Nigeria's government has approved the payment of 413 billion naira ($2.1 billion) to oil marketers as outstanding payment for fuel subsidy claims, the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said.

Fernando Assing, TESCO's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We continue to be impacted by market conditions that reduced drilling activity and pricing. We are positioning our business under the assumption that the market will be lower for longer. Consistent with our commitment of sustainability through the current market, we implemented additional global restructuring actions in the third quarter with annualized savings of approximately $5 million, bringing our total annualized savings from restructuring to $40 million. These actions are designed to lower our cost structure and better match current market activity. We continue to see opportunities to improve our operating performance and improve cash generation".

"If both countries agree on the discount, progress can be achieved on the Turkish Stream Natural Gas Pipeline project, which both countries will benefit from economically"

Internal OPEC squabbles are on the rise as members argue about the need to support a fair oil price and boost revenues just as they feel more pain from low crude prices.

"It is evident that the global oil dynamic has experienced a fundamental shift, driven by the resilience in supply," said CEO Asim Ghosh. "Back in 2010, we made the decision to stay diversified, integrated and begin a transition into a low sustaining capital business. In a lower for longer world, our low sustaining capital projects in the Asia Pacific Region, oil sands, heavy oil thermals and Downstream margin business have become even more strategic.

Sakhalin II is one of the most successful export projects targeting the Asian-Pacific region. The key to success lies in integration: it is managed and operated by Sakhalin Energy Company and its shareholders: Gazprom (50% and 1 share), Shell (27.5% minus 1 share), Mitsui (12.5%), Mitsubishi (10%).

U.S. Rig Count is down 12 rigs from last week to 775, with oil rigs down 16 to 578, and gas rigs up 4 to 197. U.S. Rig Count is down 1,154 rigs from last year at 1,929, with oil rigs down 1,004, and gas rigs down 149. The U.S. Offshore rig count is 33, down 2 rigs from last week, and down 20 rigs year over year.

During the 3-month period ending Sept. 30, an overall total of 51 oil and gas deals took place, accounting for $91.2 billion, which was higher than the 47 deals worth $38.8 billion that occurred in the previous quarter, but still down from the 83 deals worth $125.7 billion that occurred in third-quarter 2014.

"This is no new idea. A Russian-Iranian bank existed in Soviet time though it was later liquidated. All details will be discussed after a principal decision is made. For now we’ve agreed that Iran’s delegation will visit Moscow particularly for discussing all details and issues related to its location, conditions of work, and equity capital. Separate talks will be held in the nearest future when a delegation comes to Moscow," the Minister said.

Even under the evolving market conditions, Gazprom is confident that it can retain its competitive position and market share in the Asia-Pacific region.

France has confirmed its interest in the Nord Stream-2 project, Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the world's sixth-largest oil producer in 2014, and the second-largest producer of petroleum and other liquids in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), behind only Saudi Arabia. Because the prospects for further oil discoveries in the UAE are low, the UAE is relying on the application of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques in mature oil fields to increase production.

In the first nine months 2015, Normalized Profit attributable to NOVATEK shareholders, totaled RR 60.6 billion.

A net loss of $376 million ($0.26 per common share) was recorded in the third quarter of 2015, compared with net earnings of $919 million ($0.63 per common share) in the prior year quarter. The net loss for the third quarter of 2015 included an unrealized after-tax foreign exchange loss of $786 million on the revaluation of U.S. dollar denominated debt. Net earnings in the prior year quarter included an after-tax gain of $61 million on the disposal of the Wilson Creek assets in the E&P segment, offset by a $54 million income tax and interest charge related to a prior period in the Oil Sands segment, and the impact of an unrealized after-tax foreign exchange loss of $394 million.

U.S. imports of foreign oil are rising again after a long decline, as the oil bust forces domestic producers to scale back.