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Russia's Gazprom Demands $2.5 Billion from Ukraine

Russian gas giant Gazprom on Tuesday fired off a new salvo in Moscow's feud with Ukraine by demanding some $2.5 billion for Kiev allegedly breaching its supply contract. 

Gazprom said in a statement that under the terms of its deal with Ukraine state firm Naftogaz, Kiev had to buy a minimum annual amount of gas from them or face a penalty and that supplies had fallen short of the required level in the third quarter of last year. 

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Oil Prices Stuck Below $30 on Worsening Glut Fears

Oil prices recovered from 12-year lows in Asia Tuesday but remained below $30 a barrel, as Iran ordered a boost to crude production after the West lifted sanctions, exacerbating an already oversupplied global market.

Prices sank to depths not seen since 2003 on Monday, a day after the United States and Europe lifted the crippling economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran's compliance with a deal to curb the country's nuclear ambitions.

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Iran Orders 500,000 bpd Oil Production Increase

Iran on Monday ordered as planned an increase in its oil production of 500,000 barrels per day following the lifting of sanctions under its nuclear deal with world powers.

"With the removal of sanctions, Iran is ready to increase production by 500,000 bpd and today this order was issued," Rokneddin Javadi, the head of the National Iranian Oil Company and the deputy oil minister, said in a statement.

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Under-Pressure OPEC Sees 'Rebalancing' this Year

OPEC said Monday that it expects a "rebalancing process" to begin in 2016 as the sharp fall in the oil price causes production from non-cartel competitors such as the US to fall after seven years of "phenomenal" growth.

If the prediction is accurate, it would make a victory of sorts for OPEC's strategy of keep the oil flowing despite crude sliding to below $30 a barrel -- from over $100 in 2014 -- to defend its market share.

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Hollande: France to Spend More than 2 bn Euros to Fight Unemployment

French President Francois Hollande pledged Monday to spend more than 2.0 billion euros ($2.2 billion) on a package of measures to fight stubbornly high unemployment.

Hollande said France was in "a state of economic emergency" and needed new measures urgently, but he promised that they would not be financed by tax rises.

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Russian Markets and Ruble Tumble Further on Oil Slump

Russian stock markets and the ruble fell further on Monday as the currency edged closer to a historic low on the back of a fresh slump in oil prices.

The ruble dropped at the start of trading to 78.85 to the dollar, nearing its record of just over 80 that it hit when the currency tumbled dramatically in December 2014.

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Brent Oil Falls Below $28 after Iran Sanctions Lifted

Brent crude fell below $28 a barrel in Asia on Monday for the first time in more than 12 years on fears about a worsening supply glut after Western sanctions on Iran were lifted, allowing Tehran to resume oil exports.

Up to half a million barrels per day of Iranian crude could be added to already saturated markets after U.S. and European leaders ended a crippling embargo put in place over Tehran's nuclear program.

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Iran Needs $30-50 bn Annual Foreign Investment

Iran needs annual foreign investment of $30-$50 billion to reach an eight percent growth target and cash in on a nuclear deal with world powers, President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday.

Laying out the budget for the next Iranian year which starts March 20, Rouhani told parliament, a day after the implementation of the historic deal, that the collapse in global oil prices meant the government had to look to abroad to boost the economy.

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Gulf Shares in Free Fall after Oil Rout, Iran Deal

Share prices in the energy-rich Gulf states nosedived Sunday following the sharp decline in oil prices and the expected rise in Iranian crude exports after the lifting of sanctions.

The plunge in the first day of trading in the Muslim week also follows heavy losses in global bourses on Friday, when Gulf exchanges were closed for the weekend.

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ECB to Keep Door Open to New Easing

The European Central Bank is set to hold the door open for further easing at its policy meeting this week, after measures taken in December to drive eurozone inflation higher disappointed investors, analysts said.

"After disappointing markets in December, we expect the ECB to indicate at its forthcoming meeting that the door is still open to bolder policy support," said Capital Economics economist Jennifer McKeown.

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