FT - The UK’s nuclear “new build” programme is intended to help replace large amounts of dirty coal-fired power generating capacity and old nuclear plants due to be decommissioned in coming years.

Energy majors BP, Shell and Statoil are to co-develop a blockchain-based digital platform for energy trading.

Shell has completed the sale of a package of UK North Sea assets to Chrysaor for a total of up to $3.8bn, including an initial consideration of $3.0bn and a payment of up to $600m between 2018-2021 subject to commodity price, with potential further payments of up to $180m for future discoveries. This sale was announced on 31 January 2017 and has an effective date of 1 July 2016. Completion follows receipt of all necessary regulatory and partner approvals.

“Despite the persistence of a challenging market context, Saipem’s performance in the first nine months of 2017 was solid from both an operational and management point of view, enabling the Company to confirm the guidance for 2017. The third quarter saw a downward trend in net debt, a good performance in terms of contract awards in line with the expectations announced with the half-year results, and the full achievement of objectives set by the new Fit for the Future Programme. The presentation of the new name and logo of our conceptual engineering division, “XSIGHT by Saipem”, means that the new Company organization has become fully operational, setting clear targets for improving efficiency and effectiveness”.

World Bank - Improved global growth prospects and continued strong domestic demand underpin a positive outlook for the developing economies of East Asia and the Pacific. Stronger growth in advanced economies, a moderate recovery in commodity prices, and a recovery in global trade growth, are the favorable external factors that will support the economies of developing East Asia and Pacific to expand by 6.4 percent for 2017.

According to the World Bank’s Special Focus Note on reforming land markets, the moratorium on agricultural land sales, along with weaknesses in the transparency of land rights and transactions, are major impediments to attracting investment and unlocking productivity in Ukraine’s agriculture sector.

BP and its partners in Azerbaijan's giant ACG oil production complex agreed Thursday to extend the production sharing contract by 25 years to 2049 and to increase the stake of state-owned SOCAR, reducing the size of their own shares.

IMF - When we think about Asia’s economic future, we know that this future is being built on strong foundations—on the richness and diversity of its cultures, on the incredible energy and ingenuity of the people who have changed the world by transforming their own economies. China and India have been driving the greatest poverty reduction in human history by creating the world’s largest middle classes. In a single generation, Vietnam has moved from being one of the world’s poorest nations to being a middle-income country.

Almost $6 billion worth of mergers and acquisitions have taken place in the UK oil and gas sector in the first half of the year – sending a strong vote of confidence in a basin that has been grappling with the challenges of a major downturn, a new report reveals.

Russian natural gas volumes piped via Ukraine to European consumers are up by 23.4 percent so far this year at 61.9 billion cubic metres (bcm), Ukrainian gas transport monopoly Ukrtransgaz said.