Environment news

• Oil prices rally in late trading after Turkish military takes over

  15-07-2016 23:19
  Oil prices extended gains in post-settlement trading on Friday after Turkey's armed forces said they had taken power in the country to protect the democratic order and to maintain human rights. Supply outages across the world have led to crude prices rallying from 12-year lows touched earlier in the year. For the oil market, a military coup raises concerns of an impact to the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, which runs from Iraq's Kirkuk oil fields to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in Turkey.
  
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• Calcification: Does it pay off in the future ocean?

  15-07-2016 22:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  An international research team has calculated the costs and benefits of calcification for phytoplankton and the impact of climate change on their important role in the world's oceans.Single-celled phytoplankton play an important role in marine biogeochemical cycling, in marine food webs and in the global climate system. Coccolithophores are a particular group that cover themselves with calcium carbonate shields, known as coccoliths. Some wrap themselves in an impenetrable coat of coccoliths, som
  
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• Ptarmigan in Colorado have varied reproduction, not likely linked to warming trends

  15-07-2016 21:37 via feedproxy.google.com
  Animals that live at high elevations are often assumed to be at risk for extinction as habitats warm and change. But a new study led by Colorado State University researchers found that ptarmigan, which live in cold ecosystems, are not strongly affected by fluctuations in seasonal weather at two populations studied in Colorado.The results, published July 15 in the journal PLOS ONE, are surprising, given the general perception of alpine animal populations as vulnerable to recent climate warmi
  
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• Oil up, notches weekly gain on improved demand outlook

  15-07-2016 21:31
  By Barani Krishnan and Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose slightly on Friday, ending the week higher, after data from top energy consumers the United States and China boosted the oil demand outlook. Crude prices touched session highs after data showed U.S. retail sales rose more than expected in June as Americans bought motor vehicles and a variety of other goods, reinforcing views of steady economic growth in the second quarter. "I still think oil prices are more likely t
  
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• Solar on the best UK sites is competitive with cheap coal

  15-07-2016 21:18 via feedproxy.google.com
  Last week a massive 350-hectare open cast coal mine at Druridge Bay won planning permission. This got Chris Goodall wondering: what if the land was turned into a solar farm instead? His surprise discovery: solar power on England's south coast already costs no more than coal - and it's only getting cheaper.A week ago Northumberland council gave planning permission to a new open-cast coal mine at Druridge on the coastline just north of Newcastle.About 3 million tonnes of coal will be extracted ove
  
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• BoE's Carney warns of $7 trillion green infrastructure need

  15-07-2016 20:02
  By Matt Scuffham and Fergal Smith TORONTO (Reuters) - As much as $7 trillion will need to be spent building new infrastructure around the world that will make it possible to cut carbon emissions over the next 15 to 20 years, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney warned on Friday. Carney, speaking with Canadian Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna at an event in Toronto, said measures to finance green initiatives would form a major part of this year's G20 summit in China in Se
  
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• Countryside faces Brexit anxiety

  15-07-2016 19:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Farmers and environmentalists alike are facing anxiety as the shadow of Brexit looms over Britain’s countryside.
  
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• First farmers had diverse origins, DNA shows

  15-07-2016 19:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Analysis of DNA from some of the world's first farmers shows that they had surprisingly diverse origins.
  
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• What Do You Know About New York Whales?

  15-07-2016 18:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  In case you thought wildlife in New York was pretty much limited to the squirrels and pigeons of Central Park, Howard Rosenbaum has news for you.“In less distance out to sea than the average New Yorker’s commute home, there is likely a whale singing at this very moment,” says Rosenbaum, director of the Ocean Giants program at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, Brooklyn.7 Species Of Whales Spotted In New York WatersHumpback whales (seen above) are regularly seen in the
  
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• Global clean investment down on 2015 levels at halfway stage

  15-07-2016 18:37
  
  Investment slowdowns in China and Japan, as well as a sustained decrease in the cost of solar, has meant that clean energy investment in the second quarter of 2016 reached $61.5bn, 32% below the $90bn spent in the equivalent period of 2015, according to the latest data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).
  
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• Global clean investment down on 2015 levels at half-year mark

  15-07-2016 18:37
  
  Investment slowdowns in China and Japan, as well as a sustained decrease in the cost of solar, has meant that clean energy investment in the second quarter of 2016 reached $61.5bn, 32% below the $90bn spent in the equivalent period of 2015, according to the latest data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).
  
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• Global clean energy investment down on 2015 levels at half-year mark

  15-07-2016 18:37
  
  Investment slowdowns in China and Japan, as well as a sustained decrease in the cost of solar, has meant that clean energy investment in the second quarter of 2016 reached $61.5bn, 32% below the $90bn spent in the equivalent period of 2015, according to the latest data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).
  
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• Butterflies, food waste and Theresa May – green news roundup

  15-07-2016 18:11 via theguardian.com
  
  The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox Continue reading...
  
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• Urban explorers in Fukushima's ghost towns – in pictures

  15-07-2016 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Haunting images taken by photographer Keow Wee Loong, who with two friends sneaked into the ‘exclusion zone to explore four towns that were abandoned after the 2011 nuclear disaster Continue reading...
  
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• London mayor Sadiq Khan joins Gatwick bosses in call for new runway

  15-07-2016 17:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Key political figure shares stage with airport executives and calls for Theresa May to rule out controversial Heathrow expansionGatwick’s campaign to win approval for a second runway has been boosted as the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, joined executives at the airport calling on the new prime minister to back expansion at Heathrow’s rival. The event came as Gatwick announced a further £200m to improve its terminal facilities, and a day after Theresa May’s new cabinet prom
  
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• Rare leopards released into Russian reserve threatened by a ski resort

  15-07-2016 17:54 via theguardian.com
  
  Three endangered Persian leopard cubs are intended to reintroduce the species to the Sochi area but new plans for a ski trail put the future of the reserve and the animals at risk Three Persian leopard cubs have been released into the Sochi area of Russia’s western Caucasus, a day after Unesco threatened to deem the area a “world heritage site in danger” because of a planned ski resort expansion. Persian leopards once prowled across the Caucasus mountains in great numbers but p
  
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• Oil steady, with weekly gain in sight; awaits U.S. rig count

  15-07-2016 17:53
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices were steady on Friday, on track for second consecutive weekly gain, after data from top energy consumers the United States and China boosted the oil demand outlook. Oil drillers added oil rigs for a fifth week in sixth last week, the closely-followed report by oil services firm Baker Hughes showed. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures rose 20 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $45.88.
  
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• Why Are There Frogs With Extra Limbs and Missing Eyes in Australia?

  15-07-2016 17:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  There’s something strange happening in Queensland, Australia: the frog populations are dropping like flies and frog deformities are on the rise. One frog doctor (yes, that’s a legitimate thing) blames insecticides, particularly neonicotinoids. The problem is that no one from the academic community or government is taking these issues seriously.Deborah Pergolotti runs the Cairns Frog Safe project — Australia’s only hospital that serv
  
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• BoE's Carney says G20 summit to focus on green finance

  15-07-2016 17:25
  By Matt Scuffham and Fergal Smith TORONTO (Reuters) - Climate change and the funding of "green" initiatives will form a major part of this year's G20 summit in China in September, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said, emphasizing China's commitment to environmental issues. "If anyone is in any doubt, these issues are of paramount interest to China and will form a substantial proportion of the Chinese G20 summit," Carney told Canada's Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna
  
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• Damien Hirst formaldehyde artworks 'posed no risk to public'

  15-07-2016 17:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A scientific paper that claimed a 2012 exhibition of Damien Hirst works led to the release of dangerous formaldehyde fumes is retracted by one of its authors after further tests.
  
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• Brexit won't free UK from paying for botched EU farming subsidies, warn audit office

  15-07-2016 17:13 via theguardian.com
  
  New environment minister, Andrea Leadsom, faces problem of paying the retrospective fines on top of dealing with the end of EU farming subsidiesBritish taxpayers will still be paying fines to the EU over the mishandling of farming subsidies after the country has left the bloc, the National Audit Office warned on Friday.At least £660m has already been paid in fines, owing to delays in implementing the rules of the common agricultural policy in the six years to 2013. More fines will follow f
  
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• EU's statement on South China Sea reflects divisions

  15-07-2016 16:55
  By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union issued a statement on Friday noting China's legal defeat over the South China Sea but avoided direct reference to Beijing, reflecting discord among EU governments over how strongly to respond to the court ruling. While the European Union is neutral in China's dispute with its Asian neighbours in the South China Sea, Britain, France and Germany want to make clear that Beijing must uphold international law as it seeks a bigger global role.
  
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• First Ever? Discovery of Philistine Cemetery Draws Criticism

  15-07-2016 16:30
  
  A 3,000-year-old graveyard with the bones of about 200 individuals discovered in Ashkelon, Israel, is being hailed as the first (and only) Philistine cemetery ever found. If valid, the finding would reveal more about a mysterious people known as the Philistines. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Philistines came from the Aegean Sea region, along with other groups of people, during the 12th century B.C, at a time when cities and civilizations in Greece and the Middle East were collap
  
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• Trump's expected VP pick - coal advocate who defied Obama's climate agenda

  15-07-2016 16:22
  By Valerie Volcovici and Grant Smith WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump's expected selection of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate cheered the U.S. energy industry and dismayed green advocates, with both sides citing Pence's support for coal mining and defiance of President Barack Obama's climate-change agenda. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has called climate change a hoax and promised to gut U.S. environmental regulations in order to h
  
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• Millennials will drive future value for energy providers, survey shows

  15-07-2016 15:35
  
  A new survey has found that a strong consumer demand in new products and services from millennials will create a significant amount of value for energy providers who embrace the younger generations.
  
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• Citigroup's quarterly profit falls 14 percent, less than indicated

  15-07-2016 14:30
  (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc reported a 14 percent fall in quarterly profit, much smaller than the 25 percent drop Chief Executive Michael Corbat had warned of early in June. The bank, which gets more than half its revenue from outside the United States, said on Friday its adjusted net income declined to $4.0 billion (£3 billion) in the second quarter ended June 30 from $4.65 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share slid to $1.24 from $1.45, but beat the analyst average estimate of $1.10, a
  
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• Russian court will begin trial over Total CEO's death on July 28 - media

  15-07-2016 14:20
  A Russian court will on July 28 start the trial of airport staff charged in the death of Christophe Margerie, the head of French oil major Total who was killed when his jet collided with a snow plough in a Moscow airport, Russian media reported on Friday. Lawyers for the five airport employees who are defendants in the case asked the court on Thursday to send the case back to prosecutors, saying the investigation had missed crucial evidence. De Margerie was killed in October 2014 along with thre
  
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• Trump and Clinton: the stage is set for America's climate aspirations

  15-07-2016 14:06
  
  As the UK's commitment to battling climate change takes a departmental twist, the two US presidential candidates are leading campaigns that sit on very different ends of the climate policy scale.
  
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• Scientists warn of 'unsafe' decline in biodiversity

  15-07-2016 13:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An international team of scientists has issued a warning that biodiversity is dropping below safe levels for the support and wellbeing of human societies.
  
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• China tells Japan to stop interfering in South China Sea

  15-07-2016 13:21
  By Sue-Lin Wong and Terrence Edwards ULAANBAATAR (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday that his country should stop interfering and hyping up the South China Sea issue, as the dispute took centre stage at a key regional summit in Mongolia. China has refused to recognise Tuesday's ruling by an arbitration court in The Hague invalidating China's vast claims in the South China Sea and did not take part in the proceedings. Meeting in the Mongolian c
  
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• The fate of Britain's environment rests on a cabinet tug of war

  15-07-2016 13:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Free-market red tape slashers are pitched against ministers backing a clean, green economy as the UK’s best long term bet. But who will win out?The cast has changed following Theresa May’s reshuffle, but the play remains the same. It’s a struggle pitching free-market red tape slashers against those backing a clean, green economy as the UK’s best long term bet. The big question is whether this performance will have a different ending.The performance directed by David Camer
  
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• Star Trek's George Takei Talks Space Travel and More with Space.com (Video)

  15-07-2016 13:15
  
  Best known for playing Hikaru Sulu in the original "Star Trek" TV series and movies, Takei's sense of humor and joyful personality have made him a favorite guest on talk shows for years. I spoke to Takei at the opening of "Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience" at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York.
  
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• The demise of DECC: What next for the UK's green business prospects?

  15-07-2016 13:12
  
  As the dust settles on yesterday's shock announcement that DECC will be axed and merged into an expanded business department, attentions will inevitably turn to what the transfer of power means for the green economy and what opportunities and challenges will arise from the new regime.
  
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• Japan, Vietnam agree South China Sea ruling must be observed - Kyodo

  15-07-2016 13:11
  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed with his Vietnamese counterpart that an arbitration court's decision this week on the South China Sea must be observed, Japan's Kyodo news agency said on Friday. The court in The Hague ruled China has no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea and that it has breached the Philippines' sovereign rights with its actions, infuriating Beijing, which dismissed the case as a farce. Abe and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan P
  
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• Waiting for Flaviu: Dartmoor zoo takes softly-softly approach to missing lynx

  15-07-2016 13:05 via theguardian.com
  
  There is no panic among Dartmoor team over wild-cat runaway – they know where he is, and it’s a matter of luring him backBenjamin Mee, zoo director and animal psychologist, gestured towards a pair of African lions, Josie and Jasiri, dozing in their wooded enclosure at Dartmoor zoo. “That is what the lynx will be doing right now, 500 metres or so from here – just over that way.”The problem for Mee is “just over that way”. And he does not mean in another c
  
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• Clean energy won’t save us – only a new economic system can do that

  15-07-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  It’s time to pour our creative energies into imagining a new global economy. Infinite growth is a dangerous illusionEarlier this year media outlets around the world announced that February had broken global temperature records by a shocking amount. March broke all the records, too. In June our screens were covered with surreal images of Paris flooding, the Seine bursting its banks and flowing into the streets. In London, the floods sent water pouring into the tube system right in the heart
  
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• China tells Japan to stop 'interfering' in South China Sea issue

  15-07-2016 12:51
  BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday that Japan should stop "hyping up and interfering in" the South China Sea issue, state news agency Xinhua said. The two meet on the sidelines of a regional summit in Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, it said. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)
  
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• Air pollution causes wrinkles and premature ageing, new research shows

  15-07-2016 12:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Toxic fumes may be the primary cause of skin ageing in polluted cities such as London, New York and Beijing, scientists sayAir pollution is prematurely ageing the faces of city dwellers by accelerating wrinkles and age spots, according to emerging scientific research.The effects of toxic fumes on skin are being seen in both western cities, such as London and New York, as well as in more visibly polluted Asian cities and in some cases may be the primary cause of ageing. The pollution is also bein
  
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• Humans are greening the planet, but the implications are complicated | John Abraham

  15-07-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  New study shows humans are influence the growth patterns of plants, but it’s not as simple as ‘greener is better’
  The Earth’s climate is changing – in fact, it always changes. But in the current context of human influence, scientists try to decipher how much of the change is natural compared to human-induced.One clear way humans influence the Earth is through the biosystem. For instance, farming changes the biosystem. By removing natural growth and planting annual c
  
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• European Commission set to establish post-2020 transport efficiency standards

  15-07-2016 11:42
  
  Plans outlined in a leaked draft document from the European Commission (EC) to introduce efficiency standards for new cars, vans and trucks by the mid-2020s has been lauded as a "step in the right direction" by Transport & Environment (T&E).
  
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• Oil falls on persistent glut fears, China data supports

  15-07-2016 11:37
  By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Crude futures dipped below $47 a barrel on Friday on concerns that a persistent global glut of crude oil and refined products will impede any price recovery. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were down 50 cents at $45.18 a barrel. While the price collapse over the past two years has led to a sharp drop in global oil production, stored inventories remain at high levels, particularly for refined products, weighing on a recovery in prices.
  
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• Japan PM tells China's Li international law must be respected - Kyodo

  15-07-2016 11:10
  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that a rules-based international order must be respected, Japan's Kyodo news agency on Friday quoted a senior Japanese official as saying. An arbitration court in The Hague ruled this week China has no historic title over the waters of the South China Sea and that it has breached the Philippines' sovereign rights with its actions, infuriating Beijing, which dismissed the case as a farce. Abe held talks with Li o
  
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• Outdoor learning 'boosts children's development'

  15-07-2016 10:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Outdoor learning can have a positive impact on children's development but it needs to be formally adopted by national curricula, a report suggests.
  
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• China media again touts plans to float nuclear reactors in disputed South China Sea

  15-07-2016 10:02
  China aims to launch a series of offshore nuclear power platforms to promote development in the South China Sea, state media said again on Friday, days after an international court ruled Beijing had no historic claims to most of the waters. Sovereignty over the South China Sea is contested by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, and any move to build nuclear reactors is bound to stoke further tension in the region. The official China Securities Journal said as many as 20
  
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• Abolition of Decc 'major setback for UK's climate change efforts'

  15-07-2016 09:45 via theguardian.com
  
  Ex-ministers and environmental groups condemn decision to axe ministry as downgrading action to tackle climate changeThe abolition of the Department of Energy and Climate Change has been condemned by former ministers as a major setback to British efforts to combat global warming.Decc was closed in a series of sweeping changes to the government unveiled by the new prime minister, Theresa May, on Thursday. Its functions, which include representing the UK at international climate talks, responsibil
  
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• Bacteria windfarms and 3D coral reefs: the best green innovations of the week

  15-07-2016 09:00
  
  In a week that has settled on a new Prime Minister and Cabinet for the UK, edie rounds up the latest low-carbon innovations that could help mitigate the "inevitable changes" that climate change will bring to the nation.
  
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• How Kia is using carbon capture technology to reduce production emissions

  15-07-2016 08:30
  
  South Korean car manufacturer Kia has demonstrated its commitment to develop carbon capture and regeneration technologies as the company attempts to significantly reduce emissions in its production process, as revealed in its latest CSR report.
  
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• Tim Peake: 'Brexit will affect science'

  15-07-2016 08:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  British astronaut Tim Peake says that he is concerned about the future of scientific research in Britain, following the vote to leave the European Union.
  
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• Food waste: harvesting Spain's unwanted crops to feed the hungry

  15-07-2016 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Spain’s gleaning movement has grown rapidly in response to austerity, harvesting imperfect fruit and veg - that would otherwise be wasted - for food banks. Now its own line of jams, soups and sauces is taking off tooUnder a blazing Catalan sun, Abdelouahid wipes the sweat from his brow in a cabbage patch full with clouds of white butterflies. “It’s really not warm today,” he says. “It’s only hot if you stop working.”Around him, unemployed workers and env
  
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• Philippines foreign minister calls for South China Sea restraint

  15-07-2016 07:38
  ULAANBATAAR (Reuters) - The Philippines strongly affirms its respect for the arbitration court's ruling on the South China Sea and calls on all parties to exercise restraint, Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Friday at a regional summit in Mongolia. The Philippines is committed to a peaceful resolution and will continue to engage concerned parties to reduce regional tensions, Yasay told the summit, according to a transcript of his remarks provided to Reuters. (Reporting by Seu-Lin Wong; Wr
  
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