LONDON: * Benchmark European API2 next-year coal futures rose by 1.7 percent to $87.95 a tonne on Friday, their highest level since the end of December.
* Coal demand in Asia is strong and Chinese domestic prices have been rising on concerns about import restrictions.
* Oil prices are near three-and-a-half year highs as the prospect of new U.S. sanctions on Iran tightened the outlook for Middle East supply.