Analysts suggest that the recent meeting between the Russian and Saudi leaders at G20 signals their joint partnership on production cuts as well. AFP
Analysts suggest that the recent meeting between the Russian and Saudi leaders at G20 signals their joint partnership on production cuts as well. AFP
Analysts suggest that the recent meeting between the Russian and Saudi leaders at G20 signals their joint partnership on production cuts as well. AFP
Analysts suggest that the recent meeting between the Russian and Saudi leaders at G20 signals their joint partnership on production cuts as well. AFP

Russia and Saudi Arabia to extend Opec+ accord, Putin says


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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday he had no concrete figures on possible oil output cuts as Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed to extend their accord to manage the oil market, known as Opec+, into 2019, following a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit between Mr Putin and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Russia, one of the world's biggest crude-producing nations, has been negotiating with the kingdom, Opec's leader, over the timing and volume of any output reduction.

"Yes, we have an agreement to prolong our accords," Mr Putin told reporters following the meeting. "There is no final deal on volumes but together with Saudi Arabia will do it. And whatever is the final figure, we agreed to monitor the market situation and react to it quickly."

Opec and non-Opec oil producers will hold a ministerial meeting December 6-7 to discuss output cuts after oil prices in November suffered the largest monthly drop in a decade, losing more than 20 per cent as global supply has outstripped demand. Losses were limited on Friday, however, on hopes of a production cut agreement.

The comments from Mr Putin open the door for a deal at the Opec meeting this week in Vienna. Opec delegates said the leaders have signaled an agreement is possible, but the size of any potential output cut still needs to be agreed to.

Saudi Arabia said through its state-owned press agency that Riyadh and Moscow had held talks in Buenos Aires about "rebalancing" the oil market. While both talked about progress and extension of the cooperation, neither the Russian nor Saudis made any formal declaration about output volumes.

“This might be the critical breakthrough for Opec and non-Opec to cut,” said Derek Brower, a director at consultant RS Energy Group, in an interview with Bloomberg. “But the details are now what matter - how much will be cut, from when, for how long and, crucially, from what baselines."

Brent hit a a 4-year high of $86.76 a barrel in early October before slumping to $58.71 Friday. Oil trading has been volatile over the last week as traders take positions ahead of the Opec gathering.

Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer in Opec, and Russia, the world's largest oil exporter, forged "a very historic Opec-plus agreement" Prince Salman said in June, the last time the countries extended their accord, part of a cooperative plan between Opec, Russia, and other non-OPEC producers that began in 2016 and includes Mexico, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

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The Transfiguration

Director: Michael O’Shea

Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine

Three stars

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species

Camelpox

Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.

Falconpox

Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.

Houbarapox

Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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6 UNDERGROUND

Director: Michael Bay

Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco

2.5 / 5 stars

PSL FINAL

Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

RESULTS

2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: AF Senad, Nathan Crosse (jockey), Kareem Ramadan (trainer)

2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ashjaan, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.

3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Amirah, Conner Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yaasoob, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.

4pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri.

4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Manhunter, Ryan Curatolo, Mujeeb Rahman.

Where to Find Me by Alba Arikha
Alma Books 

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.