2015

China's apparent oil demand* in May increased 8.2% from a year earlier to 43.80 million metric tons (mt), or an average 10.36 million barrels per day (b/d).

Construction has begun on the Chinese section of the Russia-China Gas Pipeline, according to China National Petroleum Corp.

Egypt’s average natural gas production declined this year to 4.395bn cubic feet per day, compared to about 4.6bn cubic feet in 2014.

Brazil’s Petrobras will cut its spending by 37 percent through the next four years in an effort to tame its enormous $110 billion debt.

“The steel jacket will also be one of the most complex ever built by the industry. Not only will we route the land-based power through the jacket, we’ll also be controlling the subsea water injection and exporting the field’s oil and gas from it,”

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from oil majors BP and Anadarko Petroleum leaving intact a lower court ruling that makes the firms potentially liable for billions of dollars in fines for the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

Russia’s top investigative body, the federal Investigative Committee, said on its website Tuesday that it wants to question Mr. Khodorkovsky about the murder of Vladimir Petukhov, the mayor of the Siberian city of Nefteyugansk, where Yukos had its biggest oil-production unit.

The efforts of China to ensure its economic development and preeminence include the creation of the “New Silk Road” - the enormous system of infrastructure mega-projects to stretch from the Pacific to the Atlantic. If completed, it will be the largest infrastructure undertaking ever built. Natural gas features prominently in the plan.

The European Union would find it difficult to reduce its reliance on natural gas imports from Russia, according to industry experts.

Greece moving down oil prices. Oil prices fell on Monday, with U.S. crude dipping below $59 per barrel to an almost three-week low, after Greece imposed capital controls as lenders refused to extend the country's bailout.