Opec insiders reel as key minister gets the boot during meeting

London

AS Opec ministers gathered in Vienna on Thursday to agree a nine-month extension of their oil-supply pact, the man credited with bringing about the landmark deal learnt from a news broadcast that he had been fired.

The story broke as Algerian Energy Minister Noureddine Boutarfa attended a closed session with counterparts early Thursday afternoon. First came an unconfirmed report from an Algerian TV station, according to delegates who were present. More than an hour later, the nation's official APS news agency confirmed it.