Vienna - Europe's declared goal to shift away from Russian oil and gas was always a challenge. It's even more difficult after Moscow's assault on Georgia, analysts say.

Georgia's strategic role as a pipeline transit country, run by a US-backed leadership that Moscow detests, formed the backdrop to the conflict that erupted in early August.

After Russian troops handed Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili a humiliating battlefield defeat, the region's fragility and Moscow's clout are more obvious than ever. Monday's emergency EU summit on Georgia will not change that in the short term.

Vienna (dpa) - The price for crude oil produced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rose by 1.28 dollars on Wednesday, amid expectations that the oil cartel would not raise its output at a September 9 meeting.

One barrel (159 litres) of OPEC-produced crude stood at 111.79 dollars Wednesday, compared with 110.51 dollars on the previous day, OPEC said Thursday.

Vienna - Austrian energy provider EVN AG on Thursday reported its net profit decreased by 14.4 per cent to 190 million euros (278.8 million dollars) in the first three quarters of its 2007/08 business year due to higher primary energy prices.

EVN's earnings from operations fell to 165.4 million euros between October 2007 and June 2008, 11.5 per cent less than in the same period of the previous business year.

Lower temperatures helped to collect 8.3 per cent more in revenues, the company said. Sales rose to 1.84 billion euros so far this year, up from 1.70 billion euros.

Cairn India would engage in oil production in the fields of Rajasthan. It will produce up to 71 per cent more oil as per the statement of a top company executive. Cairn India is a subsidiary of the UK-based Cairn Energy which is operating in Indian region. Cairn Energy is also keen to expand its business in new territories such as Greenland. It has 50,000 square kilometers in Greenland and expecting more number of blocks in forthcoming months.

Karachi, Aug 28 : The CNG (compressed natural gas) is sold in Pakistan at more than double the rate of what it is sold at in India, despite the fact that the former is a producer of the fuel and the latter is an importer, said Sindh Bar Council’s (SBC) Human Rights Committee chairman, Adv Aqil Lodhi in a press statement.

He said while in Pakistan CNG is sold at Rs 22 per kg, it is sold at Rs 44.50 in India, and also called for a reduction of the price of CNG to Rs 27.50 per kg.