Another Vice-President (well ex-) is also in the news.
A new election poll in the US suggests Democratic voters would prefer Al Gore to any of the declared contenders, including frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
It highlights continuing dissatisfaction among supporters of both main parties with the choice of candidates to succeed George Bush.

Nigeria’s new vice president visited hotspots in the Niger Delta yesterday in a bid to build confidence ahead of expected talks with local militants who have disrupted oil output and abducted foreign workers.
Goodluck Jonathan was likely to visit impoverished fishing communities in the creeks of Delta state, including Escravos, where U.S. energy giant Chevron has [...]

The costs of developing major oil sands projects in Alberta are spiralling ever higher, as a consortium led by Petro-Canada estimated yesterday that the first stage of its Fort Hills development will cost a huge $14.1-billion.
The project - the most expensive single development yet proposed in the oil sands - includes the construction of an [...]

A key US Congressional committee has voted overwhelmingly to pass a wide-ranging bill that would toughen U.S. sanctions on Iran and on companies that invest in the country.
Although the bill, if passed into law, would sanction any investment in Iran, it particularly targets oil and banking. It requires the president’s administration to enforce the Iran [...]

The Americans move out and the Chinese move in. The day after Exxon and ConcoPhillips pulled out of heavy oil projects in Venezuela, the China Petrochemical Corp, known as Sinopec, the nation’s second-largest oil producer, is in talks to drill for oil in the country.
The company is seeking “heavy oil” projects, said a company a [...]