PLATTS - "This has been discussed for a while with Russia's largest trading partners such as India and China. Even Arab countries are starting to think about it... If they do create difficulties for our Russian banks, all we have to do is replace [dollars],"

REUTERS - “This trade war is slowing down and destroying economic growth - and it creates new uncertainties,” Altmaier told Bild am Sonntag newspaper, adding that consumers suffered the most because higher tariffs were driving up prices.

PLATTS - Russian state-owned gas producer and transporter Gazprom filed a complaint with the WTO about the legislation in April 2014, arguing Russian infrastructure was being treated unfairly. Since then, constraints on access to OPAL have been lifted, resulting in flows via Nord Stream increasing to full capacity of 155 million cu m/day. The decision is therefore not expected to be market moving.

PLATTS - Natural gas demand from US LNG export terminals is set to double over the next year as a spate of new liquefaction projects now nearing completion enters service.

BLOOMBERG - Under the plan, PetroChina would boost buying of spot cargoes from other countries or swap U.S. shipments with other nations in East Asia to avoid paying additional tariffs, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public.

PLATTS - State-run Indian Oil Corp has signed its first US term crude oil deal, buying 6 million barrels, as the Asian buyer steps up efforts to devise an alternative buying strategy amid uncertainty about purchases from Iran because of US sanctions.

PLATTS - Angola's crude oil exports rebounded to a four-month high of 1.63 mil b/d in June even as the OPEC member struggles to arrest declines at some of its ageing deepwater oil fields, finance ministry data showed.

BAKER HUGHES A GE - U.S. Rig Count is up 13 rigs from last week to 1,057, with oil rigs up 10 to 869, gas rigs up 3 to 186, and miscellaneous rigs unchanged at 2. Canada Rig Count is down 14 rigs from last week to 209, with oil rigs down 12 to 140 and gas rigs down 2 to 69.

REUTERS - Front-month Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were at $71.88 per barrel at 0646 GMT, down 19 cents, or 0.3 percent from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were down by 22 cents, or 0.3 percent, at $66.59 a barrel.

REUTERS - U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China in July fell to their lowest level in a year and are expected to decline further as the Sino-U.S. trade dispute forces utilities to seek alternative supplies.

REUTERS - PetroChina Ltd is in advanced discussions with Qatar to purchase liquefied natural gas (LNG) under short- and long-term agreements, three sources with knowledge of the talks said on Wednesday.

REUTERS - Originating at the giant Galkynysh gas field in Turkmenistan, the $9.6 billion TAPI (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India) pipeline involves the four countries’ own energy companies, and would carry 33 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year.

PLATTS - Saudi Arabia pumped 10.63 million b/d in July, according to the latest S&P Global Platts OPEC survey, far above its quota of 10.06 million b/d, though kingdom officials say their July output was 10.29 million b/d. Russia produced 11.22 million b/d in July, according to official data, basically erasing its 300,000 b/d pledged cut.

PLATTS - The Southern Gas Corridor has received a waiver from US sanctions against Iran's energy customers, an expected win for the project, designed to transport 16 Bcm/year of Caspian natural gas to Turkey and southern Europe while bypassing Russia.

REUTERS - “U.S. decisions on sanctions do not affect the legal situation in Switzerland with regard to Iran,” said Fabian Maienfisch of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).