Nigeria, which was Africa's largest oil producer until a few months ago, slipped into recession after its economy shrank by 2.06% in Q2, as the impact of militant attacks on oil facilities weighed on the country's economy.

With its oil revenues slashed by low crude prices, the government of the world’s largest oil exporter has cut spending sharply this year and reduced or suspended payments owed to construction firms, medical establishments and even some of the foreign consultants who helped to design its economic reforms.

Russia’s decision earlier this year to engage in talks with OPEC about limiting oil output has added more than 400 billion rubles ($6 billion) to the nation’s budget, according to two officials familiar with government calculations.

Russia's oil and gas companies will continue to benefit from the weak rouble while avoiding a major tax hike in 2017, according to a new special report by Fitch Ratings.

Venezuela has borrowed over $50 billion from China under a financing arrangement created by late socialist leader Hugo Chavez in 2007, in which a portion of its crude and fuel sales to the world's second-biggest economy are used to pay down loans.

Nigeria reached a $5.1 billion settlement to reimburse foreign oil companies including Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc for past operating costs.

Japan sees the current low oil price environment creating "a significant chance for acquiring [upstream] stakes and assets," as well as the need to facilitate upstream investments amid slowing investments globally, Yuki Sadamitsu, director of the oil and gas division at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in an interview with S&P Global Platts last month.

LUKOIL has raised USD 500 million in a 5-year unsecured loan at 3 month LIBOR+3.0% to finance the development of the Gissar group’s gas condensate fields in Uzbekistan. Soyuzneftegaz Vostok Limited, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of PJSC “LUKOIL”, is the borrower under the loan.

The deal between Essar and a consortium led by Kremlin oil giant Rosneft (ROSN.MM) appeared dead in the water two months ago after Saudi state energy firm Aramco weighed in, according to seven Russia, India and Saudi-based industry sources familiar with or involved in the negotiations.

“This is going to be the most transparent national oil company listing of all time,” Khalid al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, told.

Exxon Mobil Corp. is negotiating with Chad’s government about a record $74 billion fine the oil company was told to pay last month by a court in the central African nation because of a dispute over royalties.

Nigeria aims to increase its crude oil output to 2.8 million b/d by 2019 and to 3 million b/d by 2020 from the current average of 2 million b/d, according to a short term policy document produced by the country's oil ministry.

After more than a decade, China has decided to restore tax rebates on exports of gasoline, gasoil and jet fuel, a sign that Beijing is more than comfortable with the domestic supply situation for oil products.

ConocoPhillips plans conservative financial and operating programs in 2017, planning for a longer-than-expected $50/b oil world by reducing its capital budget 4%, growing production up to 2% and forging technologies to squeeze out the last smidgen of resource from existing assets.

The IMF Executive Board will meet on Friday, November 11 to discuss Egypt’s request for financial assistance under an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for the amount of $12 billion.