Iraq

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• UPDATE 2-Foreign buyers snap up shares in Iraq's Asiacell

  BAGHDAD, Feb 3- Foreign investors bought more than two-thirds of Iraqi mobile operator Asiacell's $1.35 billion share sale, with parent Qatar Telecom expected to have increased its stake.

• UPDATE 1-Iraq's $1.4 bln Asiacell share offer sold out -exchange

  BAGHDAD, Feb 3- A $1.35 billion sale of shares in Iraqi mobile telephone firm Asiacell, the country's first major public offer of equity since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, was fully subscribed, the stock exchange said on Sunday.

• Exxon, Kurdistan visit disputed Iraqi oil block

  *Baghdad, Kurdistan have built up rival military posts. Talks at the Qara Hansher block between an Exxon executive and a top Kurdistan oil official could provoke Baghdad at a sensitive time for the Arab-led central government and the self-ruled Kurdish enclave in their feud over oil and land rights.

• Iran Oil Exports to Asia Fell by a Quarter in 2012

  

  Iran's crude exports to its biggest customer, Asia, fell by a quarter in 2012 and shipments this year are expected to drop by at least 12 percent under U.S. sanctions pressure, but ample alternative supplies will keep refiners flush with oil.

• Bell Helicopters' upgraded H-1 generates foreign interest

  WASHINGTON, Jan 31- As U.S. budget pressures mount, the U.S. Marine Corps says growing foreign demand could help drive down the unit cost of its new upgraded H-1 utility and attack helicopters built by Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc..

• Asia to deepen Iran oil import cuts in 2013 as sanctions bite

  SINGAPORE/ TOKYO, Feb 1- Iran's crude exports to its biggest customer, Asia, fell by a quarter in 2012 and shipments this year are expected to drop by at least 12 percent under U.S. sanctions pressure, but ample alternative supplies will keep refiners flush with oil. From Asia, Iran lost $14 billion worth of oil exports for the year, according to Reuters calculations.

• OPEC oil output falls in Jan, lowest in a year-survey

  LONDON, Jan 31- OPEC crude oil output has fallen in January to its lowest in more than a year as Iranian exports dipped from December's unexpectedly high rate and top exporter Saudi Arabia cut output further, a Reuters survey found on Thursday.

• With or without Exxon, Iraq Kurds strive for energy autonomy

  *Exxon to decide between Kurds and Baghdad. ARBIL, Iraq, Jan 30- Behind the closed doors of their offices in the United States, top executives and lawyers for Exxon Mobil are poring over two sets of contracts, weighing a decision that could shift the balance of power in Iraq.

• UPDATE 2-Iraqi Kurds woo more oil majors in contest with Baghdad

  LONDON, Jan 29- Iraqi Kurdistan said it is negotiating with two or three major international companies to operate oilfields and expects to announce the outcome in about a month, in a move likely to further heighten tensions with Baghdad.

• PRECIOUS-Platinum down 1.2 pct as Amplats delays job cuts

  *Technical pressure adds to platinum selling below $1,700. *Russia, Turkey sharply added gold reserves in December. NEW YORK, Jan 28- Platinum posted its biggest one-day drop in over a month on Monday, as news the world's largest platinum producer Anglo American Platinum agreed to postpone massive job cuts eased supply fears.

• PRECIOUS-Gold holds near 2-week low ahead of U.S. Fed meeting

  *Spot palladium hits highest since Sept 2011 at $741.75/ oz. LONDON, Jan 28- Gold edged lower on Monday as investors remained cautious ahead of an eagerly awaited U.S. Spot gold inched down 0.1 percent to $1,656.40 an ounce by 1026 GMT, after dropping 1.5 percent last week, its sharpest weekly loss in a month.

• PRECIOUS-Gold languishes near 2-week low as recovery hopes weigh

  *Spot gold may fall to $1,647/ oz- technicals. SINGAPORE, Jan 28- Gold traded little changed on Monday, struggling to break away from a two-week low hit in the previous session, as a brighter global economic outlook dampened gold's appeal a safe haven.

• PRECIOUS-Gold languishes near 2-week low on recovery optimism

  SINGAPORE, Jan 28- Gold traded little changed on Monday, struggling to break away from a two-week low hit in the previous session, as an improving global economic outlook dampened bullion's safe-haven appeal.

• UPDATE 2-Iraq tells Exxon to choose: Southern Iraq or Kurdistan

  *Iraq tells Exxon must chose Kurdistan or southern oilfields. BAGHDAD, Jan 27- Iraq has told Exxon Mobil it must choose between working in its southern oilfields or in Kurdistan, and Baghdad expects the U.S. oil major to make a final decision in a few days, its oil minister said on Sunday.

• Obama's New Team Looks Like the Old One

  

  As he heads into a second term with sweeping ambition in an era of gridlock, President Obama is assembling a new White House team that looks much like the old one, choosing familiarity over freshness even at the risk of insularity.

• Reuters World News Highlights at 1545 GMT, Jan 25

  CAIRO/ ALEXANDRIA- Protesters clashed with police across Egypt on Friday on the second anniversary of the revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak, taking to the streets against an elected Islamist president whose opponents say is trampling over the new democracy.

• Oil firms face soaring security bill after attacks

  *North Africa likely to suffer oil investment slowdown. This would inevitably mean a big rise in costs, Kuzayev said at the gathering held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

• NYMEX-Crude steady above $95 after sliding on pipeline volume cut

  SINGAPORE, Jan 24- U.S. crude futures steadied around $95 a barrel on Thursday after falling by more than a dollar in the previous session on worries inventories in the U.S. Investors are eyeing data that measures manufacturing activity in China.

• UPDATE 3-U.S. natgas glut weighs down Baker Hughes profits

  Jan 23- A glut of North American natural gas is weighing heavily on both drilling activity and pricing power for Baker Hughes Inc, the world's third-largest oilfield services company, which posted a 36 percent drop in quarterly profit on Wednesday.

• UPDATE 2-Baker Hughes profit falls on N. American drilling slump

  Jan 23- Baker Hughes Inc, the world's third-largest oilfield services provider, reported a 36 percent fall in quarterly profit as both activity and pricing decreased in its main North American market. Larger rival Halliburton Co will reveal how it fared in an especially tough quarter for the industry when it posts fourth-quarter results on Friday.