1333 ET - The number of rigs drilling for oil in the U.S. rose by one this week to 451 and was up by 41 from a year ago, oil services company Baker Hughes reports. Higher crude oil prices stemming from the conflict in the Middle East have prompted this year's increase in drilling. In Canada, which tends to see greater week-to-week swings, oil rigs rose by 12 this week to 150 and were up 26 from a year ago. Rigs drilling for natural gas were unchanged at 127 in the U.S. and up by one in Canada at 63.