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Iraqi and Kurdish regional officials have renewed efforts to work out a compromise on a federal hydrocarbons law by the end of the year. But the differences between the official government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are so deep that common ground will be hard to find.

The merger of Norway’s DNO International and Ras Al-Khaimah’s RAK Petroleum (RAK-P) remains on course despite a pair of shareholder rebellions apparently motivated by commercial and personal interests.

Qatar Petroleum International (QPI) has been rapidly expanding its international investment portfolio for several years, but despite signing a number of co-operation deals and closing many downstream deals, only one concrete upstream project has come to fruition.

Poland’s Kulczyk Oil Ventures (KOV) has said it will halt the drilling of its first exploration well on Syria’s Block 9 amid increasing civil unrest in the country

Company (Taqa) has announced it will invest $46m in Calgary-based WesternZagros Resources in return for a 19.9% stake in the TSX Venture Exchange-listed explorer. As part of the agreement, Taqa will appoint a member to the WesternZagros board.

An adviser to Iraqi prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki has said that ExxonMobil, BP and Italy’s Eni plan to invest $100bn to upgrade three oilfields in southern Iraq.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s publication of production-sharing contracts (PSCs) and relevant amendments for all 42 of its licence areas is an important challenge to its critics in Baghdad. The federal Ministry of Oil had previously criticised the Kurdish Natural Resources Ministry for only revealing the terms of a few contracts.

Trade and energy minister Yukio Edano has been in Abu Dhabi in an attempt to shore up Japan’s position as the emirate’s largest crude customer.

The activation of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant in September, followed by the publication of excerpts from an allegedly leaked document questioning its safety, have increased fears of a large scale calamity in the Gulf.

The missile threat posed to the Gulf region from Iran is “overstated”, according to a paper entitled A Crude Threat: The Limits of an Iranian Missile Campaign against Saudi Arabian Oil, published in the Harvard University-based International Security journal.

Gulf Keystone to sell stake in Akri-Bijeel, Glencore, Vitol, join energy auction; fees are revised

Six oil companies were added to the list of pre-qualified bidders in the upcoming auction for licences for oil and gas exploration rights in the country.

Rival drafts of a new hydrocarbons law are at the heart of a dispute between Erbil and Baghdad after Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki called a meeting to discusss proposals when most Kurdish members were absent

The new management of Turkey’s Genel Enerji, which is the subject of a high-profile reverse takeover by the multi-billion dollar investment vehicle Vallares, downplayed its exposure to Kurdistan political risk in a 7 September analyst presentation.

Consensus has built behind the EU’s threat to embargo Syrian state oil companies, crude exports and products imports in an effort to seriously squeeze the Assad regime