Dearth of offshore exploration in Asia
SINGAPORE, Dec 20 (Reuters): Surveying the ocean floor for oil and natural gas reserves is gradually emerging from a multi-year slump, everywhere apart from Asia.That's despite Asia being the world's biggest consumer of oil, having by far the strongest demand growth while seeing its production fall faster than anywhere else.The...
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Sri Lanka defends Ceylon tea after Russian ban
COLOMBO, Dec 20 (AP): Sri Lanka's plantation minister has denied that the country's agricultural products, including its famous Ceylon tea, are dangerous, days after Russia imposed a temporary ban on such goods.Russian agriculture safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor banned all imports of agricultural products from Sri Lanka starting Dec 18, saying it...
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Gold prices rise after US Senate passes tax bill
LONDON, Dec 20 (Reuters): Gold prices rose for a fourth day on Wednesday as expectations that the US government will enact the country's biggest tax reforms in 30 years held the dollar steady. Gold has risen more than 2.0 per cent from a five-month low of $1,235.92 on Dec 12,...
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Oil prices edge higher
DUBAI, Dec 20 (Reuters): Oil prices inched up on Wednesday, supported by expectations of a fall in US crude inventories and by the ongoing outage of the North Sea Forties pipeline system.US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $57.72 a barrel at 0752 GMT, up 16 cents, or...
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