In a major turnaround, Syria is pledging full cooperation with UN attempts to probe strong evidence that it secretly built a reactor.
Iran wants a new round of talks with six world powers to focus on a host of issues including its rights as a nation.
Oil ministers appear ready to sit back and let a recovering economy lift crude prices instead of trying to bolster them by cutting back production.
Worries about global economic growth and expectations of a weak US jobs report pushed oil prices lower on Friday.
No image available
/ 7 November 2007
Oil prices jumped to a new trading record above $98 a barrel on Wednesday amid expectations of declining United States supplies. The weak dollar and the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’s apparent reluctance to pump more crude into the market also boosted prices.
No image available
/ 5 November 2007
Oil prices fell more than a barrel on Monday as traders pocketed gains from the previous session’s record settlement. The release of eight Turkish soldiers by Kurdish rebels on Sunday also contributed to the decline, easing some concerns about whether Turkey will launch attacks on guerrilla bases in northern Iraq.
Oil prices rose on Monday ahead of the expected restarts at United States refineries and Nigerian presidential elections that some fear could spark violence that may disrupt oil supplies. The 10th consecutive week of draws on US gasoline inventories last week also had potential to exert upward pressure on prices.
No image available
/ 14 December 2006
The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (Opec) president and oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia stepped back from direct calls to slash output on Wednesday, the eve of the group’s year-end meeting, in potential good news for consumers worldwide.
No image available
/ 30 October 2006
Oil prices slipped below a barrel on Monday on doubts that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) would pursue proposed production cuts and as geopolitical concerns lifted. Light, sweet crude for December fell by 89 cents to ,86 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Oil prices rose on Friday as the market watched Iran’s stand-off with the West over its nuclear programme and amid concerns that tropical storms could threaten United States Gulf coast oil refineries. Prices fell earlier in the week after US Department of Energy weekly data showed a rise in gasoline stockpiles.