Oil rises near $99 as traders eye Japan, MidEast

ALEX KENNEDY Associated Press SINGAPORE Oil prices rose to near $99 a barrel Thursday in Asia as traders watched closely Japan's battle to avoid a full meltdown at a damaged nuclear plant and clashes in Bahrain and Libya. Benchmark crude for April delivery was up 85 cents at $98.83 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract ...