The agreement was signed between Rosneft President Igor Sechin and Venezuelan Oil Minister and President of PDVSA, Rafael Ramirez. Newly elected President Nicolas Madura was also present.The joint venture will operate through a subsidiary company, Venezuela’s Corporacion Venezolana del Petroleo (CVP) and will explore oil reserves in the ‘Carabobo-2’ bloc of the Orinoco river basin.Rosneft’s share will be 40 percent and the remaining 60 percent will be owned by CVP.Rosneft has agreed to a joining bonus of $1.5 billion , which will be delivered in two separate installments. Additionally, it will provide CVP with a $1.1 billion bond.Reserves are measured at 40 billion barrels (6.5 billion tonnes) and it is projected that maximum commercial output will reach 400 million bbl, or about 25 million tonnes a year.The total exploitation area is 342 square kilometers and is located in the heavy oil belt of the Orinoco River.The oil is ‘heavy’ because it isn’t pure, it is mainly tar sands (also known as oil sands) which is highly asphaltic, dense, and viscous oil that must be converted into a lighter crude for sale.The new joint venture plans to build a special processing plant which will improve the quantity and the quality of crude oil extracted.Sechin said the two companies are also working collaboratively on a number of other projects in Venezuela, including offshore.Venezuela is sharing confidential geological data with Rosneft, so the company can analyze and propose future ventures with PDVSA.After taking over TNK- BP in March, the new mega oil company is projected to raise its output to 4 million barrels a day, about 40% of Russia’s total production. … Read More
Egypt plans to resurrect landmark bridge
http://www.youtube.com/v/yfbx9K44k9E?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata See the article here - Egypt plans to resurrect landmark bridge
Queen Beatrix leaves the Dutch throne to her son
Related
Amsterdam prepares to crown Dutch King… 29/04/2013 21:56 CET
Amsterdam gets ready for ‘historic day’ 29/04/2013 07:25 CET
Cambodia’s King Sihanouk laid to rest 01/02/2013 09:44 CET
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands is preparing to abdicate today and leave the throne to her son, Prince Willem-Alexander.
Royal couples from Europe and beyond have been invited to the glittering occasion in the newly renovated Rijksmuseum.
In her final address before the ceremonial handover, Queen Beatrix thanked the Dutch people and urged them to support her son:
“Since I announced my intention to retire, I have been struck by overwhelming expressions of heartfelt affection. This was accompanied by a broad understanding for the desire to hand over my role to the Prince of Orange. By being intensely active in the national arena and through his broad interest in issues of the day, he is well prepared in all aspects.”
Queen Beatrix is retiring after 33 years in the job. During that time she has been a popular fixture of Dutch life. Although largely exercising a ceremonial role, Beatrix has used her influence with captains of industry and political figures and made her views known on such issues as the environment.
Timetable for abdication day (all times CET):
10.30-10.50
All the Royal family in balcony.
Speeches from Princess Beatrix and the King.
13.50
Princess Beatrix and others members of the Royal Family proceed to the Nieuwe Kerk
14.00-15.30
Swearing in and investiture of the King at the joint session of the two Houses of the States General in the Nieuwe Kerk. The King to deliver an address.
15.30
The King proceeds to the Royal Palace Amsterdam
16.30-18.00
Reception for royal and foreign missions, dignitaries and members of the States General.
19.30
The song for the King to be performed in the presence of the new King and Queen at the EYE film museum.
19.45-21.30
The King and Queen take part in a water pageant with their daughters on the River IJ
More about: Ceremony, Monarchy, Netherlands
Copyright © 2013 euronews
JavaScript is required in order to view this article’s accompanying video
Drunk Florida man admits shooting up public docks and then poops pants
An Orlando man was recently arrested for after he defecated in his own pants while admitting to police that the he shot up a public dock. According to an arrest report published by TCPalm on Tuesday, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of shots fired near the…
12 feet and rising: Record flooding threatens Midwest (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Torrential downpours along the Mississippi River have forced Midwesterners in half a dozen states to fight back floodwaters, which risk reaching record levels. Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin all experienced flooding as heavy rainfalls hit the region Wednesday – posing a sharp contrast to the drought which months prior endangered commercial barge traffic on the Mississippi River. On Friday, barge shipping was halted on parts of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers as flooding prompted the US Army Corps of Engineers to close several locks until at least the middle of next week. Seven Mississippi River locks were closed in total between Thursday evening and Friday morning as water topped dams. The problem is set to intensify, as crests on the rivers are expected to be reached on Sunday at the earliest in more northern areas and several days later further south.River levels are expected to exceed flood stage by 12 feet (4 meters) in some parts of Missouri and Illinois, running the risk of inundation, mass displacement of residents, and untold property damage. With Illinois thus far taking the brunt of the torrent, the city of Quincy epitomized the continued threat, where the Mississippi rose a “pretty amazing” 10 feet in 36 hours, National Weather Service hydrologist Mark Fuchs told AP. On the Illinois River – a principle tributary of the Mississippi which cuts 273 miles through the Prairie State – nine barges broke away from a tow in record floodwater late on Thursday and struck a dam near the city of Marseilles. Four of the barges sank and three, including one carrying caustic soda, remained afloat, Ron Fournier, a spokesman for the Army Corps’ Rock Island district told Reuters. Some 1,500 people in Marseilles were forced to evacuate amidst fears the levee would breach following the barge incident. Around 500 people were also evacuated from the central Illinois town of London Mills after waters the Spoon River overtopped a levee. One of the cities two bridges was shut down on Friday, and the sewage plant was risked being inundated. With flooding shut down major expressways across northeast Illinois on Thursday evening – submerging hundreds of roads and homes – Governor Pat Quinn declared a state of emergency. In the neighboring state of Indiana, the National Weather Service said the Wabash River in northwestern Tippecanoe County could crest at 25.5 feet (8 meters) on Saturday — its highest level in over half a century. On Friday, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon also declared a state of emergency and activated the Missouri National Guard to in a bid to stave off the flood waters. … Read More
Bomb suspects’ sister “heartbroken,” skeptical
WEST NEW YORK, N.J. (AP) — The FBI on Friday removed a computer from the New Jersey home of a sister of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. Police said she was cooperating with the investigation and was “heartbroken, surprised and upset,” though she told reporters she wasn’t sure the accusations against her brothers were true.The woman, identified by local police as Ailina Tsarnaeva, told federal agents she had not been in contact with her brothers for years, according to Police Director Michael Indri.”The main concern was to confirm that there was no contact made one way or the other, and I’m confident that the FBI has confirmed that,” he said.The woman’s three-story brick building, across the Hudson River from New York City, remained cordoned off as federal agents searched the home and left with a computer and other electronics.Early in the day, she spoke through a barely open door to News12 New Jersey and The Star-Ledger, telling them she was sorry for the families that lost loved ones “the same way I lost my loved one.”"I’m hurt for everyone that’s been hurt,” she told the TV station and newspaper.Her brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed overnight in a shootout with police outside Boston. Her younger brother remains at large.Continue Reading… … Read More
5 Subtle Enemies of Preparedness (that trip all of us)
You see yourself as the ant, not the grasshopper. You want to be prepared but can’t seem to shake these 5 enemies. They turn your plans into puddles of tears. They use your dreams like a janitors mop on a filthy floor. … Read More
