Environment news

• Hummingbird vision wired to avoid high-speed collisions

  18-07-2016 23:10 via feedproxy.google.com
  Hummingbirds are among nature's most agile fliers. They can travel faster than 50 kilometres per hour and stop on a dime to navigate through dense vegetation.Now researchers have discovered that the tiny birds process visual information differently from other animals, perhaps to handle the demands of their extreme aerial acrobatics."Birds fly faster than insects and it's more dangerous if they collide with things," said Roslyn Dakin, a postdoctoral fellow in the UBC's department of zoology who l
  
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• Trees rely on a range of strategies to hunt for nutrient hot spots

  18-07-2016 22:59 via feedproxy.google.com
  On the surface, trees may look stationary, but underground their roots -- aided by their fungal allies -- are constantly on the hunt and using a surprising number of strategies to find food, according to an international team of researchers.The precision of the nutrient-seeking strategies that help trees grow in temperate forests may be related to the thickness of the trees' roots and the type of fungi they use, according to David Eissenstat, professor of woody plant physiology, Penn State. The
  
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• Oil down 1 percent on worry of crude and fuel supply glut

  18-07-2016 22:33
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices settled down more than 1 percent on Monday after rising stockpiles of crude and refined fuel intensified fears another major glut was building up. Market intelligence firm Genscape reported that the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery hub for U.S. crude futures saw a supply build of 26,460 barrels in the week to July 15, traders who saw the data said. Morgan Stanley said it still expected a supply-demand rebalancing in oil by mid-2017 but added that fund
  
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• A battery inspired by vitamins

  18-07-2016 22:12 via feedproxy.google.com
  Harvard researchers have identified a whole new class of high-performing organic molecules, inspired by vitamin B2, that can safely store electricity from intermittent energy sources like solar and wind power in large batteries.The development builds on previous work in which the team developed a high-capacity flow battery that stored energy in organic molecules called quinones and a food additive called ferrocyanide. That advance was a game-changer, delivering the first high-performance, non-fl
  
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• WSU researchers determine key improvement for fuel cells

  18-07-2016 21:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  Washington State University researchers have determined a key step in improving solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), a promising clean energy technology that has struggled to gain wide acceptance in the marketplace.The researchers determined a way to improve one of the primary failure points for the fuel cell, overcoming key issues that have hindered its acceptance. Their work is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Journal of Physical Chemistry C.Fuel cells offer a clean and highly efficient
  
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• Oil down over 1 pct amid rise in crude and fuel supplies

  18-07-2016 21:15
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices settled down more than 1 percent on Monday after rising stockpiles of crude and refined fuel intensified fears another major glut was building up. Morgan Stanley said it still expected a supply-demand rebalancing in oil by mid-2017 but added that fundamental headwinds were growing in the market. "Tail risks are admittedly large in both directions, as geopolitics add to uncertainty." An attempted coup in Turkey barely supported the market as Ista
  
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• Storage device writes information atom-by-atom

  18-07-2016 19:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The quest for storage devices that pack ever more information into a small space has reached a new limit, with memory that writes information atom-by-atom.
  
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• Militants attack state-run Nigerian oil pipeline

  18-07-2016 19:17
  By Tife Owolabi YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Militants in Nigeria have attacked a crude oil pipeline on the outskirts of Warri, a city in the Niger Delta, which is operated by a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), a community leader said on Monday. Militants calling for a greater share of Nigeria's energy wealth to go to the impoverished Delta area have attacked oil and gas facilities in the southern region in the last few months, briefly cutting the country's oil p
  
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• Dark cloud of offshore fuel storage rising over oil price

  18-07-2016 19:11
  By Ron Bousso and Libby George LONDON (Reuters) - This has not been the summer many oil traders had expected after last year's bumper profits. European traders are now moving to store diesel on tankers at sea as on shore storage tests its limits yet again. At least one vessel, the 90,000 tonne STI Grace has dropped anchor off the chic holiday town of Southwold on England's east coast in what traders said was floating storage.
  
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• North Sea workers' strike to 'severely disrupt' Shell operations - union

  18-07-2016 18:29
  Wood Group oil and gas maintenance workers employed at several Royal Dutch Shell platforms in the North Sea will go on strike for 24 hours on July 26, labour union Unite said on Monday. The workers, who are protesting against changes to pay and working conditions, will also undertake several three-hour stoppages over the following weeks, a union representative said. Shell declined to comment.
  
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• Could these cyborg beetles save lives?

  18-07-2016 18:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists in Singapore have created cyborg beetles that they believe could help save lives.
  
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• Freedom of navigation patrols may end 'in disaster' - Chinese admiral

  18-07-2016 18:06
  By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - Freedom of navigation patrols carried out by foreign navies in the South China Sea could end "in disaster", a senior Chinese admiral has said, a warning to the United States after last week's ruling against Beijing's claims in the area. China has refused to recognise the ruling by an arbitration court in The Hague that invalidated its vast territorial claims in the South China Sea, and did not take part in the proceedings brought by the Philippines. China has
  
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• New discoveries about photosynthesis may lead to solar cells of the future

  18-07-2016 18:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  For the first time, researchers have successfully measured in detail the flow of solar energy, in and between different parts of a photosynthetic organism. The result is a first step in research that could ultimately contribute to the development of technologies that use solar energy far more efficiently than what is currently possible.For about 80 years, researchers have known that photochemical reactions inside an organism do not occur in the same place as where it absorbs sunlight. What has n
  
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• Oil prices slide amid rise in crude, fuel supplies

  18-07-2016 17:52
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than 1 percent on Monday as rising stockpiles of crude and refined fuel intensified fears of another major glut building. Morgan Stanley said in a report that demand for fuels such as diesel and gasoline were lagging petrochemicals, clouding the outlook for oil. "A rapid rise of non-petroleum products (demand) is boosting total product demand, but this is unhelpful for crude oil.
  
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• Concerns mount over Andrea Leadsom's suitability for environment role

  18-07-2016 17:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Senior environmental and agricultural figures cite lack of top-level experience, track record and policy approach as fears Andrea Leadsom’s appointment as environment secretary has raised significant concerns among senior environmental and agricultural figures over her suitability for the role. Leadsom’s lack of top-level political experience, absence of track record in farming or environmental areas and ideological approach to policy are all cited as fears. However, her junior minis
  
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• Ancient barley DNA gives insight into crop development

  18-07-2016 17:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An international group of scientists have analysed the DNA of 6,000 year old barley, showing that it is remarkably similar to modern day varieties.
  
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• Exodus of professional workers reshaping Qatar

  18-07-2016 17:07
  By Tom Finn DOHA (Reuters) - Five years ago Samer Habib left the United Arab Emirates and moved to Qatar where he opened a restaurant that turned a profit serving Lebanese salads and sandwiches to expats. "They say it's been a tough year." Like other Gulf states heavily dependent on energy sales, Qatar - the world's top liquefied natural gas exporter - has sought to cushion the impact of lower oil prices on its finances by raising utility bills and slashing spending. Many of the foreign workers
  
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• Farming and forestry can deliver food security, says UN

  18-07-2016 16:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Improving co-operation between nations' farming and forestry sectors will help reduce deforestation and improve food security, a UN report suggests.
  
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• Oil prices slide as market shrugs off Turkey coup bid

  18-07-2016 15:40
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell nearly 2 percent on Monday as traders shrugged off the impact of the attempted coup in Turkey and the market turned its attention to bearish fundamentals, while disruptions to crude exports in Libya lent prices some support. "The market is looking past the coup," CMC Markets' chief market analyst in Sydney Ric Spooner said. News that oil guards protesting over pay shut Libya's Hariga oil terminal on Sunday dampened hopes the country could boost
  
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• 2,000-Year-Old Dog Graveyard Discovered in Siberia

  18-07-2016 15:20
  
  The carefully buried remains of five dogs were recently found in a 2,000-year-old doggy graveyard near the Arctic Circle in Siberia, according to archaeologists. This discovery at the Ust-Polui archaeological site, in Salekhard, Russia, reveals close relationships between the region's people and their animal "best friends" two millennia B.C. The dogs likely served as pets, workers and sources of food — and possibly as sacrificial offerings in religious ceremonies, the researchers said. "Th
  
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• UK chemical plant granted £7m for energy resilience project

  18-07-2016 15:19
  
  A Green Investment Bank (GIB) supported fund has provided £7m to an energy efficiency project for a global chemical manufacturer, which could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by an estimated 28,000 tonnes per annum.
  
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• No, the US Isn't Using Vaccine-Laced M&Ms to Save Ferrets

  18-07-2016 15:15
  
  Recent reports have claimed that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to save endangered ferrets by firing vaccine-laced M&Ms from drones into the animals' habitats. Yes, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is investigating drones as a way to distribute vaccinations — but not using M&Ms, and not for ferrets directly, agency officials told Live Science. The FWS is working to recover the population of endangered black-footed ferrets in the U.S., which is at risk due to an exo
  
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• Iraq marshlands named Unesco World Heritage Site

  18-07-2016 14:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The United Nations cultural agency Unesco names Iraq's southern marshes - once decimated by Saddam Hussein - a World Heritage Site.
  
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• Ban diesel cars in London, thinktank urges

  18-07-2016 14:19 via theguardian.com
  
  IPPR analysis says capital will eventually need to phase out diesel cars and buses in order to meet EU air pollution targetsDiesel vehicles must be banned from London if the UK is to meet its air pollution targets, a thinktank warned on Monday.Cars, vans and buses using diesel fuel are the leading cause of air pollution in the capital, and although steps are being taken to discourage their use, through the congestion charge and clean air zones, this will not be enough to clear the air, the Insti
  
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• Oil prices ease as market shrugs off Turkey coup bid

  18-07-2016 13:56
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Monday as traders shrugged off the impact of the attempted coup in Turkey and the market turned its attention to bearish fundamentals, while disruptions to crude exports in Libya lent prices some support. "The market is looking past the coup," CMC Markets' chief market analyst in Sydney Ric Spooner said. News that oil guards protesting over pay shut Libya's Hariga oil terminal on Sunday dampened hopes the country could boost its output signi
  
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• New Zealand: Earth’s Mythical Islands - in pictures

  18-07-2016 13:30 via theguardian.com
  
  From parrots in the snow and penguins waddling through the forest to dinosaur-like reptiles, a new three-part part series from the BBC’s Natural History Unit, narrated by actor Sam Neill, showcases the island chain’s rich and intriguing wildlife that has resulted from 80 million years of isolation.• Episode one airs on Tuesday 19 July at 9pm on BBC Two. Continue reading...
  
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• DNA sequencer sent to space station

  18-07-2016 13:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nasa has sent a DNA sequencer to the International Space Station in an effort to help astronauts monitor their own health.
  
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• From favelas to the White House, tiles turn footsteps into electricity

  18-07-2016 13:21
  By Lin Taylor LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - It was in Morro da Mineira favela, in Rio de Janeiro, that British engineer Laurence Kemball-Cook first saw how his floor tiles could make a difference. Under their feet were 200 tiles that Kemball-Cook and his team had installed with funding from oil giant, Shell. "The parents saw that their kids were taking part in a real-life science experiment and how inspiring it was," said Kemball-Cook, founder and chief executive of Pavegen, which produc
  
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• Low-carbon movement requires $7trn in green infrastructure, warns Bank of England

  18-07-2016 13:10
  
  Close to $7trn will need to be spent on new green infrastructure across the globe in order to cut carbon emissions over the next 20 years, the Bank of England's governor Mark Carney has claimed.
  
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• Green coalition urges Greg Clark to commit to key EU 2020 energy targets

  18-07-2016 12:52
  
  An alliance of trade bodies, pressure groups and NGOs has called upon the new Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) head to give assurances that the Government will continue to meet European Union (EU) directives and targets until Brexit terms are in place.
  
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• Green coalition urge Greg Clark to commit to key EU 2020 energy targets

  18-07-2016 12:52
  
  An alliance of trade bodies, pressure groups and NGOS has called upon the new Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) head to give assurances that the Government will continue to meet European Union (EU) directives and targets until Brexit terms are in place.
  
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• Green coalition urge Greg Clark to commit to EU 2020 energy targets

  18-07-2016 12:52
  
  An alliance of trade bodies, pressure groups and NGOS has called upon the new Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) head to give assurances that the Government will continue to meet European Union (EU) directives and targets until Brexit terms are in place.
  
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• Tesco finds an appetite for 100% sustainably sourced cocoa

  18-07-2016 12:48
  
  Supermarket giant Tesco has revealed that it will acquire all cocoa used for its own label chocolate, biscuits, cakes, deserts and cereal products sold in the UK from Rainforest Alliance Certified sources by the end of 2018.
  
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• Iraqi marshlands named as Unesco world heritage site

  18-07-2016 12:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Area made up of four archaeological sites and three wetland marshes in southern Iraq was once ravaged by Saddam Hussein Unesco has named Iraqi marshlands once ravaged by dictator Saddam Hussein as a world heritage site, a bright spot for a country where jihadists have repeatedly sought to wipe out history.The area named “is made up of seven sites: three archaeological sites and four wetland marsh areas in southern Iraq,” Unesco said. Continue reading...
  
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• Iran to name international oil companies eligible to take part in tenders

  18-07-2016 12:12
  Iran will issue a preliminary list of international energy companies eligible to take part in tenders to develop its oil and gas fields within the next two weeks, a senior Iranian oil official said on Monday. "Not all foreign companies active in the oil industry can participate in Iran's tenders," Ali Kardor, managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), was quoted as saying by the oil ministry's news agency SHANA on Monday.
  
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• Déjà vu: as with tobacco, the climate wars are going to court | Dana Nuccitelli

  18-07-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The fossil fuel industry copied Big Tobacco’s racketeering playbook. They’re following the same path to court, where tobacco lost
  Investigative journalism has uncovered a “web of denial” in which polluting industries pay “independent” groups to disseminate misinformation to the public and policymakers. The same groups and tactics were employed first by the tobacco industry, then fossil fuel companies. Big Tobacco has been to court and lost; now it’s Big
  
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• China admiral warns freedom of navigation patrols could end "in disaster"

  18-07-2016 11:36
  By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - Freedom of navigation patrols carried out by foreign navies in the South China Sea could end "in disaster", a senior Chinese admiral has said, a warning to the United States after last week's ruling against Beijing's claims in the area. China has refused to recognise the ruling by an arbitration court in The Hague that invalidated its vast territorial claims in the South China Sea and did not take part in the proceedings brought by the Philippines. China has
  
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• Amazon could face intense wildfire season this year, Nasa warns

  18-07-2016 11:19 via theguardian.com
  
  The Amazon is the driest it has been at the start of the dry season since 2002 — and that probably means the rainforest is in for a particularly nasty wildfire season, reports MongabayConditions created by the strong El Niño event that warmed up Pacific waters in 2015 and early 2016 altered rainfall patterns around the world. In the Amazon basin, that meant reduced rainfall during the wet season, plunging some parts of the region into severe drought.According to NASA, the Amazon is
  
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• Moonlit launch for SpaceX rocket carrying ISS supplies

  18-07-2016 10:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A SpaceX cargo rocket is bound for the International Space Station after a successful launch from Florida.
  
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• Oil producer EnQuest in talks to farm out North Sea development stake

  18-07-2016 09:35
  (Reuters) - EnQuest Plc said it was in talks with Israeli conglomerate Delek Group Ltd to farm out a 20 percent interest in the Kraken development in the UK North Sea, as the London-listed oil producer explored ways to cut its debt. If the deal goes through, Delek would advance $20 million to EnQuest for a period of up to 5 years at an annual interest of 3 percent, the independent producer said. The amount shall be returned to Delek in the event that its costs are not covered by revenue within 5
  
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• Oil prices largely unchanged as market shrugs off Turkey coup bid

  18-07-2016 09:27
  By Keith Wallis SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices were virtually unchanged in choppy Asian trade on Monday following gains last week as traders shrugged off the impact of Friday's attempted coup in Turkey, while upbeat economic data from the United States lent price support. Brent crude futures rose 2 cents at $47.63 a barrel as of 0653 GMT after closing up 24 cents in the previous session, having gained nearly 2 percent for the week. U.S. crude futures fell 5 cents to $45.90 a barrel after endin
  
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• Transforming a motorcycle city: the long wait for Hanoi's metro

  18-07-2016 08:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Vietnam’s first metro system continues to be delayed, but in a city with more motorbikes than households – and whose love affair with the car is only increasing – the real obstacle may be shifting public attitudes
  Hunkering down under a sliver of shade along Cau Giay Street, west of Hanoi’s city centre, Ha Van Son reclines on the seat of his motorbike taxi. The tree overhead offers little respite from the blistering sun, but he needs to earn a living, so he lowers his kic
  
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• UN criticises UK and Germany for betraying Paris climate deal

  18-07-2016 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Climate change envoy singles out both countries for subsidising the fossil fuel industry and says the UK has lost its position as a climate leaderBan Ki-moon’s climate change envoy has accused the UK and Germany of backtracking on the spirit of the Paris climate deal by financing the fossil fuel industry through subsidies.Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and UN special envoy on climate change and El Niño, said she had to speak out after Germany promised compensation fo
  
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• UN criticises UK and German for betraying the spirit of the Paris climate deal

  18-07-2016 07:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Climate change envoy singles out both countries for subsidising the fossil fuel industry and says the UK has lost its position as a climate leaderBan Ki-moon’s climate change envoy has accused the UK and Germany of backtracking on the spirit of the Paris climate deal by financing the fossil fuel industry through subsidies.Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and UN special envoy on climate change and El Niño, said she had to speak out after Germany promised compensation fo
  
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• Keeping track of the gannets of the Bass Rock

  18-07-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  The Bass Rock, East Lothian As more offshore wind farms are built, the scientists want to know how high the birds fly before diving down to fishJust over a mile off the coast of Scotland, within sight of the Forth Railway Bridge, is a truly wild place. The Bass Rock, 100m at its highest point, is white with guano and ringed with a halo of constantly honking seabirds. This is the largest colony of gannets on a single island on Earth, with up to 250,000 crowding into its three hectares in summer.S
  
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• Oil prices rise as market shrugs off Turkey coup bid

  18-07-2016 06:05
  By Keith Wallis SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices rose in Asian trade on Monday, following gains last week, as traders shrugged off the impact of Friday's attempted coup in Turkey, while a weaker dollar and upbeat economic data from the United States lent price support. U.S. crude futures climbed 10 cents to $46.05 a barrel after ending the previous session up 27 cents, gaining more than 1 percent for the week. "The market is looking past the coup," said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at Sydne
  
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• ExxonMobil launches bidding war for InterOil in PNG gas push

  18-07-2016 05:23
  ExxonMobil Corp has made a bid worth at least $2.2 billion (1.6 billion pounds) for InterOil Corp and its stake in a rich Papua New Guinea gasfield, winning the support of its target and topping an offer from Australia's Oil Search Ltd. The bid pits ExxonMobil, the world's biggest oil company, against Total SA, which is backing Oil Search, as the French giant looks to push forward with its planned Papua LNG project to rival ExxonMobil's existing PNG LNG project. Oil Search, which owns a stake in
  
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• Glacial retreats linked to oceanic warming

  18-07-2016 03:54 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new study has found for the first time that ocean warming is the primary cause of retreat of glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula. The Peninsula is one of the largest current contributors to sea-level rise and this new finding will enable researchers to make better predictions of ice loss from this region.The research, by scientists at Swansea University and British Antarctic Survey, is published in the journal Science this week (15 July). The study reports that glaciers flowing to th
  
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• Oil prices little changed as market shrugs off Turkey coup bid

  18-07-2016 02:53
  By Keith Wallis SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices were little unchanged in early Asian trade on Monday as traders shrugged off the impact of Friday's attempted coup in Turkey. A stronger dollar weighed on prices, although upbeat economic data from the United States and China that supported the outlook for global oil demand lent support. "The market is looking past the coup," said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at Sydney's CMC Markets.
  
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