North Africa

A review of public documents and interviews with executives revealed that critical mineral companies have increased their lobbying efforts to Washington in order to benefit from the ambitious investments made by U.S. president Donald Trump to firms considered essential to national safety. The review revealed that at least 12 companies, including those in the lithium, copper and rare earths industries, as well as geothermal, have signed agreements with Washington lobbying firms. Influence campaigns have increased dramatically in recent years to secure federal investment, permit support and long-term guarantees for procurement. The White House is shifting its focus from the historical...

Safran's chief executive said that the French engine manufacturer is "on the right track" to catch up with Airbus on the engine delivery delays by the end this month. Olivier Andries replied that Airbus had announced a good Q3 of deliveries and that we had a good performance with engine deliveries to Airbus during the quarter. Andries, in a telephone conversation about separate plans to build a new engine plant in Morocco noted that Airbus reported a decrease in the number planes waiting for their engines in September. This naturally strengthens our confidence. "I have always said we wanted to...

The Mali Ministry of Territorial Administration announced on Thursday that the transitional government of Mali has filed a complaint against Algeria before the International Court of Justice accusing it of aggression after its neighbour shot down a Malian reconnaissance drone. Mali claimed that Algeria intentionally shot down its drone near Tinzaouaten, in Mali's Kidal Region, during the night between March 31 and April 1, near their shared desert frontier. The statement said: "This blatant attack, which the Malian government strongly condemns and was intended to hinder the neutralisation by the Malian Armed and Security Forces of armed terrorists, is the...

WestJet, a low-cost Canadian airline, announced on Wednesday that it had ordered 67 Boeing aircraft for a fleet upgrade, including seven Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 60 Boeing 737-10 MAX narrowbodies. The Calgary-based airline said that it has also acquired options to purchase 25 additional 737-10 MAXs and four Dreamliners with delivery dates extending through 2034. WestJet operates 193 aircraft, and it has an order list of 123 jets with 40 options. The average age is 10 years. Alexis von Hoensbroech, Chief Executive Officer of WestJet, said: "With these additions to our aircraft fleet, WestJet will double our Dreamliners." The Boeing...

Transport services were halted in Tunisia Wednesday as workers demanded better working conditions, higher wages and urgent reforms. This added pressure to President Kais Said to address the deepening crisis. Tunisians have suffered from poor public services for many years, particularly in the sectors of health, education, transportation and investment due to a lack of funding and public investments, as well as frequent interruptions in water and electricity supply. Saied, a man who has been in power since 2021 and tightened it, accuses those he believes are conspirators, seeking to undermine the government and exacerbate social tensions. The three-day strike...

Gulf stocks fell across all key markets on Monday as investors weighed concerns about U.S. policy in light of an upcoming deadline for tariffs and lower oil prices against strong corporate earnings. According to EU diplomats, the European Union is looking at broader countermeasures against Washington as the prospects for an acceptable trade deal with Washington are fading. The imposition of tariffs by Donald Trump around the globe could harm global economic growth as well as oil consumption. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index fell 0.3% on the back of broad sector declines, and lower oil prices. This was after it...

Investors weighed positive corporate earnings against the uncertainty of U.S. Trade Policy, following reports that Washington wants a minimum tariff of 15% to 20% in any agreement with the European Union. In spite of global uncertainty, the steady price of oil and strong results from regional giants helped to offset external headwinds. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index is on track to end its longest decline in two years with a 0.2% gain, driven by financials. Saudi National Bank, which is the country's largest lender based on assets, gained over 1.5%, while Al Rajhi Bank (the largest sharia compliant bank) jumped...

The majority of major Gulf stock markets rose on Thursday as a result of positive corporate earnings announcements and results, but the Saudi index is set to continue its losses for the eighth consecutive session. Dubai's main stock index rose 1.2% to a record high of 17-1/2 years, boosted by financial stocks. The shares of Emirates NBD rose 4% on track to increase for the third consecutive session after the top bank announced that it had closed a syndicated loan for Dubai Metro Blue Line Project worth 3.9 billion dirhams. Air Arabia, a budget airline, has risen 5.1% in the...

A source familiar with Wednesday's negotiations said that Brazilian planemaker Embraer was competing with Moroccan airline Royal Air Maroc to supply its aircraft. Source: The African carrier wants to renew and expand its fleet across three sizes, and Embraer has been fighting to secure an order for the smallest. On Wednesday, the local newspaper Folha de S.Paulo had reported that Royal Air Maroc, in conjunction with Embraer and other suppliers, was in discussions to buy up to 200 aircraft. Embraer's second-generation E2 jet family Folha, citing Folha's CEO, reported that the airline is considering the idea. The E2 line is...

A senior State Department official stated on Tuesday that the United States had helped around 400 U.S. Citizens and others fly out of Israel amid conflict with Iran since Saturday. They hope to accommodate even more in the days to come. "We are very aware that there is still capacity and that U.S. citizens still want to leave Israel. The airspace has not been reliably opened. The official stated that the situation is "extremely dynamic". An official stated that the State Department now shares information with 27,000 people about safety and security in the region, as well as leaving it....

The major Gulf stock markets advanced early on Tuesday, with risk appetite increasing after U.S. president Donald Trump announced that Iran and Israel agreed to a truce. Trump declared a ceasefire that could end the 12-day conflict which saw millions of people flee Tehran, and raised fears about further escalation. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index rose by 2.1%. The biggest contributors to this increase were Al Rajhi Bank, which saw a 1.9% gain and Saudi National Bank, the largest lender in Saudi Arabia. Flynas, a company recently listed on the stock exchange, soared by more than 7% and reached 79.80...

A report on Thursday said that $250 billion has been allocated for the production of low-carbon material in sectors with heavy emissions, such as chemicals and fuels. However, future projects requiring low-carbon material will require more than five-times this amount of funding. Mission Possible Partnership report said that newly industrialised countries like Indonesia and Morocco had already secured a quarter of the $250 billion invested in clean industrial plants. The report stated that 69 projects were in operation, using clean energy for the production of materials. The report also tracked $1.6 billion of projects announced, but not yet funded, with...

The differential between Brent and Urals crudes dated on Wednesday remained unchanged, but the Azeri BTC plan for exports from Turkey's Ceyhan Port in November was set at 15,3 million barrels compared to the 15.4 million barrels exported in October. Calculations showed that Azeri BTC crude exports would increase by approximately 3% per day in November compared to October. Alexander Novak, Deputy Premier of Russia, said that the country has gradually increased its oil production. It was very close to achieving the output quota set by OPEC+ last month. PLATTS WINDOW There were no bids or offerings reported on the...

The differentials between Urals crude and Brent for the date of February weakened on Monday due to rising shipping costs from Russia to India. This was driven by an increase in cargoes coming from Primorsk and Novorossiisk. Industry sources say that the current freight costs to transport Urals from the Baltic port of Primorsk to India for Aframax tanks rose from $6-6.5 millions for one-way trips in late August to middle September. The traders reported that the prices of Urals at western Indian ports remained constant. The exact plans for October remain unknown, but they expect Urals to continue exporting...

Kuwait's electricity minister announced on Saturday that the country will increase its power generation capacity to 14,05 gigawatts by 2031 in order to meet the rising demand. Kuwait, as a major oil-producing country, is struggling with power shortages due to rapid population growth, urbanization, high temperatures, and maintenance delays in certain plants. The government has had to implement planned power cuts since last year. Subaih Al-Mukhaizim said on X, the minister of electricity and water, as well as renewable energy, that the country managed to successfully manage the summer of 2025 despite some days reaching temperatures of 51 degrees Celsius....

Sources said that the differential between Brent and Urals crudes was stable on Thursday. However, oil loadings at Russia's western port ports were revised due to drone-related damage to refineries and export infrastructure. Two sources familiar with the schedule said that Russia increased its planned oil loads from the Black Sea port Novorossiysk and the Baltic port Ust-Luga for September due to disruptions at Primorsk. Two sources familiar with the situation said that Novatek, a Russian gas company, delivered 70,000 tons of gas to Novorossiysk during the September shutdown of the Ust-Luga complex. As the Ukrainian drone attacks continue traders...

The differential between Brent and Urals crudes dated on Wednesday remained unchanged, as traders awaited any changes to the grade's September export plans. This is because Russian ports and refineries are still repairing after recent drone attacks in Ukraine. Traders said that oil loadings at Baltic Primorsk continued, but they were delayed several days. Some volumes may be diverted to another port. Kazmunaygaz, the state energy company, announced on Wednesday that Kazakhstan will resume oil supply via the Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan pipeline by September 13. PLATTS WINDOW On Wednesday, there were no bids or offers made on Urals,...

Kuwait's national oil company announced on Tuesday that it is looking to revive the project of leasing out its crude oil pipelines and then leasing them back. Kuwait joins Gulf counterparts like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates who are leveraging private capital to acquire strategic energy assets. Media reports last week citing sources familiar with the situation said that the company was considering leasing a part of its network to fund an investment plan covering everything from upstream and petrochemicals. Kuwait Petroleum Corp, at a forum in Kuwait on Tuesday, did not disclose figures. This move is similar to...

Sources said that the differential between Urals and Brent crudes in Russia remained unchanged, but that exports of this grade were revised upwards for September due to lower domestic refining. Two industry sources and calculations show that Russia revised its September crude export plans from western ports up to 2.1 millions barrels per day, an 11% increase over the initial schedule. This is due to drone attacks on domestic refining plants reducing local demand for crude. PLATTS WINDOW On Wednesday, there were no bids or offers made on Urals, Azeri BTC Blend or CPC blend in the Platts Window. The...

Iraq's Oil Minister, Hayan Abdel Ghani, announced on Wednesday that after a 2-year hiatus oil exports will resume through Turkey's Ceyhan Pipeline later on Thursday or Wednesday, according to Iraqi State News Agency INA. Abdel-Ghani stated that an agreement was concluded with the Kurdistan Regional Government regarding the resumed crude oil exports through Turkey's Ceyhan Pipeline. He told INA that "80,000 barrels of oil per day would be exported through SOMO, the Iraqi state-owned oil marketing company," referring to Turkey's Ceyhan Pipeline. Kirkuk-Ceyhan Pipeline has been off-line since 2023 after arbitration court ruled Turkey must pay $1.5 billion damages for...

According to court documents and a spokesperson for the company, trading house BB energy has filed a lawsuit against South Sudan over its failure to deliver oil owed as part of a prepayment agreement. South Sudan, one of the world's poorest nations, has been through two civil wars over the last 15 years. It is also struggling with a fragile peace agreement and increased debt. In March, South Sudan's government put its petroleum minister and other officials under house arrest. Court records show that BB Energy DMCC brought the case in last month. The company spokesperson said the case was...

Egypt's deficit in its current account decreased to $13.2 billion from $17.1 billion a year ago, according to the central bank of Egypt. The bank attributed a slimmer deficit to a 86.6% rise in remittances sent by Egyptians who work abroad as well as an increase in the services surplus as reflected in 23% more tourism revenue. Oil exports fell by $430.5 millions to $4.2 billion from $4.6 billion a year ago, while oil imports grew by $4.8 billion from $9.7 to $14.5 billion. Egypt is seeking to import additional fuel oil and natural gas liquefied this year in order...

The UK has rejected a Moroccan renewable energy project worth 25 billion pounds ($34.39billion) that would have used wind and solar power from the Sahara for up to 7 million UK households. The British government said that it believes domestic projects can offer greater economic benefits. Michael Shanks, minister of energy at the UK's Department of Energy, said in a written message to parliament that the government had concluded it was not in the UK's national interest to consider further support for the Morocco UK Power Project. The project, he said, did not align with the UK government's goal to...

Iraq's Oil Ministry said Thursday that it holds the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), legally responsible for continuing to smuggle oil out of the Kurdish Region. It added that the ministry reserves the rights to take any legal action in this matter. The control of oil and gas is a long-standing source of tensions between Baghdad, Erbil and other Iraqi cities. Iraq is being pressured by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to reduce its output in order to compensate for producing more than the agreed-upon volume. OPEC counts the oil flowing from Kurdistan towards Iraq's quota. In a ruling...