Former US diplomat James Swan to lead UN peacekeeping mission in DR Congo

Oil prices have jumped after Qatar's energy minister warned he expects all oil and gas exporters in the Gulf to stop production within days.

Saad al-Kaabi told the Financial Times the conflict in the Middle East - a region which plays a key role in global energy supplies and shipping routes - could "bring down the economies of the world".

Brent crude oil rose to $89.17 a barrel on Friday, up 4.4% from the end of trading on Thursday.

If ships were unable to proceed through the Strait of Hormuz, Kaabi said that in two to three weeks the price of oil could soar much further to $150 a barrel.

US diplomat James Swan is taking over the United Nations MONUSCO mission in DR Congo, Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Thursday.

Swan knows the country well. During his more than 30-year career with the US government, he held a number of roles in Kinshasa, including Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Desk Officer. He also served as US Ambassador to Djibouti.

More recently, Swan led the UN transitional assistance mission in Somalia.

The MONUSCO mission is aimed at protecting civilians and stabilizing the situation in eastern Congo, where Congolese armed forces have been fighting armed groups for decades.

The region last year saw an escalation in the conflict. Now MONUSCO peacekeepers are currently tasked with monitoring events on the ground with a view to implementing a permanent ceasefire.

Swan succeeds Guinea's Bintou Keita at MONUSCO, whom Guterres thanked for her service during a challenging period for the MONUSCO