Thursday, February 2, 2017

Hungary, Russia to start gas supply talks for post-2021 period -PM Orban

BUDAPEST, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Hungary has agreed to start

negotiating with Russia on gas shipments after its supply deal

expires in 2021, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on

Thursday after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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UPDATE 1-Poland may curb imports of low-quality coal to fight smog

WARSAW, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Poland plans to curb imports of

low-quality coal as it tries to fight heavy smog, a move that

could hit purchases from Russia.

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Brazil top court picks newest member to head corruption probes

BRASILIA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The Supreme Court picked its

newest member on Thursday to take over the investigation of

politicians implicated in Brazil's biggest graft scandal, which

is expected to shake the country's establishment and its

government.

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UPDATE 1-EDF to cut 6 pct of French power generation jobs by 2019

PARIS, Feb 2 (Reuters) - France's EDF plans to cut

around 6 percent of jobs at its French power generation unit

between 2017-2019, equivalent to more than 4,000 positions, as

part of a broader restructuring at the state-controlled utility,

it said on Thursday.

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CORRECTED-Allianz, Japan's MUFG invest in EDF-owned U.S. wind park

FRANKFURT, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Allianz and Japanese

bank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) have

invested in a U.S.-based wind park owned by French utility EDF

, Allianz said, as the German insurer expands its

renewables portfolio.

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FEATURE-Faced with blackouts, Pakistan's largest public park goes solar

ISLAMABAD, Feb 2 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Mushtaq

Khan, a 48-year-old bank manager, used to enjoy his nightly jog

in Islamabad's huge Fatima Jinnah Park - until worsening power

cuts two years ago began plunging him into darkness mid-stride,

forcing him to run in the morning instead.

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One killed in Bangladesh protest against Chinese-backed power plant

DHAKA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A protest against a $2.4-billion

Chinese-backed power plant in Bangladesh turned violent, killing

one person and injuring about a dozen, risking delay to a

project seen as a symbol of warming ties between the two

nations.

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French investigators widen Fillon probe to include two of his children -sources

PARIS, Feb 2 (Reuters) - French investigators have widened a

probe into allegations that presidential candidate Francois

Fillon paid large sums of money to members of his family for

work they may not have done, to include two of his children,

sources said on Thursday.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Cheaper renewables to halt coal and oil demand growth from 2020 -research

LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The falling cost of electric

vehicle and solar technology will halt demand growth for oil and

coal from 2020, according to research published on Thursday,

posing a threat to fossil fuel companies unprepared for the

transition.

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UPDATE 4-Activist ire rises as Dakota pipeline review begins

WASHINGTON/CANNON BALL, N.D., Feb 1 (Reuters) - Native

Americans and activists protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline

project expressed alarm on Wednesday after federal lawmakers

from North Dakota said the final permit had been granted for the

project, a statement later contradicted by the Army, which

issues such permits.

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CANADA STOCKS-TSX rises with resources stocks, Cameco slumps

TORONTO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index ended

slightly higher on Wednesday, boosted by gains for some miners

and energy companies, while a scrapped contract to supply

uranium pushed Cameco Corp down 11.3 percent.

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TAP gas pipeline can gauge customer interest in capacity -executives

ATHENS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP)

that will take gas from Azerbaijan to Europe is in a position to

offer capacity on the line via so-called "open seasons" to gauge

interest among potential customers, senior TAP executives said

on Wednesday.

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Rhine and Danube water levels in Germany rising fast

HAMBURG, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Water levels on the Rhine and

Danube in Germany were rising rapidly on Wednesday after recent

rain and as warmer weather thawed snow, raising hopes of a

return to normal shipping on the two rivers by the end of this

week, traders said.

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UPDATE 1-U.S. takes steps to review Dakota Access pipeline

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Army Corp of

Engineers on Wednesday said it had taken initial steps to review

requests to approve the final permit to finish the controversial

Dakota Access pipeline, which has been the focus of protests for

months.

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CANADA STOCKS-TSX falls as Cameco sinks, gold miners weigh

TORONTO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index slipped

on Wednesday as nuclear producer Cameco Corp sunk on

news of a scrapped contract and gold miners pulled back ahead of

a U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate decision.

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UPDATE 2-Pipeline company Oneok to buy rest of Oneok Partners for $9.3 bln

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Pipeline company Oneok Partners LP's

biggest shareholder Oneok Inc said it would buy

the rest of the company for $9.3 billion, the latest master

limited partnership (MLP) deal aimed at simplifying structures

and increasing returns.

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Tepco scraps uranium supply contract with Canada's Cameco

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Canadian uranium producer Cameco Corp

said on Wednesday that Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco)

, the operator of Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear

plant, had scrapped its uranium supply contract with the

company.

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Pipeline company Oneok to buy rest of Oneok Partners for $9.3 bln

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Natural gas pipeline company Oneok Inc

, which owns more than 19 percent of Oneok Partners LP

, said it would buy the remainder of the company for $9.3

billion.

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Kremlin says EU "nit-picking" hampers Russia-Hungary nuclear deal

MOSCOW, Feb 1 (Reuters) - "Nit-picking" by the European

Union is hampering completion of a deal between Russia and

Hungary to expand the Paks nuclear power plant on the Danube

river, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday.

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Fire contained at building in France's Cattenom nuclear plant -EDF

PARIS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - French state-controlled utility EDF

said on Tuesday that a fire in a building at its

Cattenom nuclear plant in the northeast of the country has had

no impact on the industrial section of the installation and has

been contained.

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Japan's Kansai Electric cancels plans to switch oil-fired power station to coal

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Japan's Kansai Electric Power has

cancelled plans to switch a 1,200 megawatt oil-fired power

station to coal as demand for electricity fell amid a push to

cut the country's emissions after it signed up to a global

climate change accord.

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