Officials at state-run oil firms have announced to start nation wide strike from Wednesday. They are demanding high wages and incentives for officials working at various refineries of country. Around 45,000 executives of public sector oil companies would join the strike to convey their resentment against Luke warm attitude of government on wages issue.

Gujarat government has announced a new solar power policy for state to promote solar power generation as an alternative source of energy. The government would extend financial help to set up solar power units in the state and offer solar power generators (SPGs) at subsidized prices.

Alphageo (India) Ltd has secured a contract worth Rs 37 crore from Hindustan Oil Exploration Company Limited (HOEC) for acquisition of Seismic Data in State of Assam.

Moscow - Russia has rediscovered its image as a hungry bear as it blunders too far in the latest gas spat with Ukraine, forcing Europe from its benign disregard as temperatures plunge below zero.

The 2009 version of Russian export monopoly Gazprom's gas cuts is different from the 2006 standoff. Like so much else, it must be viewed through the prism of the global financial crisis and the critical blows this has dealt to the two warring parties.

The European Union on Wednesday warned Russia and Ukraine that they face long-term consequences unless they immediately resolve a dispute that has cut gas supplies to Europe and left some countries struggling to heat up homes over the winter.

"If the transit (of Russian gas through Ukraine) does not go as normal, we will have a real problem", and the EU will have to conclude that "we no longer consider the supply of gas from Russia through Ukraine as credible," said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Moscow/Kiev - Russia has halted all supplies of gas to Western European customers in an escalation of the energy dispute between Moscow and Ukraine, a spokesman for Ukrainian gas monopoly Naftogaz said on Thursday morning.

The Naftogaz statement, reported by the Interfax agency, came after Austrian Economy Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner told local radio on Wednesday that his country had received no supplies from Russia via Ukraine overnight.