Environment news

• Oil hits 2016 high on U.S. draw forecasts, Nigeria woes

  07-06-2016 23:14
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped more than 1 percent on Tuesday, hitting 2016 highs, with U.S. crude settling above $50 a barrel the first time in almost a year, on expectations of domestic stockpile draws and worries about global supply shortfalls from attacks on Nigeria's oil industry. U.S. crude stockpiles likely fell by 2.7 million barrels last week to mark a third straight week of declines, an updated Reuters poll showed. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (
  
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• US counties could gain $1 million in annual health benefits from a power plant carbon standard

  07-06-2016 23:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  Nearly all U.S. regions stand to gain economic benefits from power plant carbon standards that set moderately stringent emission targets and allow a high level of compliance flexibility, according to a new study by scientists from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Syracuse University, Resources for the Future, and the Harvard Forest, Harvard University as a project of the Science Policy Exchange.
  
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• The reef was my workplace and I knew so little about it. Then I started asking questions | John Rumney

  07-06-2016 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Over time I’ve become painfully aware that decisions being made outside my community are defining not only my business, but the entire reef tourism industryIn the late 1970s, I literally underwent a sea change. After spending time as a deckhand on a mate’s boat I decided commercial fishing was the life for me. All my energy went into fishing so I could fund a carefree life of adventure – snorkelling and diving on the Great Barrier Reef.Life and work was good, but I figured out
  
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• The Guardian view on the Great Barrier Reef: the crisis they prefer to downplay

  07-06-2016 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Many of the politicians fighting Australia’s election campaign talk about the economy and immigration but the world is listening for what they say about the impact of climate change
  If the rest of the world could vote in next month’s Australian election, there would almost certainly be one issue that would be raised to the top of the country’s political agenda: saving the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists say this year 93% of its reefs experienced some bleaching, and 22% of all of
  
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• Nigeria wants to talk to Delta Avengers - oil minister

  07-06-2016 21:27
  By Felix Onuah and Anamesere Igboeroteonwu ABUJA/ONITSHA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria wants to talk to the Niger Delta Avengers militant group which has claimed a string of attacks that sharply cut crude output, its oil minister said, in an attempt to stem a tide of violence in the country's main oil-producing region. The southern Delta swamps, where many complain of poverty and oil spills, have been hit by militant attacks on oil and gas pipelines which have brought Nigeria's oil output to a 20
  
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• Westerners lack education on nuclear disaster risks, expert warns

  07-06-2016 21:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Christopher Abbott says orderly evacuation seen during Japan’s Fukushima incident would not work as well in western societies Western societies would not respond well to a Fukushima-style nuclear disaster due to a lack of public information, a leading disaster expert has warned.Christopher Abbott said he firmly believed that the public ought to be better educated over the hazards and risks they may face.Continue reading...
  
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• No longer tropical storm, Colin still felt in Florida

  07-06-2016 20:39
  
  By Letitia Stein TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - The storm Colin dissipated off coastal North Carolina on Tuesday and moved out to sea after pounding the U.S. Southeast with torrential rains and winds, but flooding remained a concern in parts of Florida that received the brunt of the tropical storm. Colin was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone southwest of coastal North Carolina. As it moved off to sea in the afternoon, it packed winds up to 60 miles per hour (95 kph), National Hurricane Center in Mi
  
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• What happened to the UK shale gas report? | Letters

  07-06-2016 19:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Janet Russell asks the right question (Letters, May 30). What has happened to the report on shale gas by the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC)? When Professor Cowern and I gave evidence in February, we were assured that the report would be published no later than May. We have also been told unofficially that the CCC has accepted our data on fugitive emissions of methane and that shale gas is two times worse than coal from a climate change perspective. We also submitted a further paper towards th
  
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• Brazilian prosecutor targets senior ruling party leaders - report

  07-06-2016 19:14
  By Silvio Cascione BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's top prosecutor is seeking the arrests of the Senate leader and other senior ruling party politicians for allegedly trying to obstruct a corruption probe, threatening to undermine President Michel Temer's interim government, O Globo reported on Tuesday. Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot accuses them of seeking to block a sprawling two-year-old investigation into political kickbacks on contracts with state-run oil company Petrobras , according to the
  
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• Oil hits 2016 high on U.S. draw forecasts, Nigeria worry

  07-06-2016 18:55
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices continued their climb on Tuesday, hitting eight-month highs, as expectations of U.S. crude draws underpinned a market already worried about potential supply shortages from attacks on Nigeria's oil industry. U.S. crude stockpiles likely fell by 3.5 million barrels last week to mark a third straight week of declines, a preliminary Reuters poll showed.[EIA/S] Trade group American Petroleum Institute is expected to cite a drawdown as well in its inv
  
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• UK solar eclipses coal power over month for first time

  07-06-2016 18:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Longer days helped solar panels generate 50% more electricity than coal across the whole of May, analysis showsSolar power in the UK produced more electricity than coal across the whole of May, the first ever month to pass the milestone, according toresearch by analysts at Carbon Brief. Solar panels generated 50% more electricity than the fossil fuel across the month, as days lengthened and coal use fell. Solar generated an estimated 1,336 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity in May, compared to
  
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• Bleaching 'devastates' UK tropical reef

  07-06-2016 18:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Up to 85% of the corals in the Chagos Marine Reserve of the British Indian Ocean Territory are estimated to have been damaged or killed in the current global bleaching event.
  
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• Bleaching 'devastates' Chagos Marine Reserve

  07-06-2016 18:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Up to 85% of the corals in the Chagos Marine Reserve of the British Indian Ocean Territory are estimated to have been damaged or killed in the current global bleaching event.
  
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• Mike Croxford obituary

  07-06-2016 17:50 via theguardian.com
  
  My lifelong friend and colleague Mike Croxford, who has died aged 71, was a pioneer of recycling in his native Wales. The Welsh government’s current recycling performance – at 60% it is fourth in Europe – owes much to Mike, who was a founder member of the Zero Waste movement worldwide and of the Zero Waste International Trust.His interest in recycling began in 1980, while running the Augusta Street youth project in Cardiff. The young people started collecting newspapers to impr
  
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• Renewables versus climate change - the battle heats up!

  07-06-2016 17:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  The renewable energy revolution is in full swing, writes Jeremy Leggett, with costs falling to new lows, deployment of wind and solar surging to unprecedented highs, and confidence ebbing away from fossil fuels. But global warming is also accelerating, with global temperature records broken every month for a year. Will the energy transition happen in time to avert catastrophe?
  
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• Woman paddleboarding England's canals finds thousands of plastic items

  07-06-2016 17:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Lizzie Carr catalogued vast amount of plastic junk clogging 400 miles of waterways as she paddled through during her 22-day journeyA woman who paddled 400 miles up the length of England’s waterways found them choked with thousands of plastic items, from bottles and bags to toys and dummies.Lizzie Carr completed the 22-day challenge on Sunday with swollen knuckles and more than 2,000 photos of plastic junk she found in canals and rivers from Godalming in Surrey to Kendal in Cumbria. Continu
  
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• Vodafone targets energy innovation with Sustainable Business drive

  07-06-2016 17:32
  
  Off the back of rising greenhouse gas emissions, telecoms giant Vodafone is championing 'energy innovation' as one of three new 'global transformation goals' under a new, 10-year Sustainable Business strategy.
  
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• Nigeria to talk with Delta Avengers - oil minister

  07-06-2016 17:13
  By Felix Onuah and Anamesere Igboeroteonwu ABUJA/ONITSHA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria wants to talk with the Niger Delta Avengers militant group which has claimed a string of attacks that cut crude output sharply, its oil minister said, trying to stem a tide of violence in the country's main oil-producing region. The southern Delta swamps, where many complain of poverty and oil spills, have been hit by militant attacks on oil and gas pipelines which have brought Nigeria's oil output to a 20-year
  
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• Chile Is Producing So Much Solar Energy It's Giving Electricity Away for Free

  07-06-2016 17:11 via feedproxy.google.com
  Thanks to Chile’s major investments in renewables, the Latin American country is seeing an incredible solar boom.In a new Bloomberg report, “Chile Has So Much Solar Energy It’s Giving It Away for Free,” solar capacity from the country’s central grid has increased four fold to 770 megawatts since 2013. Another 1.4 gigawatts will be added this year with many solar power projects under development.
  
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• Malaysian palm oil giant IOI drops lawsuit against green group

  07-06-2016 16:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Former Unilever and Nestlé supplier says it now aims to comply with the RSPO’s highest level of accreditation by the end of the yearOne of the world’s largest producers of palm oil has dropped a lawsuit against the sustainability body that revoked its accreditation.IOI Group was suspended from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) scheme in April in the face of allegations it was not doing enough to prevent deforestation in Indonesia. Continue reading...
  
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• Eating Fat Doesn't Make You Fat, Study Finds

  07-06-2016 16:48
  It seems logical to think that eating a high-fat diet would tip the scale upward, but a new study suggests that might not be the case. Men and women in the study who followed a high-fat, Mediterranean diet that was rich in either olive oil or nuts lost more weight and reduced their waist circumference more than the people in the study who were simply instructed to reduce their fat intake, according to the study. The Mediterranean diet, rich in healthy fats and plant proteins, has been linked in
  
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• Shell CEO eyes top spot with post-BG deal refocus

  07-06-2016 16:40
  By Ron Bousso and Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell plans to increase cost savings to $4.5 billion (£3.9 billion) following its $54 billion acquisition of BG Group which Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said will make it the best oil company investment, ahead of Exxon Mobil . In its first long-term strategy presentation since February's deal, Shell unveiled plans to limit spending and exit countries in order to focus on the most profitable operations such as liquef
  
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• Gravity space mission passes big test

  07-06-2016 16:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Lisa Pathfinder mission, which was designed to demonstrate the technologies needed to detect gravitational waves in space, has been a stunning success, say officials.
  
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• Oil hits 2016 high, driven by falling supply and weaker dollar

  07-06-2016 15:54
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices hit their highest in eight months on Tuesday, buoyed by the dollar nearing one-month lows and by falling Nigerian oil output after a spate of attacks on infrastructure. Brent crude futures were up 36 cents on the day at $50.91 (£34.32) a barrel by 1339 GMT (1439 BST), having hit an intraday peak of $51.30 earlier in the day, their highest since October. U.S. crude oil futures gained 32 cents to trade at $50.01 a barrel, having touched a fresh
  
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• Record renewables growth threatened by 'turbulent' policy changes, says REA

  07-06-2016 15:27
  
  Despite record employment levels and high growth rates for 2015, Britain's renewable energy sector looks set to suffer from repeated policy interventions that have "blindsided" the industry, a new report from the Renewable Energy Association (REA) has claimed.
  
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• Brazil prosecutor seeks arrest of Senate president, ruling party leader -report

  07-06-2016 15:16
  By Silvio Cascione BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's chief prosecutor asked the Supreme Court to authorise the arrest of the presidents of the Senate and of the ruling PMDB party for allegedly trying to obstruct police investigations, newspaper O Globo said on Tuesday. Supreme Court Justice Teori Zavascki must now decide whether to accept the request, O Globo said. Chief prosecutor Rodrigo Janot also requested permission to arrest suspended House speaker Eduardo Cunha and former president José
  
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• Angolan separatist rebel leader dies in exile in France

  07-06-2016 15:10
  The leader of a rebel movement seeking independence for Angola's main oil region has died in exile in France, the group said in a statement seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) said Nzita Henriques Tiago, 88, would be buried in France on Friday as he only wanted his body taken back to Cabinda if it was an independent state. It did not say exactly when Tiago, who was president and co-founder of FLEC, died.
  
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• Raid uncovers truth behind Thailand's Tiger Temple

  07-06-2016 14:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  Thailand's 'tiger temple' was a front for the commercial exploitation of tiger bones, skins and other parts for the lucrative international trade, writes Simon Evans. It made no contribution to conservation and the animals were subject to extreme cruelty. But while the temple's closure is good news, there are hundreds of similar tiger farms across the region that are no better - or even worse.
  
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• Oil hits 2016 high on ebbing supply, softer dollar

  07-06-2016 13:44
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices hit their highest in eight months on Tuesday, buoyed by the dollar nearing one-month lows and by falling Nigerian oil output after a spate of attacks on infrastructure. U.S. crude oil futures rose 60 cents to $50.29 a barrel, having touched a fresh 2016 peak of $50.37, their highest since October last year. "With Brent staying above $50, oil is on an upward momentum with the restart of French refineries that were shut on strikes and pipeline attacks
  
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• Shell to exit up to 10 countries in cost cutting drive after BG deal

  07-06-2016 13:34
  By Ron Bousso and Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell will exit oil and gas operations in up to 10 countries in a drive to deepen cost cuts as it weathers weak oil prices and has to pay down debt following its $54 billion (£37 billion)acquisition of BG Group. The move, which includes the sale of 10 percent of its oil and gas production assets, will make Shell a smaller company that offers investors access to a more gas-heavy portfolio than some of its rivals such as Exxon M
  
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• Tiger Temple investigators find suspected slaughterhouse

  07-06-2016 13:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Four live tigers and 12 empty cages found during police raid at house 30 miles from temple in western ThailandThai police have found what they believe is a slaughterhouse and tiger-holding facility used in a suspected animal trafficking network.Acting on a tip, officers raided a home about 30 miles from the Tiger Temple, a popular tourist attraction that allows visitors to pose for photos with the tigers and take them for walks. Continue reading...
  
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• The AA's Cyclist's Highway Code has scope for amendments

  07-06-2016 13:10 via theguardian.com
  
  A motoring organisation telling cyclists what to do seems bizarre, but this part-Haynes Guide, part-bike shop catalogue, has good advice for new cyclists and parentsWhen the AA, the UK’s largest motoring organisation, published a Cyclist’s Highway Code on Monday, I thought it seemed like a bizarre but effective way to wind up passionate cyclists such as myself. I already don’t like the official Highway Code for telling me I “should” wear a helmet and fluorescent clo
  
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• Don't get riled by the AA advising cyclists – save your anger for the Highway Code

  07-06-2016 13:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Despite a backlash by some cyclists at the motoring organisation’s Cyclist’s Highway Code, the AA’s new book on cycling isn’t as bad as you might thinkWhen the AA, the UK’s largest motoring organisation, published a Cyclist’s Highway Code on Monday, I thought it seemed like a bizarre but effective way to wind up passionate cyclists such as myself. I already don’t like the official Highway Code for telling me I “should” wear a helmet and fluor
  
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• UN 'climate champions' prioritise developing nations in COP22 roadmap

  07-06-2016 12:54
  
  The United Nations (UN) has unveiled a new roadmap for the upcoming COP22 climate change conference in Marrakech, setting out a detailed agenda to boost cooperation between governments, cities and businesses and to help developing countries rapidly cut emissions.
  
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• UK's first True Zero Carbon student campus given green light

  07-06-2016 12:13
  
  The UK's first True Zero Carbon accredited student accommodation sites looks set to open later this year, after the University of Hertfordshire secured a BREEAM Outstanding rating for a new £120m campus building.
  
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• Green Conservatives call for earlier UK coal power phase-out

  07-06-2016 12:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Closing coal plants by 2023 rather than 2025 will cut carbon emissions and air pollution, and boost clean energy projects, Tory thinktank tells government The UK should close all its coal-fired power stations two years earlier than the government’s pledge of 2025, according to green Conservatives including former energy minister Lord Greg Barker. The move would not cause the lights to go out, would cut both carbon emissions and air pollution and would boost cleaner energy projects, accordi
  
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• Oil prices stay close to 2016 highs on ebbing supply, softer dollar

  07-06-2016 11:11
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices held close to their highest in seven months on Tuesday, buoyed by the U.S. dollar skimming its lowest in nearly a month and by falling Nigerian oil output after a spate of attacks on infrastructure. Brent crude futures were up 17 cents on the day at $50.72 a barrel by 0840 GMT. U.S. crude oil futures were up 14 cents at $49.83 a barrel.
  
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• Nigeria to start dialogue with Niger Delta militants - oil minister

  07-06-2016 10:53
  Nigeria will start a dialogue with the Niger Delta Avengers militant group which has been claiming a string of attacks, its oil minister said. President Muhammadu Buhari had appointed a team led by the national security advisor "to begin the process of a very intensive dialogue with those caught in the middle of this," Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said late on Monday. "Our prayer is that this works so that we resort to dialogue rather than use of force." Kachikwu said the military would scale back its
  
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• CMA raises some concerns over ICAP-Tullett deal

  07-06-2016 10:38
  (Reuters) - Britain's competition watchdog said it would refer the proposed merger of ICAP Plc's global hybrid voice broking business with Tullett Prebon Plc for an in-depth phase 2 probe unless the companies were able to address some of its concerns. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the merger would be referred for an investigation by an independent group of CMA panel members unless the companies provide solutions for its concerns about overlap in voice/hybrid broking of oil pro
  
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• Trafigura profit falls, oil volumes reach record

  07-06-2016 10:29
  Swiss trading house Trafigura [TRAFGF.UL] reported a 10 percent fall in first-half profit on Tuesday despite trading volumes in oil rising to a new record. The company said its net profit for October to March was $602 million, down from a year earlier but up 40 percent from the second half of 2015. While oil trade rose significantly, Chief Executive Jeremy Weir attributed weaker results to a calmer market after an exceptionally strong 2015.
  
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• Origin of mystery deep-sea mushroom revealed

  07-06-2016 10:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Australian scientists have used genetic material to pinpoint the origin of the deep-sea mushroom, an unusual gelatinous creature first dredged up near Tasmania in 1986.
  
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• Trafigura profit edges down, oil volumes reach record

  07-06-2016 09:26
  The company said its net profit for October to March was $602 million, a fall of 10 percent from the same period last year but 40 percent higher than in the second half of 2015. Gross profit was $1.17 billion, down 23 percent year-on-year but 8 percent higher than in the second half of 2015. "Trading was especially strong in the oil and petroleum products division, where volume handled daily topped 4 million barrels for the first time in Trafigura's history," it said.
  
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• Brent crude holds near 7-month high, eyes U.S. stocks decline

  07-06-2016 09:09
  By Osamu Tsukimori TOKYO (Reuters) - Brent crude hovered near seven-month highs on Tuesday, retaining the bulk of gains from the previous session, as market sentiment was bolstered by factors such as Nigerian oil infrastructure attacks and projections for falling U.S. crude inventories. Brent crude for August delivery was down 3 cents at $50.52 a barrel by 0650 GMT, not far from Monday's intraday high of $50.83, the strongest since November. NYMEX crude for July delivery was steady at $49.69 a b
  
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• Westminster set for electric vehicle boon with new car sharing scheme

  07-06-2016 09:00
  
  Westminster City Council has today (7 June) unveiled a new car sharing scheme that will offer 40 hybrid electric vehicles (EVs) to car club members at a cost-competitive price, with new charging infrastructure also added to boost the initiative.
  
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• UK competition watchdog raises some concerns over ICAP-Tullett deal

  07-06-2016 08:52
  (Reuters) - Britain's competition watchdog said it would refer the proposed merger of ICAP Plc's global hybrid voice broking business with Tullett Prebon Plc for an in-depth phase 2 probe unless the companies were able to address some of its concerns. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the merger would be referred for an investigation by an independent group of CMA panel members unless the companies provide solutions for its concerns about overlap in voice/hybrid broking of oil pro
  
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• Shell to exit up to 10 countries after BG deal

  07-06-2016 08:47
  By Ron Bousso and Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell said on Tuesday it would sell up to 10 percent of its oil and gas production, leaving up to 10 countries to cut costs following its $54 billion acquisition of BG Group. Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said the company would focus its short-term growth on deepwater projects in Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico as well in chemical projects in the United States and China. Shell also gave the go-ahead for investing in a new cr
  
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• Indonesia's forest fires threaten Sumatra's few remaining Orang Rimba

  07-06-2016 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Fires lit to clear ground for planting, mainly palm oil, have ravaged Sumatra’s forests, endangering the indigenous tribes who live in them
  “Our main goal is to preserve the forest according to the customary traditions of our people. If there’s no forest, there’s no Orang Rimba and the other way round,” says Bepak Pengusai, head of customs in a rombong, or group area, belonging to the Orang Rimba, an aboriginal people in Sumatra.Indonesia’s devastating forest
  
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• 'Let me outta here!' – amazing picture of a fish trapped inside a jellyfish

  07-06-2016 07:32 via theguardian.com
  
  This unlucky fish came unstuck when it was ‘swallowed up’ by a roaming jellyfish in waters off Byron Bay, Australia. The shot was captured by ocean photographer Tim Samuel, who says the fish was still alive and fighting to escape. ‘It was able to propel the jellyfish forward and controlled its movement to an extent. The jellyfish threw it off balance, though, and they would wobble around, and sometimes get stuck doing circles.’ Continue reading...
  
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• May blossom in June is a pink and white sensation

  07-06-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Claxton, Norfolk The hawthorn’s petals are infused with rose, a gloriously subtle hue, like the last residue of juice in a bowl of strawberries and creamThere had to be some benefits to the year’s strange grey iron-clad winter-spring, which persisted right until last month in our area. Now we see those benefits in the late coming of our may blossom. The hedges have turned into great waves of flowering luxuriance and, although the showing was strong in 2013 after its own cold-blasted
  
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• Brent crude comes off seven-month high, but momentum seen intact

  07-06-2016 06:02
  By Osamu Tsukimori TOKYO (Reuters) - Brent crude prices inched lower on Tuesday after hitting a seven-month high a day earlier, but market momentum appeared strong on a weak dollar, French refinery restarts, Nigerian oil infrastructure attacks and falling U.S. crude inventories. Brent crude for August delivery was down 14 cents at $50.41 a barrel by 0333 GMT, after settling up 91 cents on Monday. NYMEX crude for July delivery was down 11 cents at $49.58 a barrel, after settling up $1.07 on Monda
  
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