Putin announces deal to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus Oil rig count inches higher as WTI holds below US$70

The total number of total active drilling rigs in the United States rose by 4 this week, according to new data from Baker Hughes published on Friday.

The total rig count rose to 758 this week—88 rigs higher than the rig count this time in 2022 and 317 rigs lower than the rig count at the beginning of 2019, prior to the pandemic.

Oil rigs in the United States increased by 4 this week, to 593. Gas rigs stayed the same at 162. Miscellaneous rigs also stayed the same.

The rig count in the Permian Basin rose by 3, on top of last week’s 7-rig increase. Rigs in the Eagle Ford stayed the same.

Primary Vision’s Frac Spread Count, an estimate of the number of crews completing unfinished wells—a more frugal use of finances than drilling new wells—rose dramatically in the week ending March 17, by 14 crews to 290. This is 18 more than a month ago, and 24 more than a year ago.

Crude oil production in the United States rose by 100,000 bpd in the week ending March 17, to 12.3 million bpd, according to the latest weekly EIA estimates. US production levels are up 700,000 bpd versus a year ago.

At 12:47 pm ET, the WTI benchmark was trading down US$1.28 (-1.83%) on the day at US$68.68, but up more than US$2 per barrel from this time last week as market panic regarding a possible bank collapse contagion eased from the height of the panic.

The Brent benchmark was trading down US$1.46 (-1.92%) at US$74.45 per barrel on the day, but up more than US$2 per barrel from this time last Friday.

WTI was trading at US$69.13 minutes after the data release, down 1.19% on the day. (Oilprice.com)

France bans ‘recreational’ use of TikTok, Twitter, Instagram

France has banned the “recreational” use of TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and other apps on Government employees’ phones because of concerns about insufficient data security measures.

The ban is to come into force immediately, the Ministry of Public Sector Transformation and the Civil Service wrote on Twitter on Friday.

“In order to guarantee the cybersecurity of our administrations and civil servants, the Government has decided to ban recreational applications such as TikTok on the professional phones of civil servants,” Stanislas Guerini said on Friday.

He added that for several weeks, several of France’s European and international partners have adopted measures to restrict or ban the downloading and installation of or the use of the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok by their Administrations.

Guerini said recreational applications do not have sufficient levels of cybersecurity and data protection in order to be deployed on Administrations’ equip-

Russia has struck a deal with neighbouring Belarus to station tactical nuclear weapons on its territory, President Vladimir Putin said.

Putin made the announcement on Saturday as tensions grow with the West over the Ukraine war and as some Russian commentators speculate about possible nuclear strikes.

The deal with Belarus would not violate nuclear non-proliferation agreements, Putin said, adding that the United States had stationed nuclear weapons in the territory of its European allies for decades.

“We agreed that we will do the same – without violating our obligations, I emphasise, without violating our international obligations on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,” Putin said.

Putin told state tele- vision that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had long raised the issue of stationing tactical nuclear weapons in his country, which borders NATO member Poland.

Russia will have com- pleted the construction of a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by July 1, Putin said, adding that Russia would not actually be transferring control of the arms to Minsk.

He also said he would deploy depleted uranium ammunition if Kyiv receives such munitions from the West. His comment followed a British announcement that it would supply Ukraine with these anti-tank shells.

Russia has already stationed 10 aircraft in Belarus capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons and has transferred a number of Iskander tactical missile systems, which can be used to launch nuclear weapons, Putin said.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has warned that nuclear threats were creating a dangerous sense of uncertainty around their possible use.

The longer Russia’s operation in Ukraine grinds on, the greater the nuclear strike risk, ICAN warned last month. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)