The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition that Precision Drilling posted higher second-quarter revenue Tuesday as rising oil prices fuelled a spike in drilling activity in Canada, but its international division struggled with challenges during conflict in the Middle East. The Post's Naimul Karim writes that the oil services company's revenue increased by 11 per cent to $452.8-million for the quarter that ended on June 30. In Canada, drilling activity increased 22 per cent compared with a year earlier with an average of 61 active rigs. The rise outpaced the 16-per-cent average increase in the sector. Conflict between the United States and Iran led to increased demand for energy and higher oil prices during the spring quarter. The war has affected Precision's business in two completely different ways. With North American oil averaging above $90 (U.S.) a barrel in the second quarter, the company's rigs were in demand in Canada and the United States, where it had 35 active rigs, up slightly from 33. But Precision's international business, consisting of rigs in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, reported lower revenues and margins, in part because of the challenges of drilling during an ongoing conflict.