Turning to the stock markets…
In London, the FTSE 100 hit a new six-year high on Friday, climbing 36 points to end the week at 6,382, as the average was boosted by strength in the banking sector. For a full market report, see: London market close.
On the Continent, the CAC-40 ended the day at 5,692, a 37-point gain, whilst the Frankfurt DAX-30 closed 34 points higher, at 6,911.
Across the Atlantic, stocks closed lower as the price of crude continued to rise. The Dow Jones industrial index was down 56 points, at 12,580. The tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 28 points to close at 2,459. And the S&P 500 ended the week 10 points weaker, at 1,438.
In Asia, the Hang Seng fell 84 points to close at 20,593 as China Mobile weighed. The Nikkei was closed for a holiday today.
Crude oil had fallen nearly 1% to $59.36 this morning. In London, Brent spot was at $57.48.
Spot gold hit its highest level since mid-July - $668.20 - in Asia trading but had slipped back to $665.75 this morning. Silver, meanwhile, was unchanged at $13.84.
And in London this morning, Vodafone shares were up by as much as 1.8% following news that the mobile telecoms company had been successful in its bid for Indian firm Hutchinson Essar.