December 2014

Shares in Vladimir Yevtushenkov’s Sistema Group fell more than 35 per cent this week, amid growing concern that Russian investigators will try to reclaim Rbs140bn ($2.7bn) in dividends that the group has received from its oil company Bashneft .

that would allow Russia to establish control over such a gas trading hub, former US ambassador to Azerbaijan, Director of the International Centre for Defense Studies in Tallinn, Matthew Bryza told Trend.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said Tuesday that "the freezing" of the South Stream pipeline project was a problem for Serbia.

The fallout from Russia's decision to abandon its ambitious South Stream pipeline deal continued Dec. 3, as Italian energy services firm Saipem announced that it would lose almost $2 billion because of Moscow's move

Bulgaria’s Government will do all it can to support the realisation of the South Stream gas pipeline project due to its immense economic importance and despite the infringement procedure against Sofia for suspected public procurement law breaches.

Demise of South Stream big setback for Putin. Russia’s deal with Turkey cannot be deemed a serious replacement.

Gazprom, the state gas company, has been at the forefront of Moscow’s push to expand its influence into the Balkans – a region beset with economic and political difficulties.

After OPEC’s announcement last week that it would not be cutting production, oil prices fell dramatically.

Schlumberger , the world’s largest oil services group, is cutting back its fleet for offshore geological surveys and taking an $800m writedown on the value of its ships, in the first significant cutback in the industry following the recent fall in crude prices.

Norway’s oil fund can carry on investing in oil.