Argentina on Friday formally became the first country in the world to approve the use of drought-resistant genetically modified (GMO) wheat, prompting fierce criticism by the country's massive export agriculture industry.

The union of supervisors at Chile's Escondida mine rejected BHP's final offer in contract negotiations on Friday, but the mining company said it would nonetheless meet again with the union in a last-ditch effort to stave off a strike.

The union of workers at Chile´s Collahuasi copper mine has come to an agreement in labor talks with the mine operator, the union president said on Friday, staving off the threat of a strike at the sprawling deposit.

U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore oil output on Friday was down by 1.69 million barrels, or 92% of the region's daily production, the U.S. Department of Interior reported, as energy companies shut wells and offshore pipelines as Hurricane Delta churned through.

Oil and gas is seen as a sector that offers relatively attractive pay, although average wages vary significantly from one country to another.

Romania's economy ministry will sign cooperation and financing agreements with the United States on Friday regarding the construction of two nuclear reactors at its plant on the river Danube, U.S. ambassador Adrian Zuckerman said on Thursday.

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn said on Thursday the energy sector will bounce back one day but shareholders need to be very patient and he is not urging people to buy.

Oil settled above $43 a barrel on Thursday on support from output shutdowns ahead of a storm in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and the possibility of supply cuts from Saudi Arabia and Norway.

Hurricane Delta raked across the Gulf of Mexico, halting most of the region's offshore oil output on Thursday after energy companies shut-in wells, pulled staff from offshore platforms and began securing coastal processing plants.

Oil firms and labour officials said they will meet with a state-appointed mediator on Friday in an attempt both sides hope will bring an end to a strike that threatens to cut Norway's oil and gas output by some 25%.

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Thursday that a decision by Poland to impose a hefty fine on Gazprom <GAZP.MM> for its part in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project was taken to please Washington, Interfax news agency reported.

Cameron LNG said Thursday it will shut its liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Louisiana this morning as Hurricane Delta approaches the Gulf Coast.

Chevron Corp <CVX.N> has completed the evacuation of personnel from all its platforms in the U.S.-regulated northern Gulf of Mexico and shut in the facilities because of Hurricane Delta, the company said on Wednesday.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc <RDSa.L> said on Wednesday it shut production at its nine offshore operations in the U.S.-regulated northern Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Delta.

Red River Biorefinery in Grand Forks, North Dakota, came online in April, arguably the worst time for an ethanol facility to begin operating as the coronavirus pandemic sank fuel demand.

(John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)

Cameron LNG said Thursday it will shut its liquefied natural gas export plant in Louisiana this morning as Hurricane Delta approaches the Gulf Coast.

OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said on Thursday the worst was over for the oil market, following a price and demand collapse this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

World oil demand will plateau in the late 2030s and could by then have begun to decline, OPEC said on Thursday, in a major shift for the producer group that reflects the lasting impact of the coronavirus crisis on the economy and consumer habits.

Dutch lender ING has sharply cut the carbon emissions linked to its lending to the power industry over the past year after reducing funding to coal-fired power plants and boosting financing for renewable energy, it said on Thursday.