Environment news

• Foxes blamed for motorists’ severed brake cables

  02-06-2016 23:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Kent police warn drivers in Tunbridge Wells to check brakes before travelling after six incidents since blamed on fox cubs chewing through cables
  Drivers in Tunbridge Wells have been left outraged after hungry foxes apparently chewed through the brake cables of several cars. Kent police have now warned drivers to check their brakes before setting off on journeys.Officers called on wildlife expert John Bryant to determine whether there was an explanation other than deliberate damage to six vehicl
  
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• It looks like a burger, tastes like a burger – but it's a plant

  02-06-2016 22:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Impossible Foods is on a mission to make a burger so similar to beef that even the most ardent meat lovers can’t tell the difference. Have they succeeded?Raj Aggarwal took a bite of the burger and paused, looked straight ahead as he chewed, and shrugged his shoulders.“It tastes like a burger, very tasty,” said Aggarwal, the founder of a startup called Localytics. “Not quite bloody though.” Continue reading...
  
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• Tale of two summers for our butterflies

  02-06-2016 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  There are two butterfly summers underway in Britain right now. If you have the good fortune to be a silver-studded blue or a large skipper in the West Country you are leaping out of your chrysalis and dancing in the sunshine.If you were unlucky enough to be an egg laid in eastern England you are still stuck in the pupal stage, perhaps so chilled and damp you will never take to the skies. Continue reading...
  
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• Oil up, Brent settles above $50; U.S. crude draw offsets OPEC

  02-06-2016 21:27
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices edged higher on Thursday, with Brent settling above $50 a barrel the first time in seven months, after the latest drawdown in U.S. crude stockpiles offset OPEC's failure to set a ceiling for its output. U.S. crude stockpiles fell 1.4 million barrels last week, drawing for a second straight week, data from the Energy Information Administration showed. Although lower than a 2.5 million-barrel draw forecast by analysts, the decline helped crude fut
  
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• Incoming OPEC sec-gen says group intent on stronger unity

  02-06-2016 20:01
  By Alex Lawler VIENNA (Reuters) - OPEC's incoming secretary-general said on Thursday that his appointment showed the oil producer group was intent on stronger unity and that he wanted to make a difference when he takes over its top post. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries failed to agree a production target at a Thursday meeting but agreed to appoint Nigeria's Mohammed Barkindo as its secretary-general - the first new post-holder in nearly a decade. "The fact that OPEC has dec
  
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• Microplastics killing fish before they reach reproductive age, study finds

  02-06-2016 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Tiny particles of plastic litter in oceans causing deaths, stunted growth and altering behaviour of some fish that feed on them, research shows Fish are being killed, and prevented from reaching maturity, by the litter of plastic particles finding their way into the world’s oceans, new research has proved.Some young fish have been found to prefer tiny particles of plastic to their natural food sources, effectively starving them before they can reproduce. Continue reading...
  
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• EU air safety agency grounds Airbus Super Puma helicopters

  02-06-2016 19:49
  The European Aviation Safety Authority on Thursday grounded Airbus H225 LP and AS332 L2 Super Puma helicopters following the discovery of metal fatigue in the gearbox of a Super Puma that fatally crashed in Norway on April 29. The flight ban was announced after Norway's Civil Aviation Authority earlier extended its ban on flying the aircraft to include search and rescue missions. The Super Pumas, a workhorse of the offshore oil industry, were banned from commercial traffic in Norway and Britain
  
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• Militants attack oil firm boat in Nigerian Delta, killing six - army

  02-06-2016 19:08
  Militants have attacked a boat belonging to Nigeria's state oil firm NNPC in the Niger Delta, killing at least six people, the army said on Thursday. "During the deliberate attack two soldiers were killed, one wounded, one soldier missing while four civilian staff attached to the house boat were shot dead," the army said in a statement. The attack took place on Wednesday in the Warri area, where militants have staged a series of attacks on oil pipelines in recent weeks.
  
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• Philippines' Duterte says he won't surrender rights in South China Sea

  02-06-2016 18:32
  Philippines President-elect Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday he would not surrender the country's rights over the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, which China seized in 2012. "There will never be an instance that we will surrender our right over Scarborough Shoal," Duterte told a news conference after holding talks with China's ambassador Zhang Jianhua. It is an issue about being obstructed or impeded because of the constructions there and we cannot exercise freely the rights u
  
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• NASA studies details of a greening Arctic

  02-06-2016 18:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  The northern reaches of North America are getting greener, according to a NASA study that provides the most detailed look yet at plant life across Alaska and Canada. In a changing climate, almost a third of the land cover - much of it Arctic tundra - is looking more like landscapes found in warmer ecosystems.With 87,000 images taken from Landsat satellites, converted into data that reflects the amount of healthy vegetation on the ground, the researchers found that western Alaska, Quebec and othe
  
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• Fish powered LEDs and vertical farms from space: the best green innovations of the week

  02-06-2016 18:22
  
  In a week that saw renewable installations celebrate its most decorated year yet, edie rounds up the latest low-carbon technologies and innovations that could push renewables to dizzying new heights as part of the low-carbon revolution.
  
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• US adopts near total ban on commercial ivory trade

  02-06-2016 18:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Barack Obama tightens restriction on sale of elephant ivory within the US to clamp down on illegal tradeBarack Obama imposed a near total ban on the commercial trade in elephant ivory on Thursday in an effort to choke off smuggling networks and end the slaughter of African wildlife.The US Fish and Wildlife Service rules ban the sale of elephant ivory across state lines, and deepen restrictions on international ivory sales. Continue reading...
  
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• Oil turns positive as U.S. crude drawdown offsets OPEC outcome

  02-06-2016 17:59
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Thursday after data showing a weekly drawdown in U.S. crude stockpiles helped crude markets recover from OPEC's decision not to set a ceiling for its production. U.S. crude stockpiles fell 1.4 million barrels in the last week, the Energy Information Administration said. Although lower than a 2.5 million barrels forecast by analysts, the draw still helped crude futures erase early losses. Brent was up 20 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $49.92 (
  
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• Factbox - OPEC still standing among the ruins of former cartels

  02-06-2016 17:48
  (Reuters) - OPEC's sway over the global oil price has diminished in the last few years, but analysts say it is a long way off suffering the same fate as commodity cartels that fell victim to anything from technological advances to macroeconomic shifts. OPEC is not the first cartel that has sought to manage the global price of a commodity and serve the interest of its members, but at 56 years old and still going, it has outlived all of them. The twentieth century is riddled with examples of other
  
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• Map Shows Where Fossil Fuels Should Stay in the Ground

  02-06-2016 17:38 via feedproxy.google.com
  We know that we need to keep the vast majority of fossil fuels in the ground in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Now, a new project from the University of Arizona shows us exactly where we need to keep these fuels in the ground.
  
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• Nepal drains dangerous Everest lake

  02-06-2016 17:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nepal's army begins work to drain rising waters in a lake near Everest, one the highest projects of its kind.
  
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• Renewable Energy Closes "The Gap"

  02-06-2016 17:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  The Renewables Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century - shows that renewables are now firmly established as competitive, mainstream sources of energy in many countries around the world, closing the gap between the energy haves- and have-nots
  
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• The Sustainable Business Covered podcast: Episode 03 - Sustainability skills special

  02-06-2016 17:00
  
  In this special edition of edie's weekly podcast, we sit down with P&G's global sustainability director Virginie Helias, who provides an insight into the skills and expertise she's acquired after 28 years' experience with the FMCG firm.
  
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• OPEC fails to agree policy but Saudis pledge no shocks

  02-06-2016 15:42
  By Reem Shamseddine, Rania El Gamal and Alex Lawler VIENNA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia promised on Thursday not to flood the oil market with extra barrels even as OPEC failed to agree on output policy, with Iran insisting on the right to raise production steeply. Tensions between the Sunni-led kingdom and the Shi'ite Islamic Republic have been the highlights of several previous OPEC meetings, including in December 2015 when the group failed to agree on a formal output target for the first time in y
  
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• International airlines raise their profit forecast for this year

  02-06-2016 15:29
  By Victoria Bryan and Tim Hepher DUBLIN (Reuters) - Airlines should make more money than previously expected this year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday, helped by low oil prices and work by airlines to fill planes and drive ancillary revenues. IATA, representing over 260 airlines accounting for 83 percent of global air traffic, is now forecasting they will make a collective net profit of $39.4 billion (27.2 billion pounds) this year, up from a previous estimat
  
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• OPEC keeps output policy unchanged, no ceiling - delegate

  02-06-2016 15:12
  VIENNA (Reuters) - OPEC refrained from changing its oil output policy on Thursday, meaning the organisation failed to agree a new production ceiling, an OPEC delegate told Reuters. Two delegates also said Nigerian candidate Mohammed Barkindo was chosen to be OPEC's new secretary-general. (Reporting by OPEC newsroom; Editing by Dale Hudson)
  
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• Ebay traders of invasive species say they were unaware of legal restrictions

  02-06-2016 14:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Multiple listings of banned species found and since Guardian investigation 19 ads were closed down – but controlling the trade is akin to a game of whack-a-moleA killer algae, a monstrous pondweed, a tree that has infested the Everglades and a dozen more of the US’s most environmentally destructive plants have been discovered for sale on eBay. Online traders told the Guardian that ignorance of the law led them to create listings that had spread hundreds of illegal specimens across th
  
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• Nigeria's Buhari cancels visit to restive, oil-producing Niger Delta

  02-06-2016 14:50
  By Felix Onuah ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has cancelled at the last minute a visit planned for Thursday to the oil-producing Niger Delta that has been rocked by a spate of militant attacks. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited the restive region in Buhari's place to launch a cleanup programme in an area badly hit by oil spills, and said the government was working with community leaders to end militant attacks on oil installations. No reason has been given for Buhari's
  
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• Monk held over tiger skin 'smuggling'

  02-06-2016 14:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A monk is detained for attempting to smuggle tiger skins and fangs from a Buddhist temple accused of animal trafficking, Thai authorities say.
  
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• Gender gap in sustainability shrinks as job satisfaction continues to thrive

  02-06-2016 14:27
  
  The gender gap in the Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability (CRS) sector shrunk last year, with pay disparities shortening and the number of women occupying "top jobs" increasing, a new salary survey has revealed.
  
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• A switch to ecological farming will benefit health and environment – report

  02-06-2016 14:09 via theguardian.com
  
  The world needs to move away from industrial agriculture to avoid ecological, social and human health crises, say scientistsA new approach to farming is needed to safeguard human health and avoid rising air and water pollution, high greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss, a group of 20 leading agronomists, health, nutrition and social scientists has concluded.Rather than the giant feedlots used to rear animals or the uniform crop monocultures that now dominate farming worldwide, the solu
  
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• Celebrating American national parks in art – in pictures

  02-06-2016 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Georgia O’Keefe camping with Ansel Adams, paintings of the Tetons and comparisons of Yellowstone from 1871 and now are some of the highlights at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming. A series of exhibitions celebrates a range of arts focused on the anniversary of the national parks, running now until 28 August Continue reading...
  
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• Even for BP and Shell, North Sea remains a hard sell

  02-06-2016 13:52
  By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - When it comes to the North Sea, there is no such thing as an easy sale, even for oil giants Royal Dutch Shell and BP . More than any other region in the world, the North Sea has suffered greatly over the past two years as a 60 percent drop in oil prices, high operating costs, dwindling reserves and a tough tax regime has hit operators hard. As a result, producers ranging from Shell and France's Total to smaller regional players such as Enquest and Tullow Oil have
  
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• Oil heads for third week of gains, OPEC debates output policy

  02-06-2016 13:36
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices headed for their third week of gains on Thursday, holding steady ahead of an OPEC meeting that analysts said was not expected to result in restrictions on crude output. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is set for another showdown between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran when it meets on Thursday in Vienna, with Riyadh trying to revive coordinated action or a formal oil output target, but Tehran refusing to cooperate. Brent crude oil
  
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• First two Slovenian 'dragon eggs' hatch

  02-06-2016 13:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Following a four-month wait, the clutch of eggs belonging to a curious Slovenian cave salamander has started to hatch.
  
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• Energy generation in space will 'save' the world, says Jeff Bezos

  02-06-2016 13:03
  
  Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has outlined the future for his ongoing space exploration ambitions, which could see Earth "saved" by building around-the-clock solar factories in space that would replace energy-intensive manufacturing sectors.
  
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• At least 33 US cities used water testing 'cheats' over lead concerns

  02-06-2016 13:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: A Guardian investigation reveals that testing regimes similar to that of Flint were in place in major cities including Chicago, Boston and PhiladelphiaWater departments to change lead-testing methods after investigationAt least 33 cities across 17 US states have used water testing “cheats” that potentially conceal dangerous levels of lead, a Guardian investigation launched in the wake of the toxic water crisis in Flint, Michigan, has found.Related: Chicago residents take a
  
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• Water departments to change lead-testing methods after investigation

  02-06-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Instructions provided varied greatly, ranging from those that contained protocols the EPA advised against a decade ago to those that were periodically updatedAt least 33 US cities used water testing ‘cheats’ over lead concernsWater departments that use controversial lead-testing practices have told the Guardian they will change their methods after an investigation revealed they were not following environmental guidelines.Most of the water departments involved said they used the testi
  
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• Better, cleaner, greener: Environmentalist groups outline green benefits of EU

  02-06-2016 12:12
  
  Leading green groups including World Wildlife Fund (WWF), RSPB and Friends of the Earth (FotE) have outlined the environmental benefits of the UK remaining in the European Union (EU), stating that "there is no argument to be had" when taking into consideration the positive impact that Britain's membership has had on its nature and environment.
  
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• Oil set for third week of gains, OPEC debates output policy

  02-06-2016 11:45
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices held broadly steady on Thursday, set for their third week of gains, ahead of an OPEC meeting that analysts said was not expected to result in restrictions on crude output. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is set for another showdown between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran when it meets on Thursday in Vienna, with Riyadh trying to revive coordinated action or a formal oil output target, but Tehran refusing to cooperate. Brent crude
  
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• Iraq deputy minister says expects oil price at $55-65 in second half

  02-06-2016 11:38
  LONDON (Reuters) - Iraqi Deputy Oil Minister Fayadh al-Nema said he expected the oil price to be $55 to $65 per barrel in the second half of this year. He was speaking to reporters in Vienna on Thursday. International Brent crude oil futures were just under $50 a barrel on Thursday. Oil ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries meet on Thursday in Vienna. (Reporting by OPEC newsroom; editing by Susan Thomas)
  
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• Airlines forecast to make bigger 2016 profit than expected

  02-06-2016 11:34
  By Victoria Bryan and Tim Hepher DUBLIN (Reuters) - Global airlines should make more money than previously expected this year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday, helped by low oil prices and work by airlines to fill planes and drive ancillary revenues. IATA said it forecast net profit of $39.4 billion for the industry this year, against a previous $36.3 billion estimate, with more than half generated by North American carriers. IATA head Tony Tyler said airlines
  
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• Thai monk caught fleeing temple with tiger skins and fangs

  02-06-2016 11:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Authorities intercept man escaping a day after dozens of dead tiger cubs were found in Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua temple freezer Thai officials say a monk has been intercepted trying to leave a controversial “tiger temple” with skins and fangs, in the latest discovery to fuel long-running accusations that the sanctuary is involved in the illegal wildlife trade.
  Dozens of police and park officials have been stationed at the Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua temple in western Kanchanaburi province since
  
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• Thai monk caught fleeing temple with tiger skins

  02-06-2016 11:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Authorities intercept man trying to leave a day after dozens of dead tiger cubs found in Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua temple freezer Wildlife authorities in Thailand have found adult tiger skins and fangs during a raid on the “tiger temple” tourist attraction, and intercepted a monk who was trying to leave in a car that was carrying skins.Separately, officials said they would press charges against the Buddhist temple after 40 tiger cubs were found in a freezer on Wednesday. Continue reading.
  
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• Rare giant panda born in Belgium

  02-06-2016 11:29
  By Ines Kagubare BRUGELETTE, Belgium (Reuters) - A giant panda has given birth in a Belgian zoo, a rare event for an endangered species that numbers fewer than 2,000 worldwide. The male cub was born overnight at the Paira Daiza wildlife park to six-year-old Hao Hao and her mate Xing Hui, officials from the zoo told a news conference. World nature organisation WWF says a survey in 2014 found only 1,864 giant pandas living in the wild, almost double the numbers in the late 1970s and 17 percent up
  
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• Peabody's Australian mines in jeopardy despite minister's advice, says lawyer

  02-06-2016 11:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Environmental lawyer who has read the company’s financial statements says Josh Frydenberg needs to revisit an assurance he gave workersJosh Frydenberg should revisit reassurances he gave workers at Peabody’s Australian coalmines after the company filed financial statements revealing a “dire financial position”, an environmental lawyer who has studied the documents says.When the world’s biggest coalminer, Peabody Energy, sought bankruptcy protection in the United Sta
  
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• Saudis pledge not to shock oil markets as OPEC clash looms

  02-06-2016 11:22
  By Reem Shamseddine, Rania El Gamal and Alex Lawler VIENNA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia promised on Thursday not to shock the oil markets as OPEC headed into a heated debate about production policy, with Iran insisting on the right to raise output steeply. Tensions between the Sunni-led kingdom and the Shia Islamic Republic have been the highlights of several previous OPEC meetings, including in December 2015 when the group failed to agree on a formal output target for the first time in years. Sever
  
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• Kuwait minister says oil price at $50-60 is appropriate

  02-06-2016 11:21
  VIENNA (Reuters) - Kuwaiti acting Oil Minister Anas al-Saleh said on Thursday oil at $50 to $60 a barrel is an appropriate price. International Brent crude oil futures was just under $50 a barrel on Thursday. Saleh also told reporters in Vienna that OPEC's strategy is working, and the organisation would make sure it continued to make it work. Oil ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries meet on Thursday in Vienna. (Reporting by OPEC newsroom; editing by Susan Thomas)
  
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• UAE oil minister expects oil price to rise in second half

  02-06-2016 11:17
  UAE Oil Minister Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazroui expects the oil price to pick up in the second half of this year, he said on Thursday. Mazroui told reporters in Vienna the market needs the oil price to appreciate to sustain investment in the sector.
  
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• King Tut's knife 'made from meteorite'

  02-06-2016 11:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A dagger entombed alongside the mummy of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun was made with iron that came from a meteorite, researchers say.
  
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• Russia to discuss oil output freeze if OPEC united on issue - TASS cites Deputy PM

  02-06-2016 10:51
  (Reuters) - Russia is ready to discuss freezing its oil output if the global oil cartel, OPEC, is united on this issue, TASS news agency quoted Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich as saying on Thursday. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Katya Golubkova; Writing by Dmitry Solovyov)
  
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• Nigeria's Buhari cancels visit to oil-producing Niger Delta - government source

  02-06-2016 10:50
  By Felix Onuah ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has cancelled at the last minute a visit planned for Thursday to the oil-producing Niger Delta, which has been hit by a wave of militant attacks, a government source said. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will instead visit the restive southern region to launch a cleanup programme of the Ogoniland, an area badly hit by oil spills, the source said, without giving a reason for Buhari's cancellation. Buhari had already skipped a visit
  
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• Nigeria oil minister - OPEC open-minded, Nigeria's output back up to 1.6 million bpd

  02-06-2016 10:48
  Nigerian oil minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said on Thursday he saw "open-mindedness" in the OPEC meeting, but did not know what the outcome would be. Kachikwu said Nigeria's oil production had climbed to 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd). Despite the continued attacks by militants in the restive Niger Delta region, Kachikwu said Nigeria is targeting oil production of 2.2-2.3 million bpd for this year.
  
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• Venezuela oil minister proposes OPEC "supply range"

  02-06-2016 10:47
  VIENNA (Reuters) - Venezuela's oil minister Eulogio del Pino proposed an "oil supply range" for individual OPEC countries, he told reporters ahead of the group's meeting in Vienna on Thursday. Del Pino added that such a range could substitute for talks on an output ceiling. Venezuela's crude production stood at around 2.8 million barrels per day last month, he added. (Reporting by OPEC reporting team; editing by Jason Neely)
  
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• Algerian energy minister calls for return to output ceiling

  02-06-2016 10:46
  VIENNA (Reuters) - Algerian Energy Minister Salah Khebri hopes OPEC will return to an oil output ceiling with production quotas for individual member countries, he told reporters on Thursday. Oil ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries meet on Thursday in Vienna. (Reporting by OPEC reporting team; editing by Jason Neely)
  
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