David Blair's Blog, page 121

Yemen's president steps down after 33 years

Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh came under unprecedented pressure from former allies before finally agreeing yesterday to step down.

Will Egypt's generals listen to Cairo protesters now?

Demonstrators have returned to Tahrir Square because the army has not relinquished its stranglehold on power – it is Mubarak's regime, just without Hosni Mubarak.

UK manufacturers to bear greater energy costs

Competitiveness at risk as energy-intensive users face 50% more costs on electricity bills than counterparts in Germany

Ena gas discovery bigger than expected

Italian oil group revises find off Mozambique, which was already the largest in its history, to 22.5 tcf

Cash injection talks for UK nuclear plans

German consortium in talks over extra €5bn funding in exchange for a 25 per cent stake in ambitions to build a new generation of reactors

Soaring prices push Queen close to 'fuel poverty'

With the royal income frozen, the rise in energy bills takes the monarch close to the government's threshold for the percentage spent on heating

Higher costs rub out royal smart meter gains

When William the Conqueror built Windsor Castle in the 11th century, energy efficiency meant hurling fewer logs on to a fire.

Eni finds its largest natural gas field

The Italian group's discovery of 15-20 trillion cu ft of new resources in Mozambique shows the region's potential as a frontier for gas production

Revised definition would cut 'fuel poverty'

Number of households in category would fall by almost a third to 2.7m if government accepts definition suggested by an independent inquiry

Dong Energy in deal for Shell Gas Direct

Danish group seeks to enter UK downstream market but denies the move runs counter to its goal to become a specialist in renewable energy