Environment news

• Trump takes aim at U.S. environmental regulations to boost oil sector

  26-05-2016 23:48
  By Valerie Volcovici and Emily Stephenson BISMARCK, N.D. (Reuters) - Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, promised on Thursday to roll back some of America's most ambitious environmental policies if elected, actions that he said would revive the ailing U.S. oil and coal industries and bolster national security. Trump said he would pull the United States out of the U.N. global climate accord, approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada and rescind measures by Presid
  
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• Donald Trump would allow Keystone XL pipeline and end Paris climate deal

  26-05-2016 23:48 via theguardian.com
  
  Republican nominee took veiled shots at those who are concerned about global warming and endorsed drilling off the Atlantic coast in a speech on energy policyDonald Trump pledged to cancel the Paris climate agreement, endorsed drilling off the Atlantic coast and said he would allow the Keystone XL pipeline to be built in return for “a big piece of the profits” for the American people. Related: Trump reaches delegate count needed to clinch Republican nominationContinue reading...
  
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• Oil dips after hitting $50 per barrel as glut worries resurface

  26-05-2016 23:06
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices hit $50 (£34) a barrel on Thursday for the first time in seven months, then bounced below that level and settled lower on the day as investors worried robust price gains could encourage more output and add to the global glut. Wildfires in Canada's oil sands, unrest in the Nigerian and Libyan energy sectors, and a near economic meltdown in OPEC member Venezuela have knocked out nearly 4 million barrels per day in immediate production, spark
  
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• Australia scrubbed from UN climate change report after government intervention

  26-05-2016 22:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: All mentions of Australia were removed from the final version of a Unesco report on climate change and world heritage sites after the Australian government objected on the grounds it could impact on tourismEvery reference to Australia was scrubbed from the final version of a major UN report on climate change after the Australian government intervened, objecting that the information could harm tourism.Guardian Australia can reveal the report “World Heritage and Tourism in a Chang
  
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• Shell says it will limit solar investment until it proves profitable

  26-05-2016 20:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Chief executive Ben van Beurden tells shareholders the firm wants to gradually increase its operations in clean energyShell will avoid investing too heavily in solar or other technologies until they can make financial profits, its chief executive has said.Ben van Beurden told a meeting of shareholders in London that the oil company was already established in windfarms, a carbon capture plant, and wanted to gradually increase its operations in clean energy. Continue reading...
  
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• Saudi Aramco boosting market share as it prepares for listing - CEO

  26-05-2016 20:10
  By Reem Shamseddine KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi oil giant Aramco is gaining market share and pushing for greater efficiency, chief executive Amin Nasser said in an interview, as it acts as a "bridge" to a future when the nation relies less on energy exports. Nasser also told Reuters that the state-owned group was pressing on with preparations for its partial privatisation via a stock market listing, which he said lay at the heart of Riyadh's "Vision 2030", a long-term economic plan he
  
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• Radar images reveal Mars is coming out of an ice age

  26-05-2016 20:10
  By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - An analysis of radar images that peered inside the polar ice caps of Mars shows that Earth's neighbor is coming out of an ice age that is part of an ongoing cycle of climate change, scientists said on Thursday. The Martian ice began its retreat about 370,000 years ago, marking the end of the last ice age, according to the research published in the journal Science. Using images taken by satellites orbiting Mars, the researchers determined that about
  
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• The Sustainable Business Covered podcast: Episode 02 - Monkey dating and the 'S' word

  26-05-2016 20:06
  
  The edie editorial team brings you the latest news, insights and inspiration from the world of sustainable business, with this second episode featuring an exclusive interview with The Body Shop and going behind the scenes at this week's Sustainability Communications Conference.
  
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• The edie Sustainable Business Covered podcast: Episode 02 - Monkey dating and the 'S' word

  26-05-2016 19:18
  
  The edie editorial team brings you the latest news, insights and inspiration from the world of sustainable business, with this second episode featuring an exclusive interview with The Body Shop and going behind the scenes at this week's Sustainability Communications Conference.
  
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• Statue of Liberty and Venice among sites at risk from climate change, says UN

  26-05-2016 19:14 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Urgent and clear need’ to limit temperature rises to protect key sites from warming, rising seas and harsher weather Climate change now poses the single biggest threat to the world’s most famous heritage sites – including the Galápagos islands, the Statue of Liberty, Easter Island and Venice – according to a UN sponsored report.Related: Ikea and Nestle call for new EU laws to cut truck emissionsContinue reading...
  
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• Asparagus turbines and car-eating buses: the best green innovations of the week

  26-05-2016 19:12
  
  In a week which shockingly revealed that humans are damaging the environment faster than it can recover, edie rounds up the latest low-carbon technologies and innovations that could mitigate current impacts put the world on a 2C pathway.
  
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• Nigeria's Kachikwu says militant amnesty needs restructuring

  26-05-2016 18:43
  Nigerian oil minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said on Thursday that the government needs to improve its amnesty programme for militants in Niger Delta to address "neglect by the government and international oil companies". The statement came after the latest militant attack on oil facilities hit Chevron onshore operations late on Wednesday and a warning from local leaders in the Delta that military intervention would not stem the violence. The statement added that all states in the region would no
  
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• Dong Energy IPO to value windfarm operator at £11bn

  26-05-2016 18:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Danish firm that is major investor in UK offshore windfarms expects to sell up to 17% of shares in year’s biggest float so far Danish-based Dong Energy, a major investor in British offshore windfarms, is heading for the world’s biggest stock market flotation so far this year with a price tag for the entire business of 106.5bn kroner (£11bn).The group, which has been a flag carrier for companies moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy, expects to sell up to 17% of its share
  
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• School-Bus-Size Giant Squid May Be Lurking Deep in the Sea

  26-05-2016 18:22
  
  Steeped in mystery, the elusive, deep-sea-dwelling giant squid, with eyes the size of basketballs, may be larger than it has gotten credit for. Specimens recognizable as giant squid (Architeuthis dux) have been found washed up onshore since at least 1639. Ever since giant squid were discovered, there has been considerable speculation as to how large they can get.
  
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• SpaceX Will Attempt Another Rocket Launch and Landing Today: Watch Live

  26-05-2016 18:00
  
  The private spaceflight company SpaceX will try to land a rocket on a ship at sea for the third time in less than two months today (May 26), and you can watch the exciting spaceflight action live. The landing attempt will take place during SpaceX's launch of the Thaicom-8 commercial communications satellite, which is scheduled to occur today at 5:40 p.m. EDT (2140 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. You can watch live here at Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX.
  
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• SpaceX Delays Rocket Launch, Landing Attempt to Friday: Watch Live

  26-05-2016 18:00
  
  The private spaceflight company SpaceX hopes to land a rocket on a ship at sea for the third time in less than two months on Friday (May 27), and you can watch the exciting spaceflight action live. The landing attempt will take place during SpaceX's launch of the Thaicom 8 commercial communications satellite, which is tentatively scheduled to occur Friday at 5:40 p.m. EDT (2140 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. You can watch live here at Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, o
  
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• Oil tests out $50 a barrel as supply concerns resurface

  26-05-2016 17:43
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices tested the $50-per-barrel mark on Thursday as production outages brought a faster-than-expected recovery to an oversupplied market many thought will stay depressed through the year. While a crude glut could grow in coming months if demand stalls, wildfires in Canada's oil sands, unrest in the Nigerian and Libyan energy sectors, and a near economic meltdown in OPEC member Venezuela have knocked out nearly 4 million barrels per day in immediate pr
  
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• Timber smugglers could make Senegal's last forests disappear soon

  26-05-2016 17:40
  Casamance in southern Senegal contains the country's last remaining forests, an area of 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) that could be depleted by 2018 as smugglers feed the demand for rosewood furniture in China, said former environment minister Haidar El Ali. Exporting timber from Senegal is illegal, so traffickers smuggle it to neighbouring Gambia for shipping to China. "This unacceptable trafficking is devastating for our forests and it has to stop," Haidar told a news conference.
  
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• Sadiq Khan joins air pollution court case against UK government

  26-05-2016 17:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Mayor of London will submit statement and evidence in high court case brought by ClientEarth on the air pollution crisis in the capitalThe mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has joined a high court challenge against the government over its air pollution plans, overturning the position of his predecessor, Boris Johnson. Khan filed legal documents on Thursday and can now submit a witness statement and evidence to the court on the air pollution crisis in the capital.Environmental lawyers ClientEarth are
  
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• French minister warns of mass climate change migration if world doesn't act

  26-05-2016 17:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Hundreds of millions of people could be displaced by the end of the century due to conflict caused by global warming, says Ségolène RoyalGlobal warming will create hundreds of millions of climate change migrants by the end of the century if governments do not act, France’s environment minister has warned.Ségolène Royal told ministers from 170 countries at the UN environment assembly in Nairobi that climate change was linked to conflicts, which in turned caused m
  
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• Statue of Liberty and Venice under climate change threat, says UN

  26-05-2016 16:23 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Urgent and clear need’ to limit temperature rises to protect key sites from warming, rising seas and harsher weather Some of the world’s most famous heritage sites – from the Statue of Liberty and Venice to the Galapagos Islands – could be irreversibly damaged by climate change, a report has warned. Historic and natural world heritage sites are already feeling the brunt of increasing temperatures, with rising seas, erosion and storms hitting Orkney’s neolithi
  
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• Businesses urged to 'make friends with disruption' and embrace the millennial movement

  26-05-2016 15:31
  
  EXCLUSIVE: Businesses should do more to drive the sustainability agenda by embracing the willingness of the first "digital natives and a globally empathetic generation" in order to ignite behaviour change within consumers, the chief executive of collaborative organisation Collectively has said.
  
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• Thailand closes dive sites over coral bleaching crisis

  26-05-2016 15:11 via theguardian.com
  
  In a rare move to shun tourism profits for environmental protection, 10 popular dive sites have been shut down in a bid to slow a coral bleaching crisis Thailand has shut down 10 popular diving sites in a bid to slow a coral bleaching crisis, an official said Thursday, in a rare move to shun tourism profits to protect the environment.The tropical country’s southern coastline and string of islands are home to some of the world’s most prized white sand beaches and scuba sites, and the
  
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• Military push, economic hardship fuel insurgency in Nigeria's Delta

  26-05-2016 15:10
  By Alexis Akwagyiram PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) - Slumped in a chair at Port Harcourt airport in Nigeria's Delta region, community leader Udengs Eradiri warns that attacks on oil facilities there are likely to escalate unless the government "changes its body language". Intensifying attacks in the Niger Delta this year have driven the OPEC member's oil output to a more than 20-year low, prompting President Muhammadu Buhari to move in more soldiers. The effects can be seen on the pot-holed r
  
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• France strike hits nuclear plants sending output lower

  26-05-2016 14:43
  Nuclear power plants across France were hit with unplanned outages on Thursday after unionised workers at utility EDF joined a rolling nationwide strike against planned government reforms. At least 11 of France's 58 reactors suffered outages, according to grid operator RTE, lowering output by about 5 gigawatts (GW) or 6 percent of the country's nuclear capacity. Members of the CGT union at all 19 of France's nuclear power stations voted on Wednesday to join the strike which has already paralysed
  
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• Ikea and Nestle call for new EU laws to cut truck emissions

  26-05-2016 14:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Increase fuel efficiency of heavy good vehicles that cause a quarter of Europe’s traffic carbon emissions to meet climate targets, says clean corporate allianceAn alliance of companies including Ikea, Nestle and Heathrow airport have called on the EU to pass new laws cutting truck emissions within two years, to meet promises made at the Paris climate conference.Heavy duty vehicles make up less than 5% of Europe’s road traffic but chug out a quarter of the sector’s carbon emissi
  
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• Niger Delta Avengers militants shut down Chevron oil facility

  26-05-2016 14:14 via theguardian.com
  
  String of attacks by group – who claim to fight for environment and local people – have pushed down Nigeria’s oil output Members of the Nigerian militant group the Niger Delta Avengers have shut down facilities owned by one of the world’s biggest oil companies.People living near Chevron’s Escravos terminal in the oil-rich southern Nigerian region of the Niger delta reported hearing a loud blast during the night. Chevron confirmed on Thursday morning that the attack,
  
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• Living near a landfill could damage your health

  26-05-2016 13:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  According to research published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology, health is at risk for those who live within five kilometres of a landfill site. 
  
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• Philippines' Aquino says China breaks deal on South China Sea outcrop

  26-05-2016 13:55
  Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Thursday accused China of breaking a U.S.-brokered deal between the two nations on the Scarborough Shoal, an uninhabited rocky outcrop in the South China Sea. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have rich deposits of oil and gas. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines also claim the waterway, through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne goods pass every year.
  
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• Cartel or talking shop? OPEC awaits Saudi ruling

  26-05-2016 13:51
  By Rania El Gamal and Alex Lawler DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - For those seeking guidance on Saudi Arabia's thinking regarding the future of OPEC, the last few weeks' agenda of the new Saudi energy minister, Khalid al-Falih, might offer a few clues. Unlike his predecessor Ali al-Naimi, Falih may not have much time for OPEC. For oil-price hawks such as Iran, Algeria and Venezuela, fears are growing that the 56-year-old OPEC is losing its role as an output-setting cartel and turning into a talking sho
  
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• Investor pressure not enough as big oil baulks on climate change

  26-05-2016 13:36
  
  During a 'do or die' week for three of the largest big oil companies, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell continue to rally against growing external pressure to adapt to a low-carbon pathway, warning that the shift would take an "unprecedented amount of effort".
  
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• Formula E in Berlin, the world's first fully electric series – a photo essay

  26-05-2016 13:26 via theguardian.com
  
  The electric circus that is Formula E travelled to Berlin this week where Felix Clay plugged himself in. The race result sets up a close finish for the Pro Series finale in London next month Continue reading...
  
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• Brent oil breaks above $50 for first time in seven months

  26-05-2016 13:17
  By Karolin Schaps and Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Brent oil futures climbed above $50 a barrel on Thursday for the first time in nearly seven months as a global supply glut that plagued the market for nearly two years showed signs of easing. Oil prices have rallied in recent weeks after a string of outages, due mainly to wildfires in Canada and unrest in Nigeria and Libya, knocked out nearly 4 million barrels per day of production. Above $50 a barrel, oil was seen by many market players as bre
  
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• Government provides £21m funding to support green transport

  26-05-2016 13:12
  
  The UK Government is providing £21m funding to councils across the nation through sustainable travel initiatives to boost local economies, promote healthier forms of transport and facilitate greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions.
  
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• VIDEO: Did Neanderthals create stone rings?

  26-05-2016 12:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Stone rings thought to be created by Neanderthals have been found in France
  
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• Oil tankers backed up at southern French port due to strike

  26-05-2016 12:45
  Nearly two dozen vessels were queued outside the French oil import terminal in Fos, southern France on Thursday, held up by a strike organised by the hardline CGT and FO unions over planned labour reforms. During normal busy operations, about 5 vessels would be waiting, the port authority said. CGT port workers and dockers joined the nationwide rolling strike on Thursday and Friday.
  
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• Kazakh sovereign fund seeks over $6 billion from privatisations

  26-05-2016 12:09
  By Mariya Gordeyeva ASTANA (Reuters) - Kazakh sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna plans to raise more than $6 billion (4 billion pounds) from privatisations over the next five years, using the proceeds to help its companies repay debt, the fund's managing director told Reuters on Thursday. Public offerings of stakes in the fund's crown jewels, such as national oil company KazMunayGaz, will be the last deals to happen and will take place after 2018, Berik Beisengaliyev said in an interview. "The
  
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• French PM Valls to receive oil sector industry interest groups

  26-05-2016 12:03
  PARIS (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Manuel Valls will receive representatives of the oil industry in his office on Saturday, his staff said on Thursday, as the sector is beset by strikes against planned labour reforms. Valls has taken a tough stance against the hardline CGT union that has spearheaded the strikes, shutting down refineries and disrupting fuel supplies in the last two weeks. (Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; writing by Michel Rose; Editing by Leigh Thomas)
  
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• Donald Trump wants to build a wall – to save his golf course from global warming | Dana Nuccitelli

  26-05-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  On climate change, is Trump uninformed, or playing his voters?
  Donald Trump has consistently expressed his conspiratorial and misinformed beliefs that global warming is a hoax.Ice storm rolls from Texas to Tennessee - I'm in Los Angeles and it's freezing. Global warming is a total, and very expensive, hoax! Continue reading...
  
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• G7 sees need to send strong message on South, East China Sea disputes

  26-05-2016 11:55
  ISE-SHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - Group of Seven (G7) leaders agreed on Thursday they need to send a strong message on the South and East China Sea in which China is locked in territorial disputes with Japan and some Southeast Asian neighbours. "Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe led discussion on the current situation in the South China Sea and East China Sea. Other G7 leaders said it is necessary for G7 to issue a clear signal," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko told reporters. (Reporting by K
  
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• Niger Delta militant attack shuts down Chevron facility - company source

  26-05-2016 11:37
  By Tife Owolabi YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Chevron's onshore activities in Nigeria's Niger Delta have been shut down by a militant attack at its Escravos terminal, a company source said on Thursday. A militant group called the Niger Delta Avengers, which has told oil firms to leave the Delta before the end of May, said late on Wednesday it had blown up the facility's mains electricity feed. "It is a crude line which means all activities in Chevron are grounded," the source told Reuters, withou
  
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• Navy investigates 'lost submarine find'

  26-05-2016 11:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Royal Navy is investigating claims the wreckage of a British submarine lost during World War Two has been discovered off the coast of Sardinia.
  
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• Linc Energy's former CEO ordered to clean up Hopeland site

  26-05-2016 10:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Environmental protection order the first use of Queensland’s new chain-of-responsibility laws An environmental protection order has been issued against Linc Energy’s former chief executive Peter Bond.It is the first time the Queensland government’s new chain-of-responsibility laws have been put into use and comes after creditors on Monday unanimously voted to place Linc into liquidation. Continue reading...
  
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• France's power output drops as workers join strike

  26-05-2016 10:15
  Power output in France fell by at least 5 gigawatts on Thursday after members of the CGT union at utility EDF joined a rolling nationwide strike against planned government reforms, a union official said. CGT members at 19 nuclear power plants had voted on Wednesday to join the strike which has already paralysed French businesses and disrupted fuel supplies leading to shortages in some parts of France in the past week. Laurent Langlard, a CGT spokesman said power output was down by 5,000 MW by 07
  
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• Solar Impulse lands in Pennsylvania

  26-05-2016 10:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The sun-powered aircraft Solar Impulse has landed in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, after a near-17-hour flight.
  
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• Nigerian civil rights leader confirms attack at Chevron oil facility

  26-05-2016 09:57
  A Nigerian civil rights leader and a Niger Delta resident confirmed on Thursday that militants had attacked a Chevron oil facility in the region. A militant group called Niger Delta Avengers said late on Wednesday that it had blown up the main electricity feed pipeline leading to the Escravos tank farm. "The attack truly happened," Eric Omare, spokesman for the Ijaw Youth Council, said on Twitter.
  
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• China unveils 'straddling bus' design to beat traffic jams

  26-05-2016 09:54 via theguardian.com
  
  The concept vehicle is designed to float above the clogged-up streets of some of the country’s biggest citiesA Beijing company has unveiled spectacularly futuristic designs for a pollution-busting, elevated bus capable of gliding over the nightmarish mega-jams for which urban China has become notorious.
  Plans for the so-called Transit Explore Bus or TEB were showcased earlier this month at a technology expo in the Chinese capital.Continue reading...
  
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• French strikers seek to tighten grip on energy supplies

  26-05-2016 09:00
  The hardline CGT union sought to tighten its grip on France's energy supplies and transport network on Thursday as its stand-off with the government over planned labour reforms continued into a day of nationwide protests. French nuclear power capacity was cut by at least 4 gigawatts (GW) as part of a rolling nationwide strike, grid operator RTE showed on its website. A report on France Inter radio's web site cited a CGT delegate saying the union had the ability to cut off a fuel pipeline from th
  
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• HS2 'over-priced' say transport experts

  26-05-2016 08:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  HS2 is an over-priced, gold-plated project and will fail in many of its objectives a group of transport experts warns.
  
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• Beavers released into Devon river in bid to boost gene pool

  26-05-2016 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Male and female set free as part of five-year trial to monitor the impact of England’s only wild population of the mammalsA new pair of beavers has been released into a river in Devon to boost the genetic diversity of England’s only wild population of the mammals.The male and female were set free on the river Otter as part of a five-year trial monitoring the impact of Eurasian beavers, a species hunted to extinction hundreds of years ago in the UK, on the surrounding landscape, wildl
  
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