Brent crude oil climbed towards $112 a barrel on Thursday on worries that escalating violence in Iraq could disrupt oil supplies from the major OPEC exporter. The Brent futures contract - an international benchmark sensitive to geopolitical turmoil - rose $1.85 to $111.80 a barrel by 1102 GMT, paring earlier gains that saw it rise more than $2 to its highest since early March. U.S. oil gained $1.50 to $105.90 a barrel, also shedding earlier gains that saw it hit a year high above $106. An initially muted market response to news that Sunni rebels had overrun Iraq's second-largest city and moved in on its largest ... (full story)