GAZPROM - the TURKSTREAM project was going according to schedule. Specifically, the deep-water pipelaying for the offshore part of the gas pipeline’s first string had been completed in the Black Sea along with the construction of the second string in Russia’s exclusive economic zone.

ROSNEFT - following the approval of the Rosneft open market share buyback program (the «Program») by the Board of Directors, Rosneft appointed UBS as an independent agent to conduct the open market share buyback on behalf of the Company.

PLATTS - Russian natural gas flows to western and central Europe recovered strongly in August -- after a dip in July because of pipeline maintenance -- as demand for Russian gas remained buoyant to meet demand from both the power and storage sectors,

REUTERS - Offshore oil driller Transocean Ltd said on Tuesday it would buy peer Ocean Rig UDW Inc in a $2.7 billion cash-and-stock deal, its second major acquisition this year as the company bets on a recovery in the offshore sector.

FT - Higher energy prices and a weakened rouble saw second-quarter profits soar at three of Russia’s largest oil and gas groups, underlining a strong earnings season for the country’s energy industry that has weathered international sanctions to reap strong earnings.

REUTERS - Liquefied natural gas exports from Novatek’s Yamal terminal in the Arctic have come on stream faster than expected over the summer and exceeded volumes from Russia’s only other LNG facility, Sakhalin, for the first time in August.

GAZPROM - Profit attributable to the owners of PJSC Gazprom for the six months ended June 30, 2018 totalled RUB 630,804 million which is by RUB 249,458 million, or 65 %, more than for the same period of the prior year.

PLATTS - Russian gas supplies to Europe and Turkey rebounded in August, according to data released by gas giant Gazprom, after a dip the previous month during the planned outage of the main Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany.

PLATTS - China's consumption of oil products rose 7.2% year on year to 27.54 million mt in July, data released Tuesday by the National Development and Reform Commission showed.

SHANA - Sitting atop 18% of the world's proven gas reserves, Iran ranks the first in terms of holding natural gas in the world. Owing to development of gas fields in recent years, Iran’s average gas production has reached 800 mcm/d, 600 mcm/d of which is consumed domestically.

PETROCHINA - Profit from operations was RMB65.891 billion, representing an increase of 80.6% compared to the same period in 2017. Net profit attributable to owners of the Company was RMB27.088 billion, representing an increase of 113.7% compared to the same period in 2017. Basic earnings per share was RMB0.148, representing an increase of RMB0.079 compared to the same period in 2017.

PLATTS - Oil production at Kazakhstan's giant Kashagan field could be as high as 470,000 b/d under its first development phase, the head of the consortium overseeing the field, Brune Jardin, has said, while also noting plans for a big maintenance shutdown, and for development of nearby fields with China's CMOC.

U.S. EIA - The South China Sea is a major trade route for crude oil, and in 2016, more than 30% of global maritime crude oil trade, or about 15 million barrels per day (b/d), passed through the South China Sea.

UNIAN - "If we don't pay, this will mean inflation, uncontrolled price rises for everything, depreciation of the national currency, halt of industrial production, and so on... And that's why we are adopting a strategy to manage the debt so as to protect people from any negative consequences as much as possible. We spend UAH 130 billion annually on debt servicing alone," Groysman said.

REUTERS - Norway’s 2018 oil production is so far coming below the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s forecasts due to a couple of unplanned offshore shutdowns, though Nyland cautioned the situation may turn before the end of the year.