US struggling to win over allies to protect oil shipping lanes
DUBAI/PARIS, July 19 (Reuters): The United States (US) is struggling to win its allies' support for an initiative to heighten surveillance of vital Middle East oil shipping lanes because of fears it will increase tension with Iran, six sources familiar with the matter said.Washington proposed on July 9 stepping up...
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South Koreans boycott Japan beer in brewing trade row
SEOUL, July 19 (AFP): Beer-loving South Koreans angered by a trade row with Tokyo are boycotting Japanese brews in a surge of patriotism that has even seen popular beauty bloggers targeted.Japan this month unveiled tough restrictions on exports crucial to tech titans like Samsung, fuelling fears about the impact on...
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Munich Airport-led group to operate Sofia airport
SOFIA, July 19 (AFP): A consortium led by Munich Airport has won a government tender for a 35-year concession to run Sofia airport, Bulgaria's transport minister announced recently.Four other bidders -- groups led by France's Aeroports de Paris, Britain's Manchester Airports Group and Denmark's Copenhagen Airport, as well as Germany's...
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Spain struggles to regulate renewable energy gold rush
MADRID, July 19 (Reuters): Spanish authorities fear that a speculative rush threatens to hold back the development of renewable energy, saying coveted rights to connect to the national power grid are being secured with the sole aim of selling them on for a profit.Spain plans to ramp up solar and...
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Gold eases from six-year peak but remains on track for weekly gain
BENGALURU, July 19 (Reuters): Gold eased on Friday as investors booked profits after prices raced past $1,450 an ounce to hit a six-year peak, but Middle East tensions and prospects for lower interest rates kept bullion on track for a second week of gains.Spot gold shed 0.4 per cent to...
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Expiring US solar subsidy spurs rush for panels
LOS ANGELES, July 19 (Reuters): America's biggest solar power developers are stockpiling panels to lock in a 30 per cent federal tax credit set to start phasing out next year, a strategy that could backfire if projects do not materialise or panel prices slide substantially.Duke Energy, 8minute Solar Energy and...
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