Prague  - The Czech Republic's natural gas deliveries dropped for the second day Monday as a gas row between Russia and Ukraine continued, a gas importer said.

Martin Chalupsky, a spokesman for the country's leading gas importer, RWE Transgas, said the firm on Monday received 9.5 per cent less gas than ordered for the day.

He said that the drop amounted to 1.7 million cubic metres of gas, or 2 per cent of country's daily consumption. He said the reduction would have no impact on Czech consumers.

Moscow - Russia on Monday said it will further cut gas to Ukraine by 65 million cubic metres per day, the amount Moscow says Kiev is stealing from European clients further downstream.

Gazprom cheif executive Alexei Miller proposed the measure while briefing Prime Minsiter Vladimir Putin on the standoff since the company shut off supplies to Ukraine on Janurary 1 over non-payments and a pricing dispute.

"Good, I agree. Let's begin the cuts from today," Putin was reported to have responded.

Budapest  - The Hungarian minister responsible for energy matters said on Monday that Ukraine had informed the Hungarian government of its intention to reduce gas flow to Hungary by almost a quarter.

Speaking to the press after meeting with the prime minister, Csaba Molnar said that Ukraine had informed Hungary of its intention to reduce the delivery of natural gas on Monday from 38 million to 30 million cubic metres per day.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Friday announced that the capacity of the most advanced refinery at Panipat shall be expanded from 12 million tonnes to 15 million tonnes, per annum, and the expansion would be completed by November this year at a cost of Rs. 14,000 crore.

The near by naphtha cracker complex and the hydro cracker project at Haldia would also be commissioned this year.

IOC Director (Refineries), B. N. Bankapur, said that the commissioning of the naphtha cracker and the downstream polymer units at Panipat would make it an integrated refinery cum petrochemicals complex.

Brussels  - European Union representatives are to hold an emergency meeting on the Russian-Ukrainian gas row on Monday and could send an investigating team to the two countries within days, officials in Brussels confirmed Saturday.

The permanent ambassadors of the EU's 27 member states - their highest representatives in Brussels - are to hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday to discuss Russia's shut-off of gas to Ukraine, EU officials told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Prague  - The European Union Saturday threatened to bypass Russia and Ukraine for the bloc's gas needs if irregularities in Russian gas supplies via Ukraine persist in the future, Czech officials said.

Czech Vice-Premier for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra said the EU was ready to speed up work on Nord Stream and South Stream pipelines that would bring Russian gas to Europe without passing through Ukraine.