Saudi Arabia, France Sign MoU on Energy Cooperation

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna after signing the MoU on Thursday. (SPAP)
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna after signing the MoU on Thursday. (SPAP)
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Saudi Arabia, France Sign MoU on Energy Cooperation

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna after signing the MoU on Thursday. (SPAP)
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna after signing the MoU on Thursday. (SPAP)

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman held talks in Riyadh on Thursday with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who was on an official visit to the Kingdom.

They discussed prospects of cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy and future opportunities in various energy fields, including renewable energy, clean hydrogen, and electricity interconnection.

The ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a framework for collaboration in the energy sector.

The MoU encourages cooperation between their countries in the fields of electricity, renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy storage, smart grids, oil and gas and their derivatives, refining, petrochemicals, and the distribution and marketing sectors.

This will further the collaboration in technologies, with an aim to mitigate the effects of climate change, such as carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) in hard-to-abate sectors, and the production of hydrogen, as well as other technological innovations.

The MoU also promotes cooperation in digital transformation, localization of materials, products and services in the energy supply chain, collaboration between companies in the energy sector, joint research in universities, research centers and other forums, as well as building human capacity through training and exchanging of experience in the energy sector.



Oman Port Hit by Drone to Reopen from Tuesday

General view of Port of Salalah in Dhofar governorate, Oman, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana/File Photo
General view of Port of Salalah in Dhofar governorate, Oman, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana/File Photo
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Oman Port Hit by Drone to Reopen from Tuesday

General view of Port of Salalah in Dhofar governorate, Oman, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana/File Photo
General view of Port of Salalah in Dhofar governorate, Oman, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana/File Photo

Danish shipping firm Maersk announced Monday that Oman's port of Salalah, which was hit by a drone at the weekend, would start to reopen from Tuesday.

The Oman authorities said one worker was injured and minor damage caused by the strike on the port, which is run by Maersk subsidiary APM Terminals and is one of the key shipping facilities in the Gulf state.

Maersk said the area damaged was "limited" and that the port's management would take "necessary measures" to progressively build up to full capacity.

Some "constraints" would remain but additional safety and "preventive" measures had been taken because of the strike, it added.


US Stocks Open Higher after Trump Threatens Iran

Stock market statistics are displayed on a screen at the New York Stock Exchange (AFP)
Stock market statistics are displayed on a screen at the New York Stock Exchange (AFP)
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US Stocks Open Higher after Trump Threatens Iran

Stock market statistics are displayed on a screen at the New York Stock Exchange (AFP)
Stock market statistics are displayed on a screen at the New York Stock Exchange (AFP)

Wall Street stocks opened higher Monday after US President Donald Trump claimed progress in talks with Iran, even as he threatened to destroy key oil facilities on Kharg Island and to decimate the country's power infrastructure.

International benchmark Brent North Sea crude was up 2.2 percent to $115.02 per barrel on Monday morning, while the main US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, rose 1.7 percent to $101.35, AFP reported.

All three major US indices started the week on the front foot.

About ten minutes into trading, the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite was up 0.8 percent at 21,124.23, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9 percent at 45,566.69, and the broad-based S&P 500 also rose 0.9 percent to 6,426.20.

Art Hogan of B. Riley Wealth Management said investors "would desperately like to see an exit ramp in this war."

Still, even as Trump claims progress towards talks, he is often contradicted by Tehran and the Middle East region remains engulfed by war, with US-Israeli strikes continuing, Iran's retaliation targeting US allies in the Gulf and Israeli strikes against Lebanon expanding.

"The market's going to wake up every day and try to figure out where we are in the war with Iran and what that means for energy prices," said Hogan.

"If in fact, the president's announcement on Truth Social can be even taken a little bit seriously about negotiations going well, then the market would celebrate that."

Hogan added that markets were currently oversold and therefore "very susceptible to any good news, especially as it pertains to this war in Iran."

Monday's gains came after a series of losses last week, with the S&P 500 ending the week lower for the fifth straight week, its longest such run in four years.


Turkish Cenbank Total Reserves Fell $55 billion Since War Began

Turkish Central Bank (official website)
Turkish Central Bank (official website)
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Turkish Cenbank Total Reserves Fell $55 billion Since War Began

Turkish Central Bank (official website)
Turkish Central Bank (official website)

The Turkish Central Bank's total reserves fell by a hefty $22 billion last week to $155.5 billion, bringing their declines since the start of the Iran war to $55 billion, bankers said, Reuters reported.

They said the central bank sold $18 billion in foreign exchange last week, meaning its total forex sales amid the one-month war totaled $44 billion.

The central bank's net reserves fell $22.5 billion last week to $35 billion, the bankers also said.