Vienna - The price for crude oil produced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) fell by 0.31 dollars Tuesday, even though cartel members have indicated they might cut production at their meeting on Friday in Vienna.

One barrel (159 litres) of OPEC crude stood at 64.32 dollars Tuesday, down from 64.63 dollars on the previous day.

Analysts expect OPEC to lower production by at least 1 million barrels per day on Friday, as slowing demand has dragged down oil prices.

New York - Giant energy company Exelon Corp, the country's largest utility, has made an uninvited bid to acquire NRG Energy Inc for 6.2 billion dollars, following billionaire investor Warren Buffett's example of buying into the market amidst the slump.

NRG is the second-largest power producer in Texas, and would give the Chicago-based Exelon capacity outside its Illinois and Pennsylvania operating bases, Bloomberg financial news service reported. NRG's shares lost half its market value in two months.

Beijing/Khartoum - Nine Chinese oil workers have been kidnapped by an unknown group in Sudan, state media said on Monday.

Vienna - The price for crude oil produced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rose by 0.48 dollars Friday, following the cartel's decision to meet on October 24 to discuss production cuts.

One barrel (159 litres) of OPEC crude stood at 63.82 dollars Friday, up from 63.34 dollars on the previous day, OPEC said Monday.

Indian private refiner Essar Oil has partly restarted its fuel stations in the country following sharp fall in crude oil prices.