Opec leaves oil output unchanged

Rejecting calls from the West to put more oil on the market and give consumers some relief from high prices, Opec ministers today agreed to leave output unchanged, the group’s Secretary-General said.

Opec had been expected to stick with its official supply ceiling of 21.7 million barrels per day at its meeting in Osaka, Japan today, and the ministers decided to do so during an informal midday session, Secretary-General Alvaro Silva Calderon told reporters.