Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil producer, has put on hold any plans to further increase long-term production capacity from its vast oil fields, its most powerful policymakers have said. In a series of statements, including one by the king himself, the kingdom has warned consumers it does not believe there is a need for further expansion, an assumption disputed by the world's biggest developed countries.

Oil could transform Brazil's economy. But not necessarily for the better

Five years ago Russia's rapidly growing oil exports were seen as the cure for the US and Europe's addiction to Middle East oil, international oil companies' most exciting potential source of revenue and the only thing that could quench China's insatiable new thirst.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has quietly begun to reduce its oil production despite calls from the US and Europe for the group to pump more so that prices fall. Output from the core countries of the 13-member cartel last month fell to 27.3m barrels a day, down from the 27.6m b/d they produced in February and 27.8m b/d in January, the International Energy Agency, the western countries' watchdog, said yesterday in its monthly report. Production from Saudi Arabia, Opec's largest member, dropped marginally from January and was the same as February at 9.2m b/d.

Grains gone wild What's behind the world food crisis? These days you hear a lot about the world financial crisis. But there's another world crisis under way - and it's hurting a lot more people. I'm talking about the food crisis. Over the past few years the prices of wheat, corn, rice and other basic foodstuffs have doubled or tripled, with much of the increase taking place just in the last few months. High food prices dismay even relatively well-off Americans, but they're truly devastating in poor countries, where food often accounts for more than half a family's spending.

Oil exploration and production major Oil India Limited (OIL) has informed the oil ministry that the company would not be able to meet the MoU targets for this year due to environmental problems. In a recent meeting with the oil ministry, OIL expressed concern about the shortfall in production against MoU targets for 2007-08. This is despite OIL achieving a highest ever daily production of 3.48 MTPA this year, against 3.11 MTPA on March 31, 2007. According to sources, Oil India's target for the year 2007-08 is 3.50 MMT, including in country and overseas production.

Royal Dutch Shell has been quietly working with Iraq's oil ministry over the past two years, advising it on how to increase the production of two oilfields.

With the declared objective of moving towards market determined prices for petroleum products, Government announced the dismantling of the Administered Pricing Mechanism (APM) effective 1.4.2002. However, it was decided to continue to subsidize PDS kerosene and domestic LPG on the ground that these were fuels of mass consumption largely consumed by

The G7 has urged oil producers to increase output for stabilising prices and called on countries with fixed exchange rates to adopt market-based systems. The requests were made in a communiqu

A farmer in Thailand has made a fuel from coconut oil. Yuthachai, claims that the fuel is a good alternative to diesel. At present the fuel is being used by 60 per cent vehicles in the Thap

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