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OilOil prices settled more than 2% higher on Friday as Russia's port of Novorossiisk halted oil exports following a Ukrainian drone attack that hit an oil depot in the Russian energy hub, stoking supply concerns.Brent crude futures settled at $64.39, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude finished at $60.09. For the week, Brent rose by 1.2% and WTI rose by 0.6%.**media[381904]**The Russian port of Novorossiisk paused oil exports, equivalent to 2.2mn barrels per day, or 2% of global supply, and oil pipeline monopoly Transneft suspended crude supplies to the outlet.Ukraine on Friday said it separately struck an oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region and a fuel storage facility in nearby Engels overnight.Investors are assessing how recent attacks impact long-term Russian supply while watching how Western sanctions affect the country’s oil output and trade flows.GasAsian spot LNG prices were flat for a second consecutive week, as steady supplies of contracted cargoes and overall weak demand across the region outweighed modest spot market interest.The average LNG price for December delivery into northeast Asia held at $11.10 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), industry sources estimated.Current price levels are still too expensive for most price sensitive buyers, but minor supportive news came from Indonesia and Egypt that signalled higher domestic demand, adding a bit of tightness to the current circumstances.**media[381905]**In Europe, the Dutch TTF price settled at $10.56 per mmBtu, recording a weekly loss of 0.1%. Gas prices were under bearish pressure as oversupply, weak Asian demand, high freight rates, and strong US liquefaction kept cargoes in the Atlantic basin.This article was supplied by the Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development.

Residents of the southern Sudanese city of El-Obeid have said they are living in fear as paramilitaries appear to prepare for an assault, with the army reporting shooting down a drone targeting the city on Saturday.The North Kordofan state capital, about 400km southwest of the national capital Khartoum, is a regional hub and a strategic prize for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with Sudan's army since April 2023.While the RSF announced Thursday it had accepted a truce proposal put forward by mediators, the UN subsequently said it saw "preparations for intensified hostilities", issuing a warning about the deteriorarting situation in the Kordofan region in particular."We are especially worried after what happened in El-Fasher," Soaad Ali, from El-Obeid's Karima neighbourhood, said referring to the RSF's capture of the last army stronghold in western Darfur after an 18-month siege.That takeover was followed by reports of mass killings, sexual violence, abductions and looting, triggering fears the conflict could spread into oil-rich Kordofan.El-Obeid, which hosts an airport, sits on a key supply route linking Darfur and Khartoum.Last month, the RSF captured Bara, north of El-Obeid, forcing more than 36,000 people to flee that town and four others in North Kordofan in less than a week, according to the UN.The group said last week it had massed forces in Bara to retake El-Obeid, "advising civilians to steer clear of military targets"."We are living in fear," said a resident of El-Obeid's Qubba neighbourhood, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons."Officials try to reassure us, but... after what happened in Bara, our fears are growing."The fall of El-Fasher two weeks ago gave the RSF control of all five state capitals in the vast western region, in addition to parts of the south.The army controls most of Sudan's north, east and centre, including Khartoum.Since El-Fasher's fall, more than 80,000 people have fled the city and surrounding areas, according to the UN.The General Coordination for Displaced People and Refugees in Darfur, an NGO, said that more than 16,000 people had arrived in Tawila and were in dire need of food, water and medical care.El-Fasher had a population of around 260,000 before the RSF takeover.Little is known about the fate of thousands still trapped in the city, which has been largely cut off from communications.Mathilde Vu, advocacy manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Sudan, told AFP that many families arriving in Tawila came with "children who are not their own".The children, she said, "have lost their parents on the way, either because they've... disappeared in a chaos, or they've been detained, or they've been killed".Survivors said that women and men were separated on the way out of El-Fasher, and that hundreds of men were detained in nearby towns.Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Saturday visited displaced people from El-Fasher in Al-Dabba city, about 1,000km north.

Several Palestinians were wounded today after an Israeli drone struck a group of civilians in the town of Abasan Al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Local sources reported to WAFA news agency that an Israeli drone struck a group of Palestinians while they were inspecting their homes in the Abasan Al-Kabira area in Khan Yunis, wounding a number of them, some of them seriously.Israeli occupation forces also fired heavy machine guns continuously and intensively at the eastern areas of Khan Yunis, while Israeli gunboats fired shells near the coast of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.The death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 68,519 martyrs and 170,382 wounded since October 7, 2023.The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel went into effect on October 10, following the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army from populated areas and positions in the Gaza Strip. The return of displaced persons to the northern Gaza Strip has begun, as part of the first phase of US President Donald Trump's initiative to end the war on Gaza.

Three people were killed and 29 others injured on Sunday in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.Ukraine’s Emergency Service reported that the city was targeted by Russian forces for the second time in the past 24 hours.According to the report, Russian forces carried out a drone strike in the Desnianskyi district, where one drone hit a nine-story residential building.Another drone struck a 16-story building, shattering the windows on the first nine floors. Reports also indicated that a drone hit a multi-story building in the Obolonskyi district.Drone strikes between Russia and Ukraine have become routine amid the ongoing conflict, which remains far from a political solution as Moscow continues its military operation in Ukraine until its declared objectives are achieved.

Four people, including two children, were killed, and two others were injured in a Russian attack on the Brovary district in Kyiv. According to the Ukrainian news agency (Ukrinform), Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration Mykola Kalashnyk indicated that Russian forces launched a massive missile and drone attack on cities last night, targeting energy infrastructure. Since the outbreak of the war in Feb. 2022, Russia and Ukraine issued near-daily reports of attacks and interceptions. Due to the conditions of the ongoing conflict, these claims cannot be independently verified.

A person was killed today in an Israeli airstrike on the Iqlim Al-Tuffah region in southern Lebanon.The Lebanese National News Agency reported that an Israeli drone launched a guided missile strike this morning, targeting a motorcycle in the town of Ain Qana, killing the motorcycle driver.A ceasefire agreement went into effect in Lebanon on Nov. 27, stipulating the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the southern border towns and villages within 60 days. The Lebanese government subsequently agreed to extend the deadline until Feb. 18, but the Israeli army remains stationed at five points and continues its violations.

Ukraine drones hit Russia's Orenburg gas processing plantGas from Karachaganak is being processed at the Orenburg plantShell, Eni, Chevron are among Karachaganak stakeholdersA Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Orenburg gas plant has forced neighbouring Kazakhstan to reduce production at its Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field by 25% to 30%, two industry sources told Reuters on Monday.One of the world's largest gas processing plants, Orenburg was forced to suspend its intake of gas from Kazakhstan after the attack, Kazakhstan's energy ministry said on Sunday.Ukraine confirmed it hit a gas plant in the Orenburg region, some 1,700 kilometres east of the Russian border with Ukraine, and an oil refinery in the Samara region.Kyiv has stepped up its attacks on Russian refineries and other energy facilities since August to try to disrupt fuel supplies and deprive Moscow of funding.Output at Karachaganak on Monday was down to between 25,000 metric tons (196,500 barrels per day) and 28,000 metric tons from the usual level of 35,000-35,500, according to two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.They said Orenburg, which is controlled by gas producer Gazprom, might resume some gas intake from Karachaganak on Monday. However, they declined to say when normal levels of supply would be restored.Oil and gas output at Karachaganak are closely linked, meaning the field is not able to produce much oil if its gas production is down.Apart from processing at Orenburg, Karachaganak gas is used for re-injection to maintain reservoir pressure as well as for power generation at local facilities.Karachaganak produced around 263,000 bpd of oil in 2024. It is exported by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium via a Russian Black Sea terminal, as well as through Russia's Druzhba pipeline to Germany.The field is operated by a consortium which includes US major Chevron (18%) and European energy firms Shell (29.25%) and Eni (29.25%).Russia's Lukoil (13.5%) and local firm KazMunayGaz (10%) also hold stakes.The consortium, Gazprom, and Kazakhstan's energy ministry did not reply to requests for comment.Kazakh authorities agreed with Karachaganak shareholders in 2024 to build a new gas processing plant at the field with annual capacity of up to 4 billion cubic metres, expected to start operations in 2028.However, the project has been suspended under the current consortium, and the government is seeking new investors, aiming to attract Kazakh companies.Industry sources has said that oil and gas condensate production at Karachaganak declined in September by 24% from August to 200,000 bpd amid maintenance at the Orenburg plant.

An Israeli drone dropped an explosive device near a position belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the southern Lebanese town of Kfarkela, wounding one peacekeeper. In a statement issued on Sunday, UNIFIL said the attack, which occurred late Saturday, involved the dropping of an explosive device near peacekeepers — the second such incident this month targeting UN personnel with ordnance launched by the Israeli army. UNIFIL added that its peacekeepers had earlier observed two drones flying over the area shortly before the explosion took place. The attack represents a serious breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and shows a troubling disregard for the safety of UN personnel performing their mandated duties. UNIFIL renewed its call on Israel to cease all attacks on or near peacekeepers who are working to sustain the stability commitments endorsed by both Israel and Lebanon.

A number of Palestinians were killed as a result of violent airstrikes launched by the Israeli occupation forces on multiple areas in Gaza City over the past two hours, coinciding with intense drone flights over the city. Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported local sources as saying that drones targeted a group of people in Al-Jalaa Street in central Gaza City, resulting in the killing of dozens of Palestinians and wounding others. These airstrikes come despite US President Donald Trump's earlier call on Israel to immediately stop its bombardment of Gaza. The call followed Hamas' announcement of its acceptance of President Trump's proposal to end the war in the Strip and its willingness to release all hostages as part of the exchange formula included in the proposal. Medical sources at Al-Shifa Hospital said that emergency and civil defense crews recovered the bodies of five slain Palestinians from under the rubble of a house that was targeted last night in the western part of Gaza City.

Two Palestinians were martyred, and three others were injured Thursday in an Israeli drone strike on Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Palestinian news agency (WAFA), citing medical sources, reported that a man and his wife were martyred, and three others were injured in the Israeli shelling of Al-Bureij refugee camp. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has committed genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip, leaving 66,148 martyrs and around 168,716 wounded, most of whom are children and women. Meanwhile, famine has claimed the lives of 455 Palestinians, including 151 children.

Three Palestinians were martyred, and 13 others were injured on Thursday when the Israeli occupation forces bombed tents for displaced people in the city of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. The Palestinian news agency (WAFA), citing medical sources, said that three Palestinians were martyred, and 13 others were injured when an Israeli drone bombed tents for displaced people west of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip. In Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, eight Palestinians were injured when an Israeli drone bombed a tent for displaced people inside Al-Aqsa University campus in Al-Mawasi area, west of the city. This morning, the Israeli occupation forces detonated four car bombs in Al-Sabra and Tal al-Hawa neighborhoods, south of Gaza City. Meanwhile, Israeli artillery shelled the eastern areas of the city and targeted the eastern part of the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip. Israeli aircraft also raided the eastern areas of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, and loud explosions were heard amid the ongoing aggression across the Gaza Strip. Medical sources announced last night that 85 Palestinians were martyred in the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has committed genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip, killing 66,148 Palestinians, and injuring 168,716, most of them children and women. The famine has also claimed the lives of 455 citizens, including 151 children.

Four members of the same family, including two children, were killed in a Russian drone strike on a residential building in Sumy Oblast, eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian news agency (Ukrinform) reported Tuesday that the attack occurred overnight in the village of Chernechchyna, located in the town of Krasnopillia. Reports issued by both countries regarding the progress of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, which has been ongoing since Feb. 24, 2022, conflict with regard to field data.