Environment news

• Is there any point in planting new trees?

  12-05-2016 23:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Is there any point in planting new trees?
  
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• Canadian oil producers warn of supply shortfalls after wildfire

  12-05-2016 22:33
  By Ernest Scheyder WANDERING RIVER, Alberta (Reuters) - CNOOC Ltd's Nexen is the latest Canadian oil sands company to warn customers it may not be able to fulfil supply contracts in the wake of a massive wildfire, as producers scramble to get facilities back online. Nexen has issued a force majeure for all of its May production of Canadian heavy crude, two sources said on Thursday. Four major oil firms have now declared force majeure, a contract clause to remove liability for unavoidable catastr
  
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• U.N. Security Council removes Libyan oil tanker from blacklist

  12-05-2016 22:23
  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Thursday removed from a U.N. blacklist an Indian-flagged tanker that was recently prevented from shipping oil for the rival eastern Libyan government after Libya's U.N. mission requested the de-listing. The tanker Distya Ameya was added to a list of vessels under sanctions last month after the rival eastern government's parallel oil company attempted to use it to ship a cargo of 650,000 barrels of crude. The U
  
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• Oil up 1 percent after swing on mixed data; U.S. crude at November highs

  12-05-2016 21:27
  
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose 1 percent in volatile trade on Thursday, with U.S. crude hitting six-month highs as investors weighed a forecast for tighter global supplies against signs of another storage build at the hub for U.S. crude futures. Brent crude futures settled up 48 cents at $48.08 (33 pounds) per barrel. U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures rose 47 cents to settle at $46.70.
  
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• Dreaming brain rhythms lock in memories

  12-05-2016 20:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Disrupting brain activity during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep can stop mice from forming new memories, a study suggests.
  
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• Obama's methane rule an aggressive step toward tackling climate change

  12-05-2016 19:42
  
  White House announces new regulations to cut methane emissions – a climate pollutant – from the oil and gas industry almost in half The Obama administration announced on Thursday new rules to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry almost in half – tackling a powerful climate pollutant in the president’s final months in the White House.The rules, stronger than earlier proposals, are aimed at reducing methane emissions from the US by 40% to 45% over 2012 levels
  
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• Restart pace uneven for Canadian oil sands producers after wildfire

  12-05-2016 19:38
  By Ernest Scheyder LAC LA BICHE, Alberta (Reuters) - Efforts by Canadian oil sands companies to restart production are meeting with uneven results in the wake of a raging wildfire, with CNOOC Ltd's Nexen telling customers it may not be able to fulfil its supply contracts even as other companies have begun resuming operations. Nexen has issued a force majeure for all of its May production of Canadian heavy crude, two sources said on Thursday, the latest sign that the fire is curbing supply. Force
  
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• edie Live 2016: What the speakers have to say

  12-05-2016 18:52
  
  With the days counting down until the edie Live 2016 exhibition doors open, and with more than 120 industry experts set to feature across two days within the NEC Birmingham, edie has captured some of the most insightful soundbites from all of our recent speaker interviews.
  
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• Subsidy U-turn clouds future of major Scottish windfarm

  12-05-2016 18:13
  
  Developers of an offshore windfarm planned in the Forth estuary have taken legal action after vital subsidies were withdrawnThe future of one of the UK’s biggest proposed offshore windfarms has been thrown into doubt by a row over the government support it should receive.The Neart na Gaoithe windfarm, based in Scotland’s outer Forth estuary, would have a capacity of about 450MW of power and was originally planned to cost £1.4bn to build, though that is likely to rise to more th
  
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• Libya requests removal of oil tanker from U.N. blacklist

  12-05-2016 17:26
  By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Libya's mission to the United Nations has asked the Security Council to remove from a U.N. blacklist an Indian-flagged tanker that was recently prevented from shipping oil for the rival eastern Libyan government, Libya's U.N. envoy said on Thursday. The tanker Distya Ameya was blacklisted last month after the rival eastern government's parallel oil company attempted to use it to ship a cargo of 650,000 barrels of crude. The U.N. measure requires st
  
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• Windfarm operator Dong Energy announces stockmarket plans

  12-05-2016 16:20
  
  Danish company is single largest investor in UK offshore wind power and IPO would be one of Europe’s biggest listings this year Dong Energy, the Danish company that has invested £6bn in UK offshore wind power, is planning to float in what would be one of Europe’s biggest listings this year.Dong is already the single largest investor in UK offshore wind projects and plans a further £5bn of spending over the next five years. Continue reading...
  
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• UN: Rising air pollution in world's cities hurting millions

  12-05-2016 16:05
  
  GENEVA (AP) — Almost everyone in large cities in poor and middle-income countries faces excessively high air pollution, a growing problem that is killing more than 3 million people each year and "wreaking havoc on human health," the World Health Organization said Thursday.
  
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• Starfish Baby Boom Brings Hope to Population Turning to Goo

  12-05-2016 15:40
  
  For the past two years, a mysterious wasting disease has devastated starfish living along the West Coast, turning countless individual animals into goo. The Oregon coast currently has a thriving community of juvenile starfish (or sea stars), with some places seeing populations with as many as 300 times the typical number, researchers said. The high starfish numbers don't mean the deadly disease is gone, however, the researchers said.
  
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• How scared or hopeful should we be in a warming world? | Clive Hamilton

  12-05-2016 15:02
  
  Should we be optimistic that the Paris agreement can save us from serious climate change or is it too little too late? Clive Hamilton looks at both sides of the debateFor anyone who takes notice of the climate change debate, a mass of often-contradictory information comes flooding into our lives. Some of it prompts great alarm. The Great Barrier Reef is suffering severe bleaching. Wild fires are consuming Alberta. Last year was the warmest on record, and 15 of the 16 hottest years on record have
  
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• UK water companies receive record sewage leak fines

  12-05-2016 15:00
  
  Firms face tougher penalties aimed at reducing the number of pollution offencesWater companies have been hit by a series of record fines for major sewage leaks and other pollution incidents.Yorkshire Water was fined £1.1m for illegally discharging sewage that polluted the river Ouse near York, while Thames Water was fined £1m for repeated sewage leaks into the Grand Union canal.Continue reading...
  
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• How the 'spirit' of internal collaboration is reducing waste at Whitbread

  12-05-2016 14:41
  
  EXCLUSIVE: Communication and innovation regarding waste reduction methods has become the "heart of corporate culture" at Whitbread, due to "extremely well aligned" managerial departments which collaborate internally, the company's procurement manager has claimed.
  
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• Should the National Parks allow corporations to put their name and logo on buildings and other features?

  12-05-2016 14:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  Home Depot’s Yellowstone National Park. Merrill Lynch’s Yosemite National Park. Exxon Mobil’s Grand Canyon National Park. You’re probably shuddering at the thought of these national treasures being linked to corporate sponsors, but thanks to new federal rule changes, this possibility is closer than you think.Since it was established, the National Park Service has thwarted attempts to commercialize these nature preserves. In the past, the parks have limited commemorations
  
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• You are what you eat

  12-05-2016 14:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  Biologists at Indiana University have significantly advanced understanding of the genetic pathways that control the appearance of different physical traits in the same species depending on nutritional conditions experienced during development.In many animals, nutrition -- not genetic differences -- controls the appearance of certain physical traits. Ants and bees, for example, grow into workers or queens based upon the food eaten as larvae.
  
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• The arsonists of Fort McMurray have a name | Martin Lukacs

  12-05-2016 14:23
  
  Fossil fuel corporations are causing the climate change fuelling mega-fires – and they should be footing the bill for the devastationAs the fire that ravaged Fort McMurray finally moves past the city, and the province tallies the heartbreaking damage, a search will begin to discover the source of the destruction.Investigators will comb the nearby forests for clues, tracing the fire’s path to what they call its “point of origin.” They’ll interview witnesses, collect
  
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• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation divests entire holding in BP

  12-05-2016 13:35
  
  World’s largest health charity sells its $187m stake in the oil giant in a move welcomed by fossil fuel divestment campaignersThe Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has sold off its entire holding in oil giant BP, in a move welcomed by fossil fuel divestment campaigners.
  Bill Gates has called the selling off of coal, oil and gas stocks a “false solution” to climate change, but the known investments of his foundation in major fossil fuel companies has fallen by 85% since 2014. Co
  
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• Nike says 'just do it' to the circular economy

  12-05-2016 13:33
  
  Sportswear giant Nike aims to build on progress made in its latest sustainability report by integrating the circular economy into its business strategy, after becoming the latest major brand to join the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as a global partner.
  
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• Nike joins Ellen MacArthur Foundation with circular economy ambitions

  12-05-2016 13:33
  
  Sportswear giant Nike aims to build on progress made in its latest sustainability report by integrating the circular economy into its business strategy, after becoming the latest major brand to join the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as a Global Partner.
  
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• Atomic Oxygen on Mars Detected by Flying Telescope

  12-05-2016 13:33
  
  The airborne SOFIA telescope has measured atomic oxygen in Mars' atmosphere, the first such measurement in 40 years, providing a new way to monitor the vital element and gain more data to calculate the oxygen atoms' effect on the planet's surface. NASA's Mariner and Viking missions sent back measurements of atomic oxygen in the 1960s and 1970s, but this is the first detection of the elusive atom from afar, courtesy of the airplane-turned-telescope SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared As
  
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• Oil rises towards six-month high after IEA sees tighter supply

  12-05-2016 13:22
  
  By Sarah McFarlane LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose towards six-month highs on Thursday, supported by data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) showing tightening supply in addition to a surprise drop in U.S. crude inventories. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) U.S. crude futures were 35 cents higher at $46.58. "We could see some additional momentum coming into the market if we take out the recent highs because that would automatically trigger buy signals around the world," said Ole Hansen,
  
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• Satellite's ice vision is boosted

  12-05-2016 13:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  European scientists have found a way to super-charge their study of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, enabling them to recover 100 times more detail in areas known to be melting.
  
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• From Glasgow to Eastbourne: the 10 UK towns and cities breaching WHO air quality limits

  12-05-2016 13:05
  
  Questions concerning the UK Government's handling of national air quality policies look set to re-emerge, after the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that 10 UK towns and cities, including London, Glasgow and Eastbourne, are failing to meet international air quality standards.
  
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• VIDEO: Elephant has rotten molar extracted

  12-05-2016 12:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An elephant at Whipsnade zoo has a rotten molar extracted after it stops eating and begins losing weight.
  
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• Air pollution health timebomb poses a major threat to development

  12-05-2016 12:43
  
  A World Health Organisation report shows little escape from poisoned air in poorer countries, resulting in 3 million premature deaths worldwide a yearCountries are finding that the urban economic development to which they aspire brings poisoned air, ill-health, massive costs, a low quality of life and, probably, an early death for a very great many people.That is the stark conclusion from a reading of the new database of outdoor air quality from the World Health Organisation (WHO), for 3,000 of
  
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• Campaign catchup: Shorten celebrates a birthday and the PM downs a beer

  12-05-2016 12:34
  
  The main party leaders hit the stump in Queensland and Melbourne, but the ghost of a prime minister past just won’t go away, writes Elle HuntTo the news of the day: happy 49th birthday, Bill Shorten! Asked what he was getting, he said: “My present is standing right next to me”, gesturing to his wife, Chloe. Aww/eww – delete as necessary. No word on whether Malcolm Turnbull being named in the Panama Papers counts as a gift.
  Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone. It was g
  
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• Why is climate champion Richard Branson allowing deniers on a Virgin podcast? | Graham Readfearn

  12-05-2016 12:25
  
  Despite more than 90% of experts agreeing on the science, listeners hear incorrect and ridiculous claims from James Delingpole - all ‘in the interest of balance’ Aside from the facial hair and the petrol-guzzling international airline, one thing Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson is known for is his passion for fighting climate change.“We need every person on Earth to acknowledge that climate change is real, and encourage each other and our leaders to address the challenge,&rdq
  
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• Ahmadinejad's return to public eye in Iran fuels talk of a comeback

  12-05-2016 12:25
  By Babak Dehghanpisheh BEIRUT (Reuters) - On a podium decorated as a bunker from the Iran-Iraq war, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad woos a crowd of hundreds with an anti-Western speech reminiscent of his fiery addresses as Iran's president. At the end of the event in Jiroft in southeast Iran, held partly to honour victims of the 1980-88 war, some of the crowd chant: "The slogan of any man is that Ahmadinejad is coming back." After nearly three years out of the public eye following two terms as president, Ah
  
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• UK mortgaging the future by scrapping zero-carbon homes, says ECCC chair Angus MacNeil

  12-05-2016 11:55
  
  The chair of the Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) has warned that the UK government's failure to build new homes that are energy efficient will see future generations dealing with our costly mistakes.
  
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• Can a Craigslist for cucumbers tackle the UK's food waste?

  12-05-2016 11:00
  
  A raft of apps are aiming to recycle cosmetically challenged perishables and stop £5bn worth of food ending up in landfillWhere most people see a bruised banana, Saasha Celestial-One and Tessa Cook see a chance to share. Their new app, Olio, allows greengrocers, cafes, restaurants and neighbours to photograph and post food that is surplus, unappealing or close to expiry; other app users then request it and are notified where to pick it up.According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural O
  
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• Outlook for oil brightens as output disruptions erode surplus - IEA

  12-05-2016 10:59
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Unplanned disruptions to oil output could help run down a global overhang of unused crude this year, while demand will profit from growing gasoline consumption particularly in India and China, the International Energy Agency said on Thursday. The IEA said output from non-OPEC producers is expected to fall by 800,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2016, an acceleration from the agency's previous forecast for a fall by 710,000 bpd. On the demand front, the Paris-based
  
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• Waste industry calls for 'urgent Government intervention' to drive UK circular economy

  12-05-2016 10:00
  
  Whilst UK recycling rates continue to creep upwards, "urgent Government intervention" is needed to create a more resilient waste collection system that transforms the nation into a world-leader when it comes to waste and resource management.
  
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• Mars shifts to 100% renewable electricity for UK operations

  12-05-2016 09:23
  
  Mars Incorporated has committed to purchasing 100% renewable electricity to power all 12 of its UK factories as part of the company's vision to become carbon-neutral across its global operations by 2040.
  
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• Great Barrier Reef boat fire: police say blaze may have started in engine

  12-05-2016 09:20
  
  Three passengers in their 50s and 60s remain in hospital following the blaze on the 25-metre catamaran, which forced 46 passengers to abandon shipA boat fire off the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef that forced more than 40 tourists to escape into life rafts is believed to have started in the ship’s engine.The now-sunken Spirit of 1770 caught fire in waters 18km off the coastal community called Town of 1770 on Wednesday afternoon, close to Lady Musgrave island. Continue reading...
  
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• WHO: air pollution causes 7m premature deaths a year – video

  12-05-2016 08:39
  
  Outdoor air pollution has grown 8% globally in the past five years, with billions of people around the world now exposed to dangerous air, according to new data from more than 3,000 cities compiled by the World Health Organisation. Director Maira Neira says India and China need to make ‘massive efforts because the situation at the moment is really bad for the population’Continue reading...
  
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• Air pollution: how does it affect you?

  12-05-2016 08:30
  
  With new WHO data shedding light on the severity of the problem, we want to hear from readers across the globe on their experiences of air pollution
  More than 80% of people living in urban areas where air pollution is monitored are exposed to air quality levels that excede World Health Organisation limits, according to the latest urban air quality data released by the agency.The data suggests populations in low-income cities are particularly under threat from the effects of air pollution. Contin
  
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• Rain in Tasmania has enabled state to turn off temporary diesel generators

  12-05-2016 07:27
  
  Hydro Tasmania says state is now powered entirely by renewable energy and can turn off generators brought in during electricity shortageSubstantial rain in Tasmania has enabled the state to turn off its temporary diesel generators that were imported due to electricity shortages sparked by record low rainfall and a broken Bass Strait electricity cable.Following substantial rain, Hydro Tasmania on Thursday confirmed the state is now powered entirely by renewable energy for the first time in 2016.C
  
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• Pishing messages at the black grouse lek

  12-05-2016 06:30
  
  Great Trossachs forest, Scotland These birds, exhausted but puffed with adrenalin, have been on their feet since dawnNo bluebell has yet shown its colour, no oak has broken a single bud. Spring comes late to these highland glens. But willow warblers have flown in to stir the new season, each dying cadence ringing with life, as exuberant sounding as any mountain burn. Their proclamations carry far, like the peal of church bells, down from a scatter of trees on the hillside to flatter land at the
  
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• June OPEC meet to focus on dialogue, not market action -Kuwait

  12-05-2016 06:22
  By Osamu Tsukimori TOKYO (Reuters) - OPEC member Kuwait does not expect any coordinated action to be decided during the group's upcoming meeting in Vienna on June 2, the country's acting oil minister said on Thursday. The "focus of the meeting will be to think and look around ... about what could be done further to stabilise the markets," Anas al-Saleh, told Reuters in Tokyo, Japan, on the sidelines of a Kuwait-Japan business seminar. An earlier plan to agree on measures to stabilise soaring oil
  
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• Fish net bikinis and mushroom death suits – eco fashion in pictures

  12-05-2016 06:00
  
  From selling clothes with a 30 year guarantee to touring Europe in a repair shop - these brands are advancing the circular economy within fashionContinue reading...
  
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• Which are the world's two most polluted cities – and why?

  12-05-2016 05:01
  
  Two cities – one in Iran and another in Nigeria – can claim title because WHO measures pollution in two different waysThe new WHO database of worldwide air pollution measures it in two different ways, and as a result two cities – one in Iran and another in Nigeria – can lay claim to the unenviable title of world’s most polluted city.It all comes down to which minute particles, or particulate matter (PM), in the air are being measured. These particles are between 2.5
  
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• Eastbourne a surprise name among UK's most polluted towns and cities

  12-05-2016 05:01
  
  Port Talbot seems obvious, but World Health Organisation data shows south coast town registers high levels of two tiny types of particulate pollution It’s perhaps no surprise that Port Talbot, home to one of Europe’s biggest steelworks with thousands of tonnes of iron ore imported to its docks every year, tops the list of the UK’s most polluted towns and cities. But Eastbourne, home to the women’s tennis tournament and located at the end of the South Downs national park,
  
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• Calls for action mount as six Indian cities hit top 10 of air pollution

  12-05-2016 05:01
  
  World Health Organisation report says high pollution puts millions of people in cities including Delhi at risk of early deathEnvironmental campaigners in India have called for the government to implement a “stringent, time-bound” plan to curb air pollution in cities, as a new World Health Organisation report suggests that six of the 10 most polluted cities in the world are in India.The report, which contains data from 795 cities in 67 countries between 2008 and 2013, shows Indian cit
  
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• Air pollution rising at an 'alarming rate' in world's cities

  12-05-2016 05:01
  
  Outdoor pollution has risen 8% in five years with fast-growing cities in the developing world worst affected, WHO data shows
  Outdoor air pollution has grown 8% globally in the past five years, with billions of people around the world now exposed to dangerous air, according to new data from more than 3,000 cities compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO).Continue reading...
  
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• Oil prices fall as Canadian oil sands fields gradually return

  12-05-2016 04:01
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell early on Thursday, weighed by the gradual return of Canadian oil sands production, reversing a sharp rise the previous day when the U.S. government detailed an unexpected fall in crude inventories. International Brent crude futures were trading at $47.13 per barrel at 0143 GMT on Thursday, down 47 cents, or 1 percent, from their last settlement. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 38 cents or 0.8 percent at $45.85.
  
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• Australia's regions already have an energy crisis – and a climate of investment is the answer

  12-05-2016 01:26
  
  Community energy groups are coming up with renewable energy schemes. Shouldn’t government extend a hand to help them?Yackandandah, like most Australian towns, has had its ups and its downs. One of its biggest ups was the north-east Victorian gold rush. By the 1890s our town was full of miners toiling to extract what was left of its alluvial gold. The only thing holding these folks back was an energy crisis. The miners were unable to source the power needed to sluice and dredge or crush the
  
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• Tourists rescued from boat that caught fire and sank off Great Barrier Reef island

  12-05-2016 00:51
  
  The group of more than 40 was forced to flee on life rafts when the 23-metre catamaran began sinking 10 nautical miles from Lady Musgrave Island Eleven people were hospitalised after more than 40 people escaped a tourist boat that became engulfed in flames and began sinking on the Great Barrier Reef off the central Queensland coast.The 23m (75-foot) catamaran, Spirit of 1770, was 10 nautical miles from Lady Musgrave Island, east of Gladstone, around 4pm on Wednesday when its 42 passengers and fo
  
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