Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, may finally be getting serious about overcoming the technical and financial hurdles for tapping its other main resource: sunshine.

Thousands of solar power panels have sprung up across Europe over the past few years, thanks to generous subsidies that make the technology an attractive alternative to conventional energy.

Saudi Arabia too, wants to generate much more solar power as it lacks coal or enough natural gas output to meet rapidly rising power demand.

Trillions of tonnes of water have been pumped up from deep underground reservoirs in every part of the world, says report

Humanity's unquenchable thirst for fresh water is driving up sea levels even faster than melting glaciers, according to new research. The massive impact of the global population's growing need for water on rising sea levels is revealed in a comprehensive assessment of all the ways in which people use water.

On May 9, the government of Alberta released a study into the extra carbon emitted by crude produced using oil sands instead of more conventional sources. The study, by a unit of California-based Jacobs Engineering Group, found that emissions from oil-sand crude are just 12 percent higher than from regular crude.

But the report was not just about the science. It also sent a political signal to Europe: Canada's fight over oil sands is not done yet.

The Kuwaiti Fund has approved a soft loan worth US$ 30 million to construct the 30 MW Budhi Ganga hydropower project located in western Nepal. “We have just received the approval letter for the loan from the Kuwaiti Fund,” a senior Finance Ministry official said.

Also woos Saudi Arabia with new petroleum diplomacy, while trying to soothe a vexed US, in an interesting coordination effort between external and other ministries

India is finally plunging into the oil politics of the Gulf and West Asia. It sent a team of senior officials from the commerce ministry to Iran around a fortnight earlier, to clinch an oil-for-food deal. And, is beginning to woo the Sunni oil kingdoms in the region, led by none other than Saudi Arabia.

Airbus and a group of European airlines issued another warning that the European Commission faces sparking a trade war after extending its emission trading scheme to the global industry.

The plane maker had said that China has frozen some jet deals because of the scheme, and spearheaded a new warning to political leaders that more retaliation is imminent unless the European Union backs down and pursues a compromise.

The hill state of Himachal Pradesh known for its scenic beauty has emerged as one of the popular destination to foreign tourists, mainly form the US, UK, France and Australia with the state recording the arrival of nearly five lakh tourists from these countries last year.

Since foreigners love adventure tourism, the rugged terrain of Himachal Pradesh offer them a large number of such events like mountaineering, mountain biking, paragliding, vintage car rally, skiing and river-rafting, being organised with active support of the government agencies, state’s director tourism Arun Sharma said.

New Delhi India’s largest Iranian oil buyer plans almost to halve daily imports, industry sources said on Monday, becoming the latest Asian refiner to cut supplies from Iran as Western sanctions make trade with Opec’s second-largest producer difficult.

India, China and Japan buy almost half of Iran’s estimated 2.6 million barrels per day of oil exports, but a raft of US and European sanctions aimed at choking off funding for Iran’s nuclear programme are squeezing its oil supply lines.

The government is working on setting up National Water Council (NWC) to launch a coordinated National Water Initiative for federal and provincial governments in areas of flood control, irrigation strategies, construction of dams and to ensure full cost recovery from water users.

MUMBAI: Oil, which touched $124 a barrel mark on Friday, appears set to touch a new record and breach the $150 mark on mounting Iran crisis. Analysts feel that the government is holding back from hiking fuel prices because of the ongoing elections and a steep hike is likely next month. The highest that crude price has gone was $147 a barrel recorded in June 2008.