The US court-appointed special master who has been tasked with overseeing the auction of Venezuelan state-owned PdV's US refining subsidiary, Citgo, Robert Pincus, plans to object to a last-minute motion by the Venezuelan government to delay the sale process by four months. Caracas and PdV filed a motion on 17 September looking to pause the sale of Citgo, which is being auctioned off to settle debts owed by PdV. Pincus is also dealing with last-minute legal challenges outside of the Delaware courts overseeing the sale by "alter-ego" claimants looking to "circumvent" the sales process and "jump the line" for enforcing claims against PdV, he said.
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Several Mideast Gulf energy sites hit by drones
Several Mideast Gulf energy sites hit by drones
Dubai, 5 April (Argus) — Energy-linked facilities and installations across Mideast Gulf countries were hit by a new round of Iranian drones strikes overnight, as the US-Israeli war with Iran intensifies. Kuwait's state-owned KPC reported that the building housing both its headquarters and the country's oil ministry "was targeted" by a drone in the early hours of Sunday, 5 April, causing a fire at the site. A source with knowledge of the incident confirmed that the building itself was struck. Videos circulating on social media showed a large fire burning from the top of the building. The attack caused "significant material damage," the finance ministry said in a separate statement. The building, located in Kuwait City's Shuwaikh district, had already been evacuated and no injuries were reported, KPC said. Emergency teams are continuing efforts to contain and manage the fire. Another strike in Kuwait targeted two power and water desalination plants, resulting in "significant material damage" and the shutdown of two electricity generation units, the ministry of electricity and water said. This represents the third attack on Kuwait's power infrastructure in less than a week, following strikes reported on power and desalination plants on 3 April and 30 March . Kuwait has eight major power plants dotted along its coast, the majority of which also include desalination units that supply a significant portion of the emirate's freshwater. The first attack on 30 March targeted the Doha West facility near Doha port. Kuwait has yet to disclose which facilities were targeted on 3 April and early today. In neighbouring Bahrain, state-owned Bapco Energies reported a fire at a storage tank at "one of its storage facilities" after what it described as "an Iranian drone attack" in the early hours of Sunday. By 09:41 local time, Bapco Energies said the fire had been "fully extinguished" and the situation brought under control. Damage assessments are ongoing, and no injuries were reported. Bahrain's GPIC said several operational units were hit by Iranian drones early today, triggering fires that were later extinguished. Damage assessments are ongoing, with no casualties reported. Abu Dhabi authorities said that "several fires" broke out at the Borouge petrochemicals facility after debris from an intercepted drone fell on the site early Sunday. Operations at the facility have been "suspended immediately, pending an assessment of the damage," Abu Dhabi said. No injuries were reported. These attacks came hours after the Iraqi oil ministry reported an attack "by unidentified drones" on a storage facility at the 300,000 b/d Buzurgan oil field — one of three fields that make up the Missan cluster operated by China's state-owned CNOOC. The attack did not result in any injuries, the ministry said. The war with Iran is now in its sixth week, with Tehran responding to US and Israeli strikes on its territory, facilities and infrastructure by launching missiles and drones against targets in Israel and across the Mideast Gulf. By Nader Itayim and Bachar Halabi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US rescues fighter pilots after Iran shoots down F-15
US rescues fighter pilots after Iran shoots down F-15
Singapore, 5 April (Argus) — US forces have rescued two aircrew members after their fighter jet was shot down over Iran on 3 April, averting a high-profile prisoner-of-war crisis that could have injected fresh uncertainty into the US-Israeli war against Tehran. The second airman was rescued by the US military late on Saturday, a day after the other pilot was found, president Donald Trump said in a social media post. The crew member, a colonel, was located "behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies," Trump said. Iran shot down the F-15 fighter jet on 3 April and also caused the crash of an A-10 attack aircraft near the strait of Hormuz on the same day, according to reports. Trump on Saturday reiterated his threat to attack Iran's power infrastructure if Tehran does not reopen the strait of Hormuz by 6 April. By Kevin Foster Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Trump again threatens 6 April Iran power attack
Trump again threatens 6 April Iran power attack
Houston, 4 April (Argus) — US president Donald Trump on Saturday reiterated his threat to attack Iran's electric power infrastructure if the country does not allow unfettered passage through the strait of Hormuz. In a social media post at 8am ET, Trump referenced his 26 March decision to hold off on the attacks until 6 April to allow purported negotiations to continue. There is little indication that the sides have come close to an agreement in the intervening days. "Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT," Trump wrote in the post Saturday. "Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!" Trump's renewed warning comes a day after two US warplanes were shot down over Iraq. Traffic has increased through the strait of Hormuz in the past week as Iran has signaled willingness to allow transit by ships tied to nations not directly allied with the US and Israel. Two very large crude carriers (VLCC) carrying non-Iranian crude left the Mideast Gulf on 2 April , the first such shipments since the start of the war on 28 February. A range of other vessels passed through earlier last week . Tanker traffic could pick up even further, as Iran on Saturday said it would exempt neighboring Iraq from restrictions on vessel passage through the strait. "I declare that our brotherly country Iraq is exempt from any restrictions we have imposed in the Strait of Hormuz, and these restrictions apply only to enemy countries," according to a statement from a spokesman for Iran's military broadcast through the WANA News Agency in Tehran. "We have deep respect for Iraq's national sovereignty; you are a nation that still bears the marks of the American occupation, and your struggle against the United States is worthy of appreciation and praise." Prior to the war, Iraq exported as much as 3.3mn b/d from its Basrah terminals for shipping through the strait of Hormuz. Throughout the first five weeks of fighting Iraq has maintained limited crude exports, with most volumes moving on the Iraq–Turkey pipeline and, to a lesser extent, on trucking through Syria and Jordan. In mid-March Iraqi officials said they were in talks with Iran about resuming tanker transits. By Tom Fowler Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US adds 178,000 jobs in March, jobless rate falls
US adds 178,000 jobs in March, jobless rate falls
Houston, 3 April (Argus) — The US added 178,000 nonfarm jobs in March, a bigger-than-expected gain that followed months of mostly faltering job growth. Payrolls were boosted by "one-time factors," including the end of a healthcare strike and "residual seasonality", Pantheon Macroeconomics chief US economist Samuel Tombs said in a note Friday. "The trend still looks weak." The six-digit growth in payrolls, compared with analysts' estimates of about 60,000 gains, follows downwardly revised losses of 133,000 for February and upwardly revised gains of 160,000 for January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday. "The topline payroll number greatly overstates the prewar strength of the job market, and we forecast job growth to slow as the war begins to take a toll on real activity," Oxford Economics' lead economist Nancy Vanden Houten said in a note. Total job growth for full-year 2025 was revised down to just 181,000 jobs from a prior 584,000, BLS reported in February. Annualized average hourly earnings eased to 3.5pc in March from a 3.8pc gain in February. Healthcare added 76,000 jobs in March, more than double the average of 29,000 added in the prior 12 months. Construction jobs added 29,000 in March while transportation and warehousing added 21,000 jobs in March. Leisure and hospitality added 44,000 jobs. Manufacturing added 15,000 jobs last month but were down by 75,000 jobs from March 2025. Mining, quarrying and gas extraction added 1,300 jobs. Federal government employment fell by 18,000 and was down by 355,000 since reaching a peak in October 2024. Jobs in financial activities fell by 15,000. The unemployment rate edged lower to 4.3pc in March from 4.4pc in February. But the decline partly reflected a shrinking labor force, those counted as employed or looking for work. The number of people marginally attached to the labor force, who had not looked for work in the prior four months after looking for a job sometime in the prior 12 months, rose by 325,000 to 1.9mn in March. By Bob Willis Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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