of April . Crude oil prices remain depressed in a market favoring the supply side. Saudi Arabia has maintained a high level of oil production despite the slump, arguing it needs to protect its market share in an economy in flux because of the glut of U.S. oil. […]

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Saudi high oil output based on demand, market ‘excellent’: Dep Oil Minister

KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s high crude oil production policy is based on the status of global demand and the top oil exporter is keen to maintain its market share, the kingdom’s deputy oil minister said on Monday. Speaking to reporters in Saudi Arabia, Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz described the oil market as "excellent", suggesting the OPEC heavyweight was comfortable with current global conditions. "As the minister mentioned, the kingdom responds to demand and supplies oil to wherever the demand is and whoever asks for it," he said. "We care about our market share, we care about maintaining our customers and we care about the stability of the market." Prince Abdulaziz was referring to previous comments made by Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi who said last week that the kingdom was producing near-record levels of crude in April at around 10 million barrels per day. […]

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Saudis pound arms depots in Yemen as bread, medicine run short

ADEN (Reuters) – The humanitarian situation in Yemen has become catastrophic, relief officials said on Monday, as Saudi-led aircraft pounded Iran-allied Houthi militiamen and rebel army units for a second day, dashing hopes for a pause in fighting to let aid in. Residents said warplanes flew between 15 and 20 sorties against groups of Houthi fighters and arms depots in the al-Dhalea provincial capital, Dhalea, and the nearby city of Qa’ataba, between dawn and 0900 local time (0600 GMT), setting off a chain of explosions that lasted for two more hours. Fighting intensified on Sunday, after a lull following an announcement by Riyadh last week that it was ending its nearly five-week-old bombing campaign except in places where the Houthis were advancing, to allow access for food and medicine. A coalition of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia, rattled by what they saw as expanding Iranian influence in the […]

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Nigerian Oil-Revenue Audit Report Published

An audit ordered by Nigeria’s outgoing president was published on Monday, seeking to explain why $19 billion in oil revenue never made it into the government’s bank accounts. The report caps a year-long political debate over how Africa’s top oil exporter manages its revenue, a debate that help lead to President Goodluck Jonathan’s ouster last month. PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd., which conducted the audit, said Nigeria’s state-owned oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., deposited $19 billion less than expected from January 2012 to July 2013. According to the report, $10 billion went to kerosene and motor fuel subsidies. The remainder went to operations itemized by the audit, such as $2 billion spent financing the growing debt of the company. The oil company spends so much money on fuel subsidies and other operations that it may operate close to a loss this year, barring an overhaul or a rise in oil prices, […]

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Floating LNG regasification is used to meet rising natural gas demand in smaller markets

Floating regasification is a flexible, cost-effective way to receive and process shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Floating regasification is increasingly being used to meet natural gas demand in smaller markets, or as a temporary solution until onshore regasification facilities are built. Of four countries planning to begin importing LNG in 2015, three of them—Pakistan, Jordan, and Egypt—have chosen to do so using floating regasification rather than building full-scale onshore regasification facilities. Floating regasification involves the use of a specialized vessel called a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), which is capable of transporting, storing, and regasifying LNG onboard. Floating regasification also requires either an offshore terminal, which typically includes a buoy and connecting undersea pipelines to transport regasified LNG to shore, or an onshore dockside receiving terminal. An FSRU can be purpose-built or be converted from a conventional LNG vessel. Floating regasification offers a flexible, cost-effective solution for […]

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Pemex Official Says Mexico Is Confident of U.S.’s Approval on Oil Swap

MEXICO CITY—It has been eight months since national oil firm Petróleos Mexicanos applied for a permit to buy U.S. light oil in a swap for Mexico’s heavier blend, but the company says it is confident it will get U.S. Commerce Department approval and isn’t looking to alternative sellers, a senior Pemex official said. “The signs are positive,” said José Manuel Carrera, head of Pemex’s commercial arm PMI. “We continue to be respectful, but always very insistent that this happens as soon as possible,” he said in an interview last week. The U.S. maintains a ban on crude-oil exports dating back to the 1970s, but swaps are allowed when exports are balanced by additional imports. And while both the U.S. and Canada allow swaps, the subject is politically sensitive given how dependent the U.S. has been on massive oil imports in the recent past. There is little precedent to measure […]

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Exclusive: U.S. examining coal cleanup program for shortfalls

BALTIMORE (Reuters) – The federal government is examining whether struggling U.S. coal companies still qualify for an exemption that allows them to avoid having to fully insure against billion-dollar mine cleanup costs, the top regulator for the mining industry said on Monday. Within the last several weeks, federal officials have begun to scrutinize the "self-bonding" programs that allow financially qualified mining companies to leave part of their potential clean-up costs uninsured, said Joseph Pizarchik, director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). Coal states regulate mining operations – including the federal self-bonding program – on a day-to-day basis but federal officials may step in if not enough is done to guarantee cleanup work, or "reclamation". Insurance and legal experts say many U.S. coal companies would struggle to pay for full insurance against cleanup costs and lifting the exemption could push them closer to bankruptcies. "The state […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple