The US has for the first time publicly called for the Doha Round of global trade negotiations to be abandoned, arguing that after almost a decade and a half of fruitless discussions, developing and developed nations alike needed to recognise they were going nowhere. Source: FT
German company ADL and Iran’s Sepahan Oil Company (SOC) have signed an agreement to cooperate in technology transfer in oil and gas industry lubricants. Source: Oil Price
Russia has moved one step closer to seeing its controversial Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline become a reality. On Wednesday, the consortium managing the pipeline said that it has all of the Russian permits needed for installation. Source: Oil Price
Turkey on Friday threatened to respond if the United States levied further sanctions over the detention of an American pastor which has sparked a diplomatic standoff and battered the Turkish currency. Source: Agence France Presse
