Britain's North Sea oil and gas sector has shed more than 5,000 jobs since late last year, the country's new Oil and Gas Authority said on Monday, putting an official figure on job losses resulting from a year-long decline in oil prices.

Rosneft Vietnam B.V., a company of Rosneft Group, and Japan Drilling Co., Ltd. (JDC) represented by its subsidiary Hakuryu 5, Inc. signed an agreement on provision and operation of the marine drilling rig HAKURYU-5, for the purposes of drilling exploration wells within the framework of Rosneft’s projects in Vietnam. It is planned to drill two wells in Blocks 06.1 and 05-3/11 in the Nam Con Son basin offshore Vietnam in 2016.

Russia and China continue walking hand in hand toward stronger energy cooperation, with several Russian companies - Gazprom, Rosneft and Novatek - signing documents with Chinese partners over the last hours.

Buying crude oil from Russia allows China to ensure security of supply as cooperation between the two countries is likely "to gain new momentum," China National Petroleum Corp. Chairman Wang Yilin said Friday.

German chemicals group BASF and Gazprom agreed to revive a deal that collapsed in late 2014 to swap gas assets that will see BASF exit gas trading and storage and the Russian energy giant expanding into Western Europe, BASF said on Friday.

Сегодня во Владивостоке в рамках Восточного экономического форума Председатель Правления ПАО «Газпром» Алексей Миллер, Председатель Правления BASF SE Курт Бок, член Правления E.ON SE Клаус Шефер, заместитель генерального директора ENGIE Пьер Шарейр, Председатель Правления OMV AG Райнер Зеле, Главный управляющий директор Royal Dutch Shell Бен ван Берден подписали Соглашение акционеров для создания газопроводной системы «Северный поток 2» для увеличения поставок природного газа в Европейский союз.

Rosneft and Indian ONGC Videsh Limited during the Eastern Economic Forum signed the agreement of sale and purchase of 15% in Vankorneft and shareholders agreement in regard of the enterprise management. The document was signed by the Chairman of Rosneft Management Board Igor Sechin and Managing Director of ONGC Videsh Limited Narendra Verma.

German Ministry of Finance informed on 30 July that the Minister Wolfgang Schäuble would like to deprive the European Commission of part of its powers in two fields, namely antitrust proceedings and, currently particularly important for Germans, enforcing compliance with the budgetary discipline by the member states.

After winning a key platform construction contract from Statoil in June, Norway’s Kvaerner is reportedly working to enter into the LNG business with floating near-shore liquefaction barges designed for operations in the Arctic. Doing so, Kvaerner could increase its clout in Russia.

‘Magadanmorneftegaz, Lisyanskmorneftegaz (joint ventures of Rosneft and Statoil) and China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL) signed a contract to drill two exploration wells in 2016. The wells will be drilled in the Magadan-1 and Lisyansky areas of the Okhotsk Sea’ Rosneft wrote on Wednesday.

ConocoPhillips said Tuesday that it plans to cut about 10 percent of its global workforce.

The offshore development of the largest new field discovered in the UK North Sea for a decade has been approved by the UK Oil & Gas Authority. The Maersk Oil operated high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) Culzean field in the UK Central North Sea is expected to produce enough gas to meet 5% of total UK demand at peak production in 2020/21. Culzean is also the largest gas field sanctioned since East Brae in 1990.

At a time when the oil price is languishing at its lowest level in six years, producers need to find half a trillion dollars to repay debt.

Profit attributable to owners of PJSC Gazprom for the six months ended June 30, 2015 totaled RUB 675,904 which is RUB 225,326 million, or 50 %, higher compared to the six months of the prior year.

Russian oil firms are increasing their rouble profits and raising production as a weak currency protects their business, which has turned into one of the world's most profitable.