Oil prices were little changed on Friday after rising in the previous session as concerns drone attacks on northern Iraqi oil fields will cut supply vied with worries of potential demand declines amid uncertainty in U.

From the Middle East, we verified footage of the deadly fire in Kut, Iraq, which is now known to have killed at least 61 people, and the aftermath of recent clashes in Syria which also appear to have claimed many lives. BBC Verify uses open-source intelligence, satellite imagery, fact-checking and data analysis to help report complex stories

Iraq approved a plan for its semi-autonomous Kurdish region to transfer oil to Baghdad, a step toward resuming exports that have been halted for more than two years.

Oil prices extended gains on Friday, underpinned by supply concerns following drone attacks on northern Iraqi oilfields and tight market fundamentals amid healthy summer demand. Brent crude futures climbed 29 cents,