Kiev  - Talks between Ukraine and Russia on a deal for natural gas deliveries are at a dead end, a senior Ukrainian official said Saturday evening.

Negotiations between representatives from Kiev and the Kremlin on a contract for selling Russian gas to Ukraine and onward to European Union consumers are stalled and require intervention by national leaders to go forward, said Oleh Dubina, chairman of the Ukrainian natural gas monopoly Naftogaz Ukrainy.

Munich - Russian gas monopoly Gazprom has begun talks with Germany on creating western Europe's biggest gas storage site in a bed of rock on the German coast of the Baltic Sea, a news magazine said Saturday.

Gazprom would be able to feed gas to the site through the planned Nord Stream pipeline under the sea which it is building in a joint venture with German gas companies. The past week's halt in supply via Ukraine has highlighted the issue.

The Association of Scientific and Technical Officers (AOSTO) of ONGC, a major part of the oil sector officers unions, has declared that they have suspended their protest for 30 days.

Mr. Rajan Pillai, AOSTO President, said that a letter in this regard is being submitted to the administration.

Mr. Pillai also that the association is sticking to its demand to revise the pay structure.

The Government has said the ministries concerned will analyze the whole matter regarding pay revision in the oil segment, and submit a complete report within next 30 days.

Kiev  - Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek met with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Friday as part of an European Union diplomatic offensive to end a Russian natural gas embargo.

The Czech Republic holds the rotating presidency of the EU.

Yushchenko and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, in a rare show of public solidarity, jointly met Toplanek at Kiev's Boryspil airport.

New Delhi - More than 70 per cent of India's petrol stations ran out of fuel and airline flights were delayed as a strike by over 50,000 state oil officials demanding higher pay entered its third day Friday, officials and news reports said.

Long queues stretched outside petrol pumps in the national capital New Delhi and metropolitan cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai that were rationing fuel. Few taxi services operated.

New Delhi - More than 70 per cent of India's petrol stations ran out of fuel and airline flights were delayed as a strike by over 50,000 state oil officials demanding higher pay entered its third day Friday, officials and news reports said.

Long queues stretched outside petrol pumps in the national capital New Delhi and metropolitan cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai that were rationing fuel. Few taxi services operated.