By Robert Tuttle Oil settled above $60 a barrel for the first time since missile strikes on Saudi Arabia sparked a record price surge three months ago. Futures closed 1.5 per cent higher in New York on Friday, buoyed by a partial truce in the US -China trade war that has imperiled demand all year. Chinese officials said the countries agreed to hold off on a new round of tariffs set to go into effect in a matter of days. The bullish momentum was undermined when US President Donald Trump tweeted that existing levies will remain in effect. “The market has just priced in this outcome to a certain extent already,” Daniel Ghali, a TD Securities commodity strategist, said by phone. “The hope is that a trade deal will translate into more demand.” US oil futures rallied as traders assessed the US -China trade deal “Risk appetite among financial investors is now likely to remain high thanks to the deal between the US and China,” said Eugen Weinberg, … [Read more...] about Oil climbs to level last seen after Saudi Attacks in September
Saudi bombing yemen
Afghanistan Blast: Dozens Dead Or Hurt In Wedding Party Suicide-Bomb Blast In Kabul
Kabul: A suicide-bomb blast ripped through a wedding party on a busy Saturday night in Afghanistan's capital and dozens of people were killed or wounded, a government official said. More than 1,000 people had been invited, one witness said, as fears grew that it could be the deadliest attack in Kabul this year. Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi told The Associated Press the attacker set off explosives among the wedding participants. Both the Taliban and a local affiliate of the Islamic State group carry out bloody attacks in the capital. The blast occurred near the stage where musicians were and "all the youths, children and all the people who were there were killed," witness Gul Mohammad said. One of the wounded, Mohammad Toofan, said that "a lot of guests were martyred." Officials were not expected to release a toll until daytime Sunday. "There are so many dead and wounded," said Ahmad Omid, a survivor who said about 1,200 guests had been invited to the wedding for his … [Read more...] about Afghanistan Blast: Dozens Dead Or Hurt In Wedding Party Suicide-Bomb Blast In Kabul
3 men held for testing home-made bombs in Tuen Mun
HONG KONG – Law enforcers arrested three men Saturday on suspicion of their involvement in testing home-made bombs with remote-control devices in the city’s Tuen Mun district. The Hong Kong police believe the tests intended to improve the power of explosives, which could be used in attacks during marches and rallies, according to Steve Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau. Li slammed the suspects who carried out the experiments as "irresponsible", as there had been many hikers passing by the scene. A small quantity of chemicals and explosives as well as remote control devices were found with the arrestees, said Chin-chiu Suryanto, Bomb Disposal Officer of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau. Besides transmitters and receivers, police also found protection devices like shields, body armor and gas masks at the scene. … [Read more...] about 3 men held for testing home-made bombs in Tuen Mun
Random shelling hits local farms in Yemen’s Hodeidah
Video PlayerClose ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Random shelling launched by fighters of the Houthi rebel group targeted the local citizens' farms in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Saturday, a security official told Xinhua. "The rebels used various types of heavy weapons and shells causing large damage to the local farmers' properties in Tuhyata district of Hodeidah," the local security source said on condition of anonymity. The rebels-fired shells landed on the citizens' farms and destroyed a solar-powered water project feeding a number of agricultural farms in the area, the source said. "Destroying the irrigation project that feeds our farms and homes badly affected our works here," said one of the farmers named as Mazen Hassan. "The solar energy water project, which costed us around 13 million Yemeni riyals is now destroyed and stopped working, causing a number of farms to dry out," said the farmer. In October, the United Nations started deploying cease-fire observers … [Read more...] about Random shelling hits local farms in Yemen’s Hodeidah
Saudi Aramco extends rally, rises 1% on Sunday
DUBAI: Saudi Aramco shares were up 1% at 37.2 riyals ($9.89) in early trade on Sunday. The state-owned oil company listed 1.5% of its shares at 32 riyals on Riyadh's Tadawul exchange on Dec 11 in the world's largest initial public offering (IPO). Initially valued at $1.7 trillion, the shares have since hit $2 trillion, a value long sought by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The IPO is the centrepiece of the Saudi leader's plans for diversifying the economy away from its dependence on oil. Some 406 million Aramco shares had traded as of 0841 GMT on Sunday, Refinitiv data showed. Additional demand, particularly from "passive" investors, is expected this week, as Aramco's shares will join the Tadawul index and global benchmarks such as MSCI. Aramco is the world's largest and most profitable company, but its valuation faced scepticism among international investors as the IPO was marketed. Analysts at Bernstein last week put its value at $1.36 trillion, citing corporate … [Read more...] about Saudi Aramco extends rally, rises 1% on Sunday