VENTURE CAPITAL POST

ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) has begun selling Iraqi crude oil to Syria, against which the Islamic militant group has been fighting to take over the country.

French newspaper "Le Monde" said its twitter account and publishing tool were hacked by a group called the "Syrian Electronic Army", an amorphous hacker collective that supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Falling world oil prices will hurt countries across the Middle East unless Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter, takes action to reverse the slump, Iran's deputy foreign minister told Reuters.

A big oil price slide will hurt Iran's attempts to rescue battered living standards, but economic pain is unlikely to soften its stance in nuclear talks or end aid to allies such as Syria, matters seen by its ruling clerics as strategic priorities.

Islamic State is still extracting and selling oil in Syria and has adapted its trading techniques despite a month of strikes by U.S.-led forces aimed at cutting off this major source of income for the group, residents, oil executives and traders say.