Free Republic

A North Korean general who is a confidant of the country's leader, Kim Jong-il, has been identified by U.S. and foreign intelligence agencies as a key figure in the covert production and distribution of high-quality counterfeit $100 bills called supernotes, according to documents and interviews with intelligence officials.

Oil falls below $100 a barrel ahead of Opec meeting Angela Jameson Oil prices slumped to below $100 a barrel today ahead of the start of today's Opec meeing in Vienna, putting more pressure on the oil producers' cartel to cut supply to the markets. The fall to $99.56 a barrel takes the price of crude to a five-month low and below the pyschologically significant $100 a barrel level, which was last seen in April. However, most analysts believe that the oil producers will elect to maintain the current level of production, which is favoured by Saudi Arabia, the biggest...

Iran says oil price is right at $100 a barrel Angela Jameson Pressure for a cut in oil output at next week's Opec meeting in Vienna stepped up today when Iran’s Opec governor said an oil price of $100 per barrel was “appropriate” in current conditions. Mohammad Ali Khatibi made his comments as the price of Brent crude fell by $1.77 to $104.30 today while US oil also declined to $106.12. Oil is now trading nearly 30 per cent lower than its peak of $147.27 on July 11. Mr Khatibi also reiterated Iran’s view that Opec's 13 members, who are...

Kuwait sees oil prices remaining over $100 ABU DHABI — Kuwait envisions crude oil prices staying above $100 per barrel. Khalid Budai, a member of the Kuwait Supreme Petroleum Council, said oil prices would stabilize over the next few months. But Budai said he envisioned prices to remain around $100 per barrel on the strength of increased demand by China and India.

How Economy Could Survive Oil At $100 A Barrel The world economy has managed, with some indigestion, to swallow the rise of oil prices past $80 a barrel. How well could it survive $100 a barrel? The answer is quite well -- so long as several conditions still hold true. The price rise would probably have to be gradual. Inflation couldn't get so bad as to force big interest-rate hikes. Oil-rich nations would need to pump their profits back into U.S. and European economies. All of this has happened so far. The happy confluence may continue, though fears remain strong...