An exiled Muslim rebel leader welcomed Thailand’s military overthrow of prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra today, saying the coup could help resolve a bloody Islamic uprising in the country’s south.

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.

Nigeria's oil reserves have hit 30 billion barrels and further increases in production are expected, President Olusegun Obasanjo's adviser on petroleum Rilwanu Lukman said.