REUTERS - India’s oil imports from Iran surged to 640,000 barrels per day (bpd) in April, its highest level since October 2016, according to data from shipping and industry sources, as refiners raised purchases ahead of looming U.S. sanctions against Tehran.

REUTERS - “We urge relevant parties to earnestly respect China’s sovereign and jurisdictional rights and not do anything that could impact bilateral relations or this region’s peace and stability,” the spokesman, Lu Kang, told a regular news briefing on Thursday.

REUTERS - Brent crude futures were at $78.22 per barrel at 0644 GMT, down 21 cents, or 0.3 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $71.03 a barrel, down 28 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their last settlement.

PLATTS - "It is too early to say [what the impact of the US decision on the oil market will be]. In any case, we have all the tools that could be used to balance the market," Novak said, commenting on the potential impact of the move on the oil markets.

МИНФИН РОССИИ - Средняя цена на нефть Urals за период мониторинга с 15 апреля по 14 мая 2018 года составила $ 71,87525 за баррель, или $ 524,7 за тонну. Согласно расчетам Минфина России экспортная пошлина на нефть в РФ с 1 июня 2018 года повысится на $ 13,3 и составит $ 131,8 за тонну.

BLOOMBERG - India’s oil consumption surged 4.5 percent in April as industrial activity gathered pace in Asia’s third-largest economy and sales of trucks and buses soared.

BLOOMBERG - Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., the Abuja-based behemoth that dominates the OPEC member’s energy industry, has made losses for at least the last three years,

EIA - Crude oil production from the major US onshore regions is forecast to increase 144,000 b/d month-over-month in June from 7,034 to 7,178 thousand barrels/day , gas production to increase 1,092 million cubic feet/day from 67,027 to 68,119 million cubic feet/day .

REUTERS - Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at $76.79 per barrel at 0648 GMT, down 33 cents, or 0.4 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $70.44 a barrel, down 26 cents, or 0.3 percent.

FT - “Any action will be taken in co-ordination with other producers,” the person said on Wednesday, adding that Saudi Arabia was already in talks with Russia and other producers, including the UAE.

PLATTS - Nigeria's oil production rebounded to 2.07 million b/d in April this year, after it slipped to 2.02 million b/d in the preceding month, according to estimates released Thursday by the oil ministry.

LUKOIL - LUKOIL and the Basra Oil Company signed a Development Plan of West Qurna-2 field that provides for an oil production plateau of 800 thousand barrels per day. According to the Plan, the oil production of 480 thousand barrels per day will be reached in 2020 and 800 thousand barrels per day is expected in 2025.

REUTERS - Brent crude futures were up 29 cents at $77.50 a barrel by 0933 GMT, having gained 3.5 percent so far this week, the largest weekly increase since mid-April. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 42 cents at $71.56 a barrel.

BLOOMBERG - India sees a greater probability of global crude oil prices remaining high for a longer period, a scenario that threatens to dent growth and fan inflation in Asia’s third-largest economy.

PLATTS - Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid al-Falih said Wednesday that the country would work closely with OPEC as well as non-OPEC producers to mitigate the impact of any shortages that might arise following the US' decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.