WNN - Canada has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Iter Organisation to explore how Canada can participate in the project to construct the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. The fusion reactor - construction of which began in 2010 - is scheduled to achieve first plasma in 2025.

REUTERS - Brent crude oil futures LCOc1 were at $72.07 per barrel at 0659 GMT, up 49 cents, or 0.7 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were up 49 cents, or 0.7 percent, at $67.01 a barrel.

PLATTS - Russia is committed to its OPEC pact with Saudi Arabia and will continue supplying Europe energy despite tensions with the West after US-led strikes on Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime, said Vladimir Putin's spokesman.

МИНФИН РОССИИ - Мы действительно покупаем валюту, которая приходит к нам в бюджет при цене выше 40 долларов за баррель. В этих условиях, когда видим, что идет давление на понижение курса рубля, мы перестали выходит на рынок с Центральным банком и делать закупки в Фонд национального благосостояния. Это абсолютно правильное решение.

PLATTS - "Our collaboration will be a win-win for all," Pradhan told reporters. Pradhan said India offers attractive oil and gas markets for the US as the country is the fastest-growing large economy, with 8% annual growth in energy consumption.

EIA - Crude oil production from the major US onshore regions is forecast to increase 125,000 b/d month-over-month in May from 6,871 to 6,996 thousand barrels/day , gas production to increase 1,078 million cubic feet/day from 65,829 to 66,907 million cubic feet/day .

EIA - U.S. dry natural gas production will increase through 2050 across a wide variety of alternative assumptions about the future. In the Reference case, which is based on current laws and regulations, production grows 59% from 2017 to 2050, starting at 73.6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2017 and reaching 118 Bcf/d in 2050.

FRB - Industrial production rose 0.5 percent in March after increasing 1.0 percent in February; the index advanced 4.5 percent at an annual rate for the first quarter as a whole. After having climbed 1.5 percent in February, manufacturing production edged up 0.1 percent in March. Mining output rose 1.0 percent, mostly as a result of gains in oil and gas extraction and in support activities for mining. The index for utilities jumped 3.0 percent after being suppressed in February by warmer-than-normal temperatures. At 107.2 percent of its 2012 average, total industrial production was 4.3 percent higher in March than it was a year earlier. Capacity utilization for the industrial sector moved up 0.3 percentage point in March to 78.0 percent, a rate that is 1.8 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2017) average.

AOG - Kuwait plans to invest $113bn over the next five years to enhance oil exploration and production activities both inside and outside the country

МИНФИН РОССИИ - Средняя цена на нефть Urals за период мониторинга с 15 марта по 14 апреля 2018 года составила $ 65,80125 за баррель, или $ 480,3 за тонну.

REUTERS - Oil prices slipped with Brent crude futures LCOc1 off 66 cents at $71.92 a barrel, while U.S. crude CLc1 fell 56 cents to $66.83 a barrel.

IEA - Globally, we expect oil demand to grow by 1.5 mb/d in 2018. However, there is an element of risk to this outlook from the current tension on trade tariffs between China and the US,

PLATTS - The EU's main challenge is in natural gas, as 76% of the EU's gas imports came from just Norway and Russia in 2016,

WBG - Growth in developing East Asia and Pacific (EAP) is expected to remain strong and reach 6.3 percent in 2018, according to the latest World Bank economic report on the region. Prospects for a continued broad-based global recovery and robust domestic demand underpin this positive outlook. Still, emerging risks to stability and sustained growth require close attention.

WBG - South Asia has regained its lead as the fastest growing region in the world, supported by recovery in India. With the right mix of policies and reforms, growth is expected to accelerate to 6.9 percent in 2018 and 7.1 percent next year.