Russia - Feb 17

The heads of five top Russian oil companies submitted a letter to Russian president Vladimir Putin, requesting a relaxation of certain environmental regulations due to low profits from a drastic fall in oil prices earlier this year.   With oil trading at $60 dollars a barrel, differing from the previous peak of $115 a barrel in June, companies such as Rosneft are struggling to stay afloat, having requested over two trillion rubles, ($32 billion) in aid from the Russian government. Source: Moscow Times