India stockpiles oil

India says it has made contingency plans to meet any disruption of oil supplies in the event of a war against Iraq.

India's Petroleum Minister, Ram Naik, said state-owned oil companies have topped up their tanks.

He said the stockpile of crude oil and petroleum products was sufficient to meet the country's needs for around two months.

Officials say Kuwait - the largest supplier of crude oil to India - has said it will try to safeguard deliveries by sending its oil tankers under American flags.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service