EU receives complaints against Canaries oil plan
Madrid (AFP) Oct 31, 2014 -
Major environmental campaign groups and local councils complained to EU authorities on Friday over plans to explore for oil and gas off Spain's Canary Islands, a popular tourist destination.
Authorities in the Canaries oppose the government-backed plan by oil giant Repsol to spend three years probing below the sea bed 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. ...
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Chinese energy prices respond to crude
Beijing (UPI) Oct 31, 2014 -
Government-controlled prices for petroleum products like gasoline in China are falling in response to global crude oil prices, data show.
The government cuts retail gasoline prices by 2.8 percent and diesel by 2.9 percent beginning Saturday, analysis from Platts shows.
The government adjusts its retail policies every 10 days in response to movements on the international commodity ...
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Wood Mac: Thai economy may be running out of energy
Bangkok (UPI) Oct 31, 2014 -
Long-term fiscal policies in Thailand's booming economy might put the countries energy sector at risk, analysis Friday from Wood Mackenzie found.
A report released Thursday from the World Bank Group found Thailand improved its business environment to the point that it's among the best economies worldwide and the second best among emerging East Asian economies when it comes to doing busi ...
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Oryx Petroleum: Security improves in Kurdish north
Calgary, Alberta (UPI) Oct 31, 2014 -
Security improvements in the Kurdish north of Iraq mean oil operations are making significant new progress, Oryx Petroleum said Friday.
Oryx, which has headquarters in Canada, said it was moving forward with development plans for its Demir Dagh prospect in the Kurdish territories of northern Iraq.
Located in the Hawler license area, the company said a single well at the Demir Dag ...
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Gas capacity added to North Dakota shale
Tulsa, Okla. (UPI) Oct 31, 2014 -
Midstream operator ONEOK Partners said it completed a pipeline in North Dakota that will help shale developers reach regional markets.
ONEOK, which has headquarters in Oklahoma, said an expansion of its Bakken NGL pipeline is completed, increasing the capacity by more than half to 135,000 barrels of unfractioned natural gas liquids, like butane and propane.
"The expansion of the ...
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WTI, Brent take big hits in Friday trading
New York (UPI) Oct 31, 2014 -
Brent and West Texas Intermediate prices suffered heavy losses in Friday trading, ending a week that saw some early optimism resurface for the oil market.
WTI dipped briefly below the $80 threshold in Monday trading, with Brent moving in parallel. Early price movements were a reflection of a grim forecast about futures contracts from Goldman Sachs, which trumped the optimism that greete ...
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U.S. producers say study backs end of oil export ban
Washington (UPI) Oct 31, 2014 -
Global crude oil markets drive prices at the U.S. pump, meaning it's time to end the ban on oil exports, a consortium of U.S. oil companies said.
A report from the Energy Information Administration finds U.S. gasoline prices are driven more by the international price for crude oil than the U.S. index, West Texas Intermediate.
George Baker, executive director at industry consortiu ...
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Advocates blast TransCanada pipeline proposal
Washington (UPI) Oct 31, 2014 -
Pipeline planner TransCanada can expect to face "considerable opposition" to its Energy East tar sands pipeline for the eastern Canada, an advocacy group said.
TransCanada submitted a formal permit to move ahead with its Energy East pipeline. The project would add new pipeline and convert existing gas infrastructure to carry Alberta oil to the eastern Canadian market.
Advocates w ...
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Samsung wobbles but stays its ground
Seoul (AFP) Nov 02, 2014 -
Buffeted by sliding profits and emboldened competitors, mighty Samsung Electronics is looking unusually vulnerable these days, but analysts say its financial muscle and product diversity make "crisis" talk more than a little premature.
The South Korean behemoth, which is also facing a once-in-a-generation leadership change, reported a near 50-percent plunge in third-quarter net profit Thursd ...
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Apple Pay fails to unify fragmented market
Washington (AFP) Nov 01, 2014 -
Apple Pay, meant to inject momentum into a fragmented market for the emerging mobile payments sector, has instead highlighted the squabbles between retailers and the banking and payments industry.
Since Apple Pay made its debut October 20 for US customers with the iPhone 6, several major retailers have said they would not use it.
That includes number one retail group Wal-Mart and the la ...
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EU declares relief with Ukrainian gas agreement
Brussels (UPI) Oct 31, 2014 -
Political responsibility and economic sense have prevailed with the signing of a gas deal between Russia and Ukraine, the European Commission president said.
Negotiators in Brussels landed a deal late Thursday following several rounds of failed talks aimed at resolving a so-called gas war brewing at least since June.
"This is an important step for our shared energy security on th ...
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China manufacturing growth slows in October: govt
Beijing (AFP) Nov 01, 2014 -
Chinese manufacturing growth slowed in October, the government said Saturday, as the world's second-largest economy expands at its weakest pace in five years.
China's official purchasing managers index (PMI), a measure of activity in the sector, came in at 50.8 last month, the National Bureau of Statistics said.
The figure was lower than the 51.1 recorded in September and compared with t ...
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France's Hollande in Canada to drum up trade
Banff, Canada (AFP) Nov 02, 2014 -
President Francois Hollande began the first visit to Canada by a French leader in a quarter of a century on Sunday, flying in to the country's oil-rich west to drum up transatlantic trade.
A new trade pact between Canada and the European Union is due to come into effect in the coming years, eliminating 98 percent of tariffs on goods and services and potentially boosting commerce by a fifth. ...
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Mandarin compulsory as Portuguese town seeks foothold in China
Lisbon (AFP) Nov 02, 2014 -
Five hundred years after the Portuguese became the first Europeans to establish sea trade with China, a town in northern Portugal is counting on its youth to secure a new foothold in the Asian giant.
The small industrial town of Sao Joao da Madeira, Portugal's shoe capital which specialises in luxury models, has now made Mandarin compulsory for its 8- and 9-year-olds.
The aim is to give ...
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More drones spotted over French nuclear power stations
Paris (AFP) Oct 31, 2014 -
French authorities said on Friday they had detected drones over two nuclear power plants, the latest in a baffling series of incidents across the country.
A spokesman for security forces said: "Drone-type machines overflew two nuclear plants during the night. They were detected by police in charge of protecting the plants and staff."
"These machines were not neutralised because they did ...
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Shanghai mayor pledges to speed up FTZ reform
Shanghai (AFP) Nov 02, 2014 -
Shanghai's mayor promised Sunday to speed up development of China's first free trade zone (FTZ) a year after it opened, as a chorus of foreign companies expressed disappointment over the pace of pledged reforms.
The FTZ was set up in China's commercial hub Shanghai last September with the promise of a range of financial reforms, including full convertibility of the yuan currency and free int ...
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Fukushima operator TEPCO posts solid mid-term profit
Tokyo (AFP) Oct 31, 2014 -
The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant posted a solid mid-term pre-tax profit Friday, despite not restarting idle nuclear reactors or hiking electricity rates.
The striken Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) refrained from making full-year projections, saying it is difficult to do so while its workhorse nuclear plant remains offline following the March 2011 earthquake-ts ...
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Bank of Japan expands monetary easing plan as economy slows
Tokyo (AFP) Oct 31, 2014 -
The Bank of Japan ramped up its vast monetary easing programme Friday - sending the yen plunging and stocks soaring - in a surprise move aimed at reviving growth just as the Federal Reserve winds down its own stimulus spree.
Speaking after the central bank wrapped up its latest policy meeting, BoJ chief Haruhiko Kuroda said the fresh measures were crucial to keeping Japan on track in its w ...
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Helping general electric upgrade the US power grid
Washington DC (SPX) Nov 03, 2014 -
When researchers at General Electric Co. sought help in designing a plasma-based power switch, they turned to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).
The proposed switch, which GE is developing under contract with the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, could contribute to a more advanced and reliable electric grid and help to lower uti ...
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Sussex physicists find simple solution for quantum technology challenge
Sussex, UK (SPX) Nov 03, 2014 -
A solution to one of the key challenges in the development of quantum technologies has been proposed by University of Sussex physicists. In a paper published in Nature Communications, Professor Barry Garraway and colleagues show how to make a new type of flexibly designed microscopic trap for atoms.
Quantum technology devices, such as high-precision sensors and specialised superfast comput ...
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Britain modernizing military air traffic management system
London (UPI) Oct 29, 2014 -
A modernized military air traffic management system for use at more than 60 locations is to be developed and deployed by AQUILA for Britain's Ministry of Defense.
The contract, which will merge 70 current MOD contracts into one, is worth about $2.4 billion. About $645 million of that amount is for procuring advanced surveillance radars, navigation aids, radios and other equipment.
...
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Slovak military orders C-27J Spartans
Turin, Italy (UPI) Oct 31, 2014 -
Alenia Aermacchi is supplying two C-27J transport aircraft to the Slovak Air Force as part of the country's military modernization program.
The contract for the medium-sized, turboprop airlifters was signed earlier this week with the Slovac Defense Ministry.
Alenia Aermacchi, based in Italy, said the contract includes provision of initial logistic support and pilot and maintenanc ...
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Antique submarines still key to struggling Taiwan fleet
Tso-Ying Naval Base, Taiwan (AFP) Nov 02, 2014 -
At 70 years old, Taiwan's World War II-era "Hai Pao" submarine would not be out of place in a museum, but the antique vessel is still part of the navy - a sign of the island's ongoing struggle to strengthen its fleet.
The sub's interior gleams with highly polished copper and is the pride of its crew.
But the fact that the former US warship is still on active duty is testament to Taiwan' ...
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Decades-old Soviet engines powered US rocket that exploded
Washington (AFP) Oct 29, 2014 -
The Orbital Sciences rocket that exploded after launch was powered by a pair of rocket engines that were made during the Soviet era and refurbished, experts said Wednesday.
The Ukrainian-designed AJ-26 engines date back to the 1960s and 1970s, and Aerojet Rocketdyne of Sacramento, California has a stockpile that it refurbishes for Orbital Sciences.
Orbital described the AJ-26 engine on ...
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Rocket failure casts spotlight on risks of space flight
Washington (AFP) Oct 29, 2014 -
The explosion of a privately owned rocket on its way toward the International Space Station cast a spotlight on the risks involved with NASA's reliance on the fledgling commercial space industry, experts said Wednesday.
The accident was the first major setback since private companies stepped in to replace US access to space after the 30-year space shuttle program ended in 2011.
As invest ...
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