UK considers shorter self-isolation period, crude oil Oilon surge in cases, why 2020 is different for student loan payments, and other pandemic-related news across the globe
More than one million people have died of Covid-19 worldwide as of Tuesday
Oil futures fell sharply on Tuesday, with Brent tumbling below $40 a barrel for the first time since June.
US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 70 cents, or 1.7 per cent, at $40.57 a barrel
More than 14 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus globally and nearly 602,000 have died, according to a Reuters tally
Brent crude fell 27 cents to $42.97 a barrel by 0114 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $40.27 a barrel, down 28 cents
Brent crude fell 34 cents to $37.50 a barrel, in the first day of trading in the contract with August as the front month
HPCL, with higher proportion of retail sales, may benefit more from improvement in marketing margins
Foreign outflows could accelerate further if oil prices stay low
Data released on Sunday showed exports from China in November fell 1.1% from a year earlier, confounding expectations for a 1% rise in a Reuters poll.
OPEC is likely to shoulder 340,000 bpd in fresh cuts and non-OPEC producers an extra 160,000 bpd, one source said on Friday
Investors were also eyeing whether the producer group would agree to deeper cuts
Brent crude futures settled at $62.44 a barrel, down 86 cents, or 1.4 per cent
International benchmark Brent crude futures were at $58.70 a barrel by 0039 GMT, down 24 cents, or 0.41%, from their previous settlement and trading near seven-month lows
The slide in US oil followed a tumble in global stock markets on Tuesday, with investors worried about the threat of a widespread economic slowdown
As economic growth outside the US has flagged, producers and traders are beginning to worry that demand for crude will also decline
For the month, Brent futures are set to drop 6.2 per cent, the most since July 2016
A sharp drop in crude oil prices have helped improved investor sentiment
OPEC, together with some non-OPEC producers including Russia started withholding output in 2017 to end a global supply overhang and prop up prices
The largest US refinery, Motiva Enterprises' 603,000 bpd Port Arthur facility in Texas, began a planned one-month overhaul on Monday of its key crude oil processing unit.