Environment news

• Coalition of US states pledge to accelerate renewable energy efforts

  16-02-2016 23:18
  
  Bipartisan accord signed by governors of 17 states sets out commitments to expand energy efficiency and use more solar and wind generation for electricityA bipartisan group of governors from 17 states has pledged to accelerate their efforts to create a green economy in the US by boosting renewables, building better electricity grids and cutting emissions from transport.
  An accord signed by the governors states that the US must “embrace a bold vision of the nation’s energy future&rdqu
  
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• EU short of 118 billion euros in nuclear decommissioning funds - draft

  16-02-2016 21:47
  By Christoph Steitz and Barbara Lewis FRANKFURT/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe is short of more than 118 billion euros (£92 billion) to dismantle its nuclear plants and manage nuclear waste storage, a European Commission working paper seen by Reuters shows. The data is part of a periodic analysis of Europe's nuclear capacity designed as a basis to discuss the role of nuclear energy in achieving EU objectives, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Commission's last analysis was publis
  
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• Oil loses nearly 4 percent as hopes over Saudi, Russia deal fade

  16-02-2016 21:22
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brent oil fell almost 4 percent on Tuesday, erasing early gains after top producers Russia and Saudi Arabia dashed expectations of an outright supply cut by agreeing only to freeze output if other big exporters joined them. Benchmark Brent prices jumped briefly through $35 a barrel after Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed to keep output at January levels, in what could be the first joint OPEC and non-OPEC deal in 15 years. Qatari energy minister Mohammad bin S
  
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• ‘Never seen it so bad’: violence and impunity in Brazil’s Amazon

  16-02-2016 20:08
  
  Former deputy editor of National Geographic Brazil says a “humanitarian catastrophe” is taking place in Brazil’s Amazon One of the perpetrators of arguably Brazil’s most internationally high-profile murders in recent years is currently walking around free. In 2013, amid much media coverage, Lindonjonson Silva Rocha was sentenced to 42 years prison for killing two nut collectors-turned-environmental activists in southern Pará, but then in November last year he escap
  
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• The cars that run on lots of coffee | Letters

  16-02-2016 19:48
  
  It’s good to see that Cambridge is catching up with County Durham (Recycling waste into BBQ biofuel, 15 February).Martin Bacon of Teesdale Conservation Volunteers, based in Barnard Castle, produced his first coffee-powered car in 2010 in conjunction with a BBC TV science programme, Bang Goes the Theory. It was driven from London to Manchester to launch a new series. Continue reading...
  
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• Exclusive - Brazil could waive U.S. dollar to bolster Iran trade: minister

  16-02-2016 19:44
  By Alonso Soto and Lisandra Paraguassu BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil will accept payment from Iran in euros and other currencies for planes, cars and machinery to sidestep lingering U.S. sanctions on the oil-rich nation, Trade Minister Armando Monteiro told Reuters on Tuesday. Monteiro is the first Brazilian official to confirm that Latin America's biggest economy could accept payment in currencies including the euro from Iran, which is forbidden from using the U.S. financial system under the sanc
  
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• Shorter and shorter electronics product-life is 'unacceptable'

  16-02-2016 19:18
  Broken, out of fashion, replaced by a shinier version - electronic devices are being used for a decreasing amount of time before being disposed of, according to a new study.
  
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• Beavers blamed for flash floods in Scotland may actually control problem

  16-02-2016 19:11
  
  Stirling University study shows dams mitigate flooding by acting like a sponge, storing and then slowly releasing waterA population of beavers in Scotland that was blamed for flooding may actually be preventing it, a study has shown. Dams built by beavers in eastern Scotland act like a sponge, experts say, and mitigate flooding by storing and then slowly releasing water.Continue reading...
  
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• Oil down 3 percent as optimism over Saudi, Russia deal cools

  16-02-2016 19:02
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brent oil fell 3 percent on Monday, erasing early gains after top producers Russia and Saudi Arabia dashed expectations of an outright supply cut by agreeing only to freeze output if other big exporters joined them. Benchmark Brent prices jumped briefly through $35 a barrel after Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed to keep output at January levels, in what could be the first joint OPEC and non-OPEC deal in 15 years. Qatari energy minister Mohammad bin Saleh al-
  
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• Let's All Chill: Antarctica's Adélie Penguins Are Probably Fine

  16-02-2016 18:09
  
  Let's give the penguins a little credit. The news reported around the world was startling — that some 150,000 Adélie penguins have died in Antarctica because a colossal iceberg cut off their sea access. It wouldn't be the first time Adélie penguins marched to new digs.
  
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• VIDEO: Why the brain is a marvel of evolution

  16-02-2016 18:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Fergus Walsh introduces the marvel that is the human brain.
  
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• Why brains are beautiful

  16-02-2016 17:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Neuroscience is getting closer to tackling mental illness
  
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• Iraqi Kurdish deputy PM says deal with Baghdad 'easy' if salaries paid

  16-02-2016 17:50
  The deputy prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan said a dispute with Baghdad over oil sales could easily be resolved if the federal government agreed to cover the region's bloated public payroll, including the salaries of its armed forces. Hit hard by the global slump in oil prices, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) can no longer afford its own payroll, costing 875 billion Iraqi dinars (559.88 million pound) per month. "If Baghdad pays the full salaries of people who receive salaries from the
  
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• Europe places bets on natural gas to secure energy future

  16-02-2016 17:42
  
  Green campaigners say commission’s continued reliance on fossil fuel imports as part of sustainable energy security package is at odds with Paris climate dealThe future of Europe’s energy supply is to rely heavily on natural gas for the coming two decades and beyond, according to a new strategy set out on Tuesday by the European commission.
  The plans were immediately attacked by green campaigners, who contrasted the continued role of fossil fuels with commitments to cut carbon dioxid
  
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• The man making genes democratic

  16-02-2016 17:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Meet the man making genetics democratic
  
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• Donald Trump warned against scrapping Paris climate deal

  16-02-2016 16:25
  
  US climate envoy says threats by Republican presidential candidates to withdraw from the global agreement would be ‘diplomatic black eye’ President Obama’s special envoy for climate change has warned Republican presidential hopefuls including Donald Trump and Ted Cruz that any attempt to scrap the Paris climate agreement would lead to a “diplomatic black eye” for the US.Speaking to journalists in Brussels, Todd Stern also said that a recent supreme court decision to
  
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• Gases analysed on distant 'super-Earth'

  16-02-2016 16:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  For the first time, astronomers identify which gases are present in the atmosphere of a "super-Earth" planet orbiting an alien star.
  
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• How a Basketball-Size Cyst Eluded Doctors

  16-02-2016 16:17
  A young woman in England who repeatedly went to see her doctor because she was having pain and a feeling of fullness in her abdomen was told that her symptoms were due to her obesity. At the hospital, the woman had an ultrasound exam, and the images showed that she had a very large cyst on her ovary, according to the case report, published online (Jan. 28) in the journal BMJ Case Reports. All it took was a simple ultrasound scan to show that there was something wrong with this patient, said Dr.
  
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• Scotland spends to save with LED streets funding boost

  16-02-2016 15:21
  Nearly one-third of Scotland's streets will be LED-lit by April 2017 as local councils have announced that a further £56m will be invested in a nationwide lighting replacement programme over the next 12 months.
  
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• Iraq ready to freeze production at Jan levels pending deal -source

  16-02-2016 14:57
  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq is ready to commit to freezing its oil production at January levels if a deal is reached among OPEC and non-OPEC countries, an Iraqi oil ministry source said on Tuesday. "Iraq is with any decision that contributes to propping up oil prices," the source said. Top oil exporters Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday to freeze output levels but said the deal was contingent on other producers joining in, which could prove a major sticking point with Iran absent from the t
  
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• Masdar's zero-carbon dream could become world’s first green ghost town

  16-02-2016 14:47
  
  Developers have abandoned their original goal of building the world’s first zero-carbon city in the UAE desert. With completion originally scheduled for this year, just how much of the once-revolutionary vision has actually been realised? Years from now passing travellers may marvel at the grandeur and the folly of the futuristic landscape on the edges of Abu Dhabi: the barely occupied office blocks, the deserted streets, the vast tracts of undeveloped land and – most of all –
  
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• Smart water management could help produce much more food

  16-02-2016 14:17 via feedproxy.google.com
  Improved agricultural water management could halve the global food gap by 2050 and buffer some of the harmful climate change effects on crop yields. For the first time, scientists investigated systematically the worldwide potential to produce more food with the same amount of water by optimizing rain use and irrigation. They found the potential has previously been underestimated. Investing in crop water management could substantially reduce hunger while at the same time making up for population
  
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• Saudis and Russia agree oil output freeze, Iran still an obstacle

  16-02-2016 14:15
  By Rania El Gamal and Tom Finn DOHA (Reuters) - Top oil exporters Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday to freeze output levels but said the deal was contingent on other producers joining in - a major sticking point with Iran absent from the talks and determined to raise production. The Saudi, Russian, Qatari and Venezuelan oil ministers announced the proposal after a previously undisclosed meeting in Doha. It could become the first joint OPEC and non-OPEC deal in 15 years, aimed at tackling
  
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• Oil eases off highs after output freeze agreement

  16-02-2016 14:13
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped off session highs on Tuesday after four of the world's largest producers agreed to freeze output at January levels if other major exporters joined the pact, dashing hopes among the price bulls for an outright cut to supply. Qatari energy minister Mohammad bin Saleh al-Sada told a news conference that the step would help to stabilise the oil market, which has experienced price declines not seen since the early 2000s because of the pace at whi
  
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• Iran may be offered special terms in oil output deal – sources

  16-02-2016 13:51
  OPEC member Iran could be offered special terms under a global deal to freeze oil production levels, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. "Iran has its own model and the meeting is taking place in Iran. Iran is returning to the market and needs to be given a special chance but it also needs to make some calculations," said one of the sources, who were not from Iran.
  
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• WHO backs GM mosquito trials over Zika

  16-02-2016 13:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The World Health Organization backs trials of genetically-modified mosquitoes that could be used in the fight against the Zika virus.
  
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• The differences between organic and non-organic milk and meat

  16-02-2016 13:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new study has shown that both organic milk and meat contain around 50% more beneficial omega-3 fatty acids than conventionally produced products. Analysing data from around the world, the team led by Newcastle University, reviewed 196 papers on milk and 67 papers on meat and found clear differences between organic and conventional milk and meat, especially in terms of fatty acid composition, and the concentrations of certain essential minerals and antioxidants.
  
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• Former home of oil tycoon given green makeover by National Trust

  16-02-2016 12:43
  A country house in Warwickshire that was once powered by 25,000 litres of oil every year is now fuelled by two wood-pellet boilers, saving £6,000 a year on energy bills and 55 tonnes of carbon emissions.
  
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• VIDEO: Lasers to detect car pollution culprits

  16-02-2016 12:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  New technology that uses lasers to measure vehicle emissions are being introduced in the UK.
  
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• Hopes rise again for 'Gatwick Gusher' as oil flows to surface

  16-02-2016 11:59
  
  UK Oil & Gas Investments says the well has produced 463 barrels a day under its own pressureOil flowing easily from a well near Gatwick airport proves large quantities can be brought to the surface, bringing the prospect of an oil bonanza in Sussex closer, the company responsible for the site has said.Shares in UK Oil & Gas Investments jumped more than 40% after it said oil had flowed to the surface under its own pressure at a rate of 463 barrels a day at Horse Hill in Sussex’s Wea
  
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• Saudis and Russia agree oil output freeze, talks with Iran to follow

  16-02-2016 11:54
  By Rania El Gamal and Tom Finn DOHA (Reuters) - Top oil exporters Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday to freeze output levels but said the deal was contingent on other producers joining in - a major sticking point with Iran absent from the talks and determined to raise production. The Saudi, Russian, Qatari and Venezuelan oil ministers announced the proposal after a previously undisclosed meeting in Doha - their highest-level discussion in months on joint action to tackle a growing oversup
  
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• London set for Europe's largest floating solar system

  16-02-2016 11:46
  
  Europe's biggest ever floating solar array is being installed on the Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir, to the south of the River Thames.
  
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• EDF Energy extends life of four UK nuclear power stations

  16-02-2016 11:43
  EDF Energy is to extend the life of four nuclear power plants in Britain, a measure which should help reduce an electricity supply gap looming in the coming decade. Britain faces a power supply gap because the government plans to close coal-fired power plants by 2025, which some experts have feared could lead to electricity shortages. The country has 15 nuclear reactors in operation which came online from the 1970s to the 1990s.
  
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• Russia - Four countries ready to freeze oil output at Jan levels if others join in

  16-02-2016 10:54
  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Venezuela are ready to freeze oil production at January levels if other producer countries do the same, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said in a statement after talks in Doha on Tuesday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the meeting's outcome, referring questions to Novak. (Reporting by Katya Golubkova and Darya Korsunskaya; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
  
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• Rosneft - Too early to draw conclusions on Doha meeting impact - RIA

  16-02-2016 10:44
  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Rosneft , the world's top oil producer, said it welcomed the will of oil producing countries to reach an agreement to freeze output, the company's spokesman, Mikhail Leontyev, told the RIA news agency. But RIA quoted him as saying it was too early to draw conclusions on the meeting in Doha between Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Qatar. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Writing by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
  
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• China raps Australia foreign minister ahead of Beijing trip

  16-02-2016 10:41
  By Ben Blanchard and Tim Kelly BEIJING/TOKYO (Reuters) - China rapped Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Tuesday ahead of her visit to Beijing after she said Australia recognised the Philippines' right to seek arbitration in its dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea. China claims much of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.
  
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• Saudi's Naimi says output freeze enough to improve market

  16-02-2016 10:28
  Freezing oil producers' output will be adequate to improve the oil market, Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said on Tuesday. "Freezing now at the January level is adequate for the market, we believe," he said.
  
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• Pictures of the day: 16 February 2016

  16-02-2016 10:25
  
  Today: A hungry heron, a frosty deer and New York fashion week
  
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• Four oil producers agree to freeze output at January levels - Qatar energy minister

  16-02-2016 10:24
  DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Venezuela have agreed to freeze their oil output at January levels providing other major producers follow suit, Qatar's energy minister said on Tuesday after a meeting of those countries' energy ministers. Mohammad bin Saleh al-Sada said at a news conference this step would stabilise the oil market. (Reporting by Rabia El Gamal in Doha, writing by Matt Smith; Editing by Yara Bayoumy)
  
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• Auto industry pushes £500bn road maintenance plan as 'green' initiative

  16-02-2016 10:18
  
  Europe's car industry has suggested that the continent's entire road network be resurfaced at a cost of hundreds of billions of euros as a "climate initiative" so that it does not need to make mandatory car emissions cuts by 2030.
  
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• EDF extends life of four nuclear reactors

  16-02-2016 10:01
  
  Final decision on investment in Hinkley Point still pending, with analysts and activists casting doubt on the projectEDF plans to extend the life of four nuclear power plants in the UK and said that it was close to announcing a decision on its investment in two new reactors at Hinkley Point.The French energy company said the lives of the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool plants would be extended by five years until 2024 and the closure dates of Heysham 2 and Torness will be delayed by seven years to 2030
  
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• EDF cuts dividend, says Hinkley Point decision to be made soon

  16-02-2016 09:53
  By Geert De Clercq PARIS (Reuters) - French energy utility EDF saw 2015 net profit plunge 68 percent on asset impairments and cut its dividend, but the state-controlled company said it remained committed to the UK nuclear power plant project at Hinkley Point. Chief Executive Jean-Bernard Levy said the investment decision on the 18 billion-pound ($25.94 billion) project to build two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point was "coming closer". EDF surprised analysts on Tuesday by cutting its dividend to
  
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• Oil powers meet in Doha for private pow-wow as $30 crude woes mount

  16-02-2016 09:52
  (Reuters) - Oil ministers from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela started a closed-door meeting in Doha on Tuesday, sources said, their highest-level discussion in months and a potentially pivotal sign that producers are preparing to tackle a devastating supply glut. The talks in the Qatari capital Doha, which had been kept under wraps until recent days, involve powerful Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi and his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak, sources said, two figures who must reach a
  
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• Oil prices surge as producers' meet spurs output cut hopes

  16-02-2016 09:33
  By Osamu Tsukimori and Aaron Sheldrick TOKYO (Reuters) - Brent crude surged 6 percent to a near two-week high on Tuesday, as a meeting of oil ministers from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela spurred hopes of action by the producers to tackle a devastating global supply glut that has hammered oil prices. The closed-door meeting, which started in Doha, comes after more than 18 months of declining oil prices that has knocked two thirds off benchmark crude futures, indicating the mood may be
  
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• EDF extends life of UK nuclear plants

  16-02-2016 09:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  France's EDF will extend the life of four of its eight UK nuclear power plants by between five and seven years.
  
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• 'Too early to talk about any decision' - Russian industry source on talks in Doha

  16-02-2016 08:50
  (Reuters) - It is too early to talk about any decision at a meeting in Doha between Russia, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, a Russian industry source told Reuters before the meeting started on Tuesday. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi, Venezuela's oil minister Eulogio Del Pino and their Qatari counterpart Mohammad bin Saleh al-Sada are meeting in Doha to discuss the oil market. (Editing by Christian Lowe)
  
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• Oil ministers expected to hold Doha news conference-sources

  16-02-2016 08:46
  (Reuters) - The oil ministers of Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela are expected to hold a news conference in Doha soon, once they complete a closed-door meeting now underway, sources aware of the matter said on Tuesday. (Reporting by Andrew Torchia)
  
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• Four oil ministers start meeting in Doha - sources

  16-02-2016 08:32
  (Reuters) - The oil ministers of Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela have started a closed-door meeting in Doha on Tuesday, sources said. The ministers did not speak to reporters, and the agenda and the schedule for the meeting were not released. (Reporting by OPEC ream; Writing by Andrew Torchia)
  
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• VIDEO: Banned pollutant threatens Europe's whales

  16-02-2016 08:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The use of the PCB chemical was prohibited from the 1980s but it still exists in the environment, as Rebecca Morelle reports.
  
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• Oil powers meeting set to support crude price volatility

  16-02-2016 07:57
  By Florence Tan and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A meeting between some of the world's top oil producers on Tuesday looks set to drive more crude price swings, with a measure of volatility already at its highest since 2009, analysts and traders said. Global oil prices jumped more than 3 percent on the news to their highest levels in more than a week, adding to the wild swings of recent weeks. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Oil volatility index , a gauge of options premiums b
  
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