The curtain finally fell on the shattered Yukos oil empire today, with a mysterious auction providing a dramatic conclusion to the politically charged, four-year demise of the company that was once Russia’s biggest oil producer.

Russia's top prosecutor said his office wants to question fugitive tycoon Boris Berezovsky the probe of ex-security agent Alexander Litvinenko's poisoning death, Russian news agencies reported today.

Russia’s state-controlled energy giants are preparing for more acquisitions that could give the government ownership of almost half the country’s oil production, the most since privatisation of the Soviet industry began more than 10 years ago, according to a published newspaper report.

Stocks bounded higher today as investors shrugged off a fresh indicator of rising inflation, but climbing oil prices kept a lid on gains.

Crude oil prices may reach a record high next week amid concerns the Russian government’s dispute with OAO Yukos, the nation’s biggest exporter of the fuel, will disrupt shipments.