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International News Services archives articles supplied to clients one year or more after initial publication. These articles are protected by a password and not made available to readers without permission from clients. They are used as a background resource by agency journalists. Upon client requests, International News Services will remove such articles from the archive or not upload them in the first place. They are included to demonstrate the breadth of topics undertaken by the agency and also to help promote clients’ coverage.

SRI LANKA SECURITY



BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
INDIA has been cementing its good relations with an increasingly peaceful Sri Lanka by holding extra oil stocks for its island neighbour in case of shortages caused by the Iraq war. Meanwhile, Shell Gas Lanka Ltd has laid contingency plans to ensure an uninterrupted supply of LPGas to Sri Lanka.…

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HYDROGEN MIT



BY KEITH NUTHALL
A MASSACHUSETTS Institute of Technology study has concluded that hydrogen powered cars will not perform better than hybrid diesel-electric vehicles regarding energy use and greenhouse gas emissions until after 2020. It predicts that in the short term, “aggressive research on a hybrid car with a diesel engine will yield the most environmentally friendly results,” because converting hydrocarbons into hydrogen for fuel uses energy and emits greenhouse gases.…

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LANKA GAS COMPETITION



BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
A THIRD competitor will enter the Sri Lanka petrol distribution market this summer, said the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. Its identity was to be unveiled at the Columbo Stock Exchange. The Indian Oil Company is the other competitor.…

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INDIA OIL BILL



BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
THE IRAQ war and related global instability forcing up oil prices have helped increase India’s oil import bill for the year to March to IND Rupees 840 billion (US$17.5 billion), said national oil minister Ram Naik. He added that the country had diversified its oil supply sources before the conflict, reversing a previous reliance on Kuwait.…

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BANGLADESH GAS



BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
US oil and gas major Unocal has begun developing Bangladesh’s Moulavi Bazar gas field to meet the country’s domestic demand, allowing Dhaka to export natural gas to India from existing fields. Moulavi Bazar could provide 100 million cubic feet of gas per day.…

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GALLE PORT



BY SWINEETHA DIAS WICKRAMANAYAKA
SRI Lankan authorities have approved the delivery of 1,805 tonnes of LPG (owned by Mundo Gas) to Galle, reversing their usual opposition to such deliveries at commercial maritime ports; the Sri Lanka Ports Authority demanded US$2 million insurance cover.…

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OECD APPOINTMENT



BY KEITH NUTHALL
TOM Vant, former chairman of Syncrude Canada, will become secretary general of the OECD’s business and industry advisory committee, replacing Douglas C Worth, a former IBM executive who has served since 1999.…

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SASOL PLANT



BY RICHARD HURST
SOUTH African petrochemicals giant Sasol recently announced the planned construction of a new “multi-million US dollar” 1-octene production petrochemical plant at Secunda, in South Africa. This hydrocarbon molecule imparts elasticity, flexibility, impact resistance and strength to plastic consumer products.…

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SASOL PLANT



BY RICHARD HURST
SOUTH African petrochemicals giant Sasol recently announced the planned construction of a new “multi-million US dollar” 1-octene production petrochemical plant at Secunda, in South Africa. This hydrocarbon molecule imparts elasticity, flexibility, impact resistance and strength to plastic consumer products.…

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ACRYLAMIDE



BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Commission and the European Food Safety Authority has launched a database containing the latest information about the risks posed by acrylamide in food, which has been highlighted as being possibly dangerous in baked and fried foods.…

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