The president of Tepco, which operates Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, has resigned as the firm reported a loss of 1.25tn yen ($15.3bn; £9.4bn) for the past financial year.

• May 20, 2011

The United States insisted Wednesday that plans to stage missile defences in Europe does not pose a threat to Russia, after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened to quit a key nuclear arms reduction agreement.

• May 19, 2011

Estonian main electricity grid company Elering ordered an analysis from Pöyry Management Consulting (UK) Ltd on pro and contra arguments concerning liberalisation of the Estonian natural gas market and the plan on future activities, LETA/Delfi reports.

• May 19, 2011

Kazakhstan will freeze further development of its most promising gas field, Karachaganak, if it fails to resolve its dispute with foreign shareholders in the project, the Kazakh oil and gas minister said on Wednesday.

• May 19, 2011

Once again as it has before in its troubled history, the Nabucco pipeline consortium has announced a postponement of construction until 2013, citing a lack of supply contracts, Robert M. Cutler of the Asia Times reports. Gas would not start pumping until 2017

• May 18, 2011

Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Tuesday that Belarus appeared to have accepted the terms of a $3 billion loan offered by a Russia-led group of former Soviet republics to save the teetering Belarussian economy from a disastrous collapse.

• May 18, 2011

Abundance of Natural Gas, Favorable Gas Pricing Help Drive Demand for Gas Turbines --Power Producers Seeking Flexible, Efficient Methods to Meet Electricity Demand --GE Gas Turbines Surpass 300 Million Hours of Operation GE (NYSE: GE) today announced it will supply two advanced technology aeroderivative gas turbines that will help to power the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The latest in a series of gas turbine orders received by GE in recent months, the project underscores a strong global demand for flexible, cost-effective and efficient electricity generation.

• May 18, 2011

ISSUE #17
05/16/2011
The celebration of the victory in the 1941-45 Great Patriotic War in Lviv turned into disturbances and clashes. On 9 May 2011, in Lviv representatives of nationalist groups clashed with individuals who were celebrating Victory Day – members of the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU), the pro-Russian Motherland and Russian Unity parties and veterans. In particular, members of nationalist parties attempted to prevent veterans and civilians from laying flowers at the tomb of soldiers who died in the war. For their part, the supporters of the Motherland and Russian Unity parties unfolded a 30-meter Soviet red flag, which they handed over to local veterans. Nearly 20 people were injured as a result of the clashes. A member of the Freedom nationwide organization was even shot in the leg. READ MORE

• May 18, 2011