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LONDON (Reuters) - Oil extended its rally for a ninth day on Wednesday, supported by producer supply cuts and hopes that vaccine rollouts will drive a recovery in demand.

The American Petroleum Institute said on Tuesday crude inventories fell by 3.5 million barrels, versus expectations for a 985,000-barrel build. The Energy Information Administration’s offfcial stocks report is due at 1530 GMT. [API/S]

Brent crude was up by 28 cents at $61.37 by 0933 GMT after touching a 13-month high of $61.49 earlier in the session. U.S. crude was up 21 cents to $58.57.

LONDON (Reuters) - State-owned oil companies could squander about $400 billion on investments in the next decade on new oil projects that will struggle to turn a profit as the world shifts away from fossil fuels, a non-governmental organisation said on Tuesday.

The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) estimated national oil companies, or NOCs, would invest $1.9 trillion in the next 10 years with about a fifth of those investments only breaking even if oil prices stay above $40 a barrel.

LONDON, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Another 14,104 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,959,784, according to official figures released Monday.

The country also reported another 333 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 112,798. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain plans to tax retailers and tech companies whose profits have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sunday Times reported, citing leaked emails.

The government has summoned companies to discuss how an online sales tax would work, while plans are also being drawn up for a one-off “excessive profits tax”, the newspaper reported.

LONDON (Reuters) - Scotland’s top civil court has dismissed a case which sought a ruling that the Scottish parliament could hold an independence referendum without permission from London, saying it was premature and hypothetical.

Independence campaigner Martin Keatings wanted legal backing for his argument the Scottish parliament had the authority to hold a new vote on secession without the explicit approval of the United Kingdom government.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil hit its highest level in a year on Friday, closing in on $60 a barrel on economic revival hopes and supply curbs by producer group OPEC and its allies.

New orders for U.S.-made goods rose more than expected in December, pointing to continued strength in manufacturing. The U.S. Congress is also moving ahead on President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan.

LONDON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Travelers returning to Britain from more than 30 "red list" countries will have to quarantine for 10 days in government-approved accommodation like hotels, starting Feb. 15, the British government announced on Thursday.

The measure is being introduced to prevent new variants of COVID-19 from entering Britain. Countries on the list include all of South America, southern Africa, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates. Non-residents and nationals from these countries have already been banned from entering Britain.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices extended gains on Thursday after the OPEC+ alliance of producers stuck to its reduced output policy and U.S. crude stocks fell, with optimism over a new U.S. pandemic relief bill adding further price support.

Brent crude futures gained 25 cents, or 0.43%, to $58.71 a barrel by 1025 GMT, having earlier hit their highest since Feb. 21 last year.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures climbed 31 cents, or 0.56%, to $56 a barrel after reaching its highest settlement level in a year on Wednesday.

LONDON (Reuters) - The world faces around 4,000 variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, prompting a race to improve vaccines, Britain said on Thursday, as researchers began to explore mixing doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots in a world first.

Thousands of variants have been documented as the virus mutates, including the so-called British, South African and Brazilian variants which appear to spread more swiftly than others.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has asked for an extension until 2023 of a grace period on checks that would be conducted on trade moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom to soften the Brexit impact on the province, the BBC reported.

Political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Cabinet Office Secretary Michael Gove had written to the European Commission’s vice president, Maros Sefcovic, to ask for urgent political solutions.