News in brief

The Finnish government is to merge two of its nationalised companies, the oil-to-chemicals group Neste, in which it holds an 83 per cent stake; and the 95 per cent state-held power generator IVO.

Call for science fund boost

A group of British academics and industrialists has called on the government to follow the lead of the USand Japan in doubling its funding for basic science and engineering research. The group, including R&D Society chairman Geoffrey Allen and Glaxo Wellcome chairman Richard Sykes, asked for 'real increases of £250 million, 9 per cent of the current research spend on basic and strategic research, in each of the remaining four years of this parliament.' The government, as PE went to press, had not responded.

Shell/BASF venture start-up

Elenac, the long-awaited link-up between BASF's and Shell's polyethylene businesses (including Montell), started trading on 1 March (see PEFebruary, p7).

Elf and R&H swap interests

Elf Atochem has agreed to buy out its partner, Rohm and Haas, from the AtoHaas joint venture. The companies currently each hold half-stakes in the venture, which makes acrylic and moulding resins (sold as Plexiglas and Altuglas) and polycarbonate sheet (sold as Tuffak) at four production sites in the US and Europe. In return, Rohm and Haas is to buy Atochem's 50 per cent stake in another joint venture, Norsohaas, which makes acrylic-based products used in the detergents industry.

Gas competition date

The third tranche of the process to introduce competition into the domestic gas market will come into effect on 27 March, according to the gas regulator, Ofgas. After this date, a further 2.9 million homes, from Cheshire to West Yorkshire, will be able to choose their gas supplier.

Tyred out

Consumer affairs minister Nigel Griffiths has called on the tyre industry to increase the number of tyres it recycles, in preparation for an expected ban on landfilling old tyres.