“How Russia turned the tables in Syria”, “A Guide to Oil Producers' Scramble for Money as Crude Tumbles”, “Putin Prepares to Court Foreign Investors Wary of Past Stumbles”, “Oil Pipeline Bombs Threaten New Nigeria Rebellion”

gulfnews.com. “How Russia turned the tables in Syria”- Beirut: Syrian regime forces scored a major victory on Wednesday by recapturing two Shiite villages just north of Aleppo, breaking a rebel siege in-place since July 2012. Not only does this military feat relieve over thirty thousand inhabitants held captive for forty-two months, but also gives government forces thousands of new troops to march and encircle Aleppo.

bloomberg.com. “A Guide to Oil Producers' Scramble for Money as Crude Tumbles"- Nigeria's bid for concessionary loans from the World Bank and African Development Bank is just the latest example of the havoc wreaked on oil-producing nations by the slump in crude prices. From Saudi Arabia to Venezuela, governments are abandoning largess and risking political unrest with measures that include lowering energy subsidies and cuts to public-sector wages.

“Putin Prepares to Court Foreign Investors Wary of Past Stumbles"- President Vladimir Putin is considering selling stakes in some of Russia's state jewels to foreign buyers to raise cash for an economy brought to its knees by the collapse in oil prices and sanctions related to Ukraine. Investors are dubious.

“Oil Pipeline Bombs Threaten New Nigeria Rebellion" - Almost seven years after an amnesty ended an era of bombings, kidnappings and theft, the Niger Delta is nervous once again. “General" Ramsey Mukoro opens a wad of cash and orders a double Hennessy before issuing his warning: the rebellion he was part of is threatening to return to the oil-rich Niger River delta.