BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The state-run oil company in Azerbaijan reported Tuesday a 1-percent drop in natural gas production from September levels, officials said.

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. envoy for European affairs and Eurasian energy arrived in Bulgaria Tuesday to meet with top officials in Sofia on energy policy, officials said.

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Washington and Moscow shifted their energy concerns in Europe and Central Asia east from Georgia to Kazakhstan following an August conflict in the region.

MOSCOW, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The British-Russian oil firm TNK-BP said it plans to deliver supplies from the Siberian Verkhnechonsk oil field through a major pipeline network in October.

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The consortium for the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline from the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea will pick a financial overseer next week, officials said.

BERLIN, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The German government is looking to block a European measure to regulate assets in the energy market under a common reciprocity clause, documents show.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army announced the establishment of a Senior Energy Council.

SPREMBERG, Germany, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Researchers in Germany have launched the first emissions-free coal plant project.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- California was named the most energy-efficient state, according to state rankings released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

ADELAIDE, Australia, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Australian oil and gas producer Santos has completed a $300 million off-market buyback.

TOKYO, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A Japanese research team is developing a technology that would make it more difficult for countries to import plutonium for use in producing nuclear weapons. If this technology can be used practically to safeguard against the misuse of nuclear energy, Japan may help bolster nuclear non-proliferation by supplementing the provisions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Oil shaky despite slight rebound Monday; despite global crunch, Indonesia says it is OK; PetroVietnam will explore in Myanmar.

MINSK, Belarus, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met his Belarusian counterpart and top energy officials in Minsk Monday to discuss energy trade, officials said Monday.

MOSCOW, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Russian energy giant Gazprom and oil producer LUKoil were ranked as the top two companies in Russia based on total revenue, a report said Monday.

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Kazakhstan signed a memorandum of understanding with Arab and Western firms to develop gas fields in the Caspian Sea, government reports said.