Iraq's fertile lands atop some of the world's largest oilfields has been farmed for dates but the tribes that work the land fear they are being pushed aside in the rush for oil
OPEC ministers agreed not to change output targets they are already exceeding
Weak demand has generated high stockpiles, which means crude for early delivery is cheaper than that for a later date
OPEC's biggest producer, Saudi Arabia has made clear that it does not want to risk letting fuel prices get out of hand
Reliance exported a third more fuel during July to September versus the second quarter, with Africa racing past Europe as its No. 2 market
The raft of nationalizations in Venezuela since 2007 has brought pressures on the government to improve lives for oil company workers
Demand for OPEC crude will average 28.39 million barrels per day in 2010, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said in report
The IEA has said world oil consumption would average 84.4 million bpd in 2009 -- down 2.2 percent from 2008 due to the economic downturn
Oil at close to $70 means OPEC will almost certainly keep existing output cuts in place, although it could seek to tighten compliance with existing targets
