ENVIRONMENT: German Leaks Raise More Nuclear Fears

Confirmation that radioactive brine has been leaking for two decades from a German underground deposit for nuclear waste is yet another blow to the idea that nuclear power can safely increase electricity generation and simultaneously reduce emissions.

ENERGY: Don't Write Off Biofuels Yet, Advocates Say

Japan wants countries to reconsider biofuels as an alternative technology to fight climate change by using fuel cell cars at the Group of Eight (G8) Summit on Jul. 7-9. The vehicles will transport the leaders of the world's major industrialised nations when they gather on the northern Japanese Island of Hokkaido.

ECONOMY: Little Comfort in U.S. Manufacturing Spurt

An unexpected spurt in manufacturing activity is doing little to dispel the gloom that envelopes the U.S. economy midway through the year.

ENERGY: IEA Sees Oil Demand Moderating, Defends Speculators

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has cut its five-year forecast for global oil demand, saying high prices are forcing consumers to leave gas-guzzling vehicles in the garage.

INDIA/US: Singh Pushes For Nuclear Deal

India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has plunged his Congress party and the country’s ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government into a grave crisis by staking his personal reputation on pushing through a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal.

POLITICS: Does Iran Have Bush Over a Barrel?

If U.S. President George W. Bush wants to boost Republican chances of holding on to the White House and keeping Democratic gains in Congress to a minimum in the November elections, he might consider taking an attack on Iran before the end of his administration "off the table".

OIL: Prices Won't Be Falling Anytime Soon

Although some policy-makers have blamed producing countries for steadily rising oil prices, many experts say more fundamental factors are a growing demand-supply imbalance, a weak dollar, and market speculation.

OIL: New Global Energy Order Emerging

By bringing together the world’s major oil producers and consumers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia marked a turning point in the negotiations for a new global energy order that is emerging under the weight of soaring oil prices, which are driven by factors other than supply and demand.

POLITICS: U.S. and China Go Bump in the Middle East

For China these days it seems that nothing - not rising energy prices; not sanctions aimed at its more unsavoury business partners, Burma and Sudan; not even the prospect of a nuclear Iran - can curb its thirst for oil.

ENERGY: U.S. Sees World Use Soaring Despite Rising Costs

World energy demand and carbon dioxide emissions will grow by about 50 percent over the next two decades despite soaring oil prices as developing countries outpace rich ones in consumption, the U.S. government predicts.

MALAYSIA: Opposition Pledges Yet Unfulfilled

Even as the Anwar Ibrahim-led opposition Peoples Alliance coalition celebrates 100 days in office this week with huge rallies across the country, the public euphoria that brought them into power is beginning to cool off as people tighten their belts in the face of a slowing economy and escalating cost of living. Demands are rising for the opposition to implement their pledges.

CLIMATE CHANGE: 100-Percent Renewables Not a Pipe Dream

North America's abject failure to meet the challenge of climate change has been "un-American", environmentalist and scientist David Suzuki told delegates Tuesday at the World Wind Energy Conference, the first ever in the region.

DEVELOPMENT-CHINA: Temblor Throws Shadow on Big Dam Ambitions

China’s deadly earthquake last month appears to have shifted more than just tectonic plates in the country’s picturesque Sichuan province. The May 12 temblor has given a boost to China’s green lobby that has been calling for a review of Beijing’s zealous dam-building programme and may tilt the balance of public opinion in favour of such appeals.

PHILIPPINES: Jatropha Key to Self Sufficiency?

The jatropha plant may be the key to addressing the problems of energy and food self-sufficiency in the Mekong region. Cultivating this hardy plant will not only provide biofuel but will also ensure that agricultural lands devoted to food production will not be diverted to fuel crops.

PARAGUAY: President-Elect Embraced by Fellow Leaders on Regional Tour

Paraguayan president-elect Fernando Lugo visited the three countries with the most left-leaning governments in South America - Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela - this week to strengthen political ties, seek economic alliances and, in particular, address his country’s fuel and energy problems.

ENERGY: Not So Small, And Beautiful

While the big debate continues about oil prices, the alternatives to oil and the development of biofuels, scattered groups are finding new successes in generating all the energy they need, doing it cleanly - and now doing it on an impressive scale.

DEVELOPMENT: Gulf Eyes ‘Oil-For-Food’ Deal With Neighbours

Recent attempts by Gulf countries to invest in farmlands abroad to counter soaring inflation and guarantee long-term food security could prove to be a win-win situation in the short-term for both the oil-rich region and its investment-hungry neighbours, but continued high oil prices may neutralise the gains in the long-run, feel experts.

MIDEAST: Anything for a Bath, Anything for Fuel

The girl, about 16, is wandering about Jebaliya refugee camp, picking up anything she thinks can burn. She cannot find enough bits of wood, so she gathers plastic bags, old notebooks and even a pair of broken plastic sandals.

EGYPT: Govt Forced to Bend on Israel Gas Deal

In the last two months, popular and parliamentary opposition to the sale of Egyptian natural gas to Israel - at undisclosed prices - has mounted. As a result, in a rare nod to public opinion, the government recently announced it was "revising" the terms of the sale agreement.

GREECE: Energy Deal Creates Nervousness

An agreement between Russia and Greece to cooperate in the construction of a part of the South Stream gas pipeline has been received with mixed feelings.

BRAZIL: Agroenergy Can Boost Food Production – Experts

The web of truth and lies surrounding the controversy over agrofuels has led to the distortion or oversight of certain facts. For instance, making biodiesel from soybeans does not reduce food production, but increases it, according to experts.