Environment news

• NASA measures winds of Tropical Storm Conson

  11-08-2016 23:43 via feedproxy.google.com
  NASA's RapidScat instrument provided measurements of sustained wind speeds as Tropical Storm Conson continued tracking north through the northwestern Pacific Ocean.When RapidScat passed over Conson on Aug. 10, it was near peak intensity. RapidScat measured maximum sustained winds around the center of circulation as fast as 49 mph (22 meters per second/79 kph) on Aug. 10. The RapidScat instrument that flies aboard the International Space Station measures Earth's ocean surface wind speed and direc
  
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• Feds Say California's Endangered Channel Islands Foxes Are Recovered

  11-08-2016 22:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced the successful recovery of three out of four unique subspecies ofisland fox on San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz islands, removing them from the endangered species list. The agency also upgraded the protection status of the Santa Catalina Island fox — the fourth subspecies — from “endangered” to “threatened” to reflect its status improvement."Because they evolved separately on the islands fo
  
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• Discovery of sunlight-driven organic chemistry on water surfaces

  11-08-2016 22:41 via feedproxy.google.com
  Fatty acids found on the surface of water droplets react with sunlight to form organic molecules, a new study reports, essentially uncovering a previously unknown form of photolysis.The results could affect models that account for aerosol particles, including models related to climate. Conventional wisdom holds that carboxylic acids and saturated fatty acids, which are abundant throughout the environment, only react with hydroxyl radicals and are not affected by sunlight.
  
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• Virus attracts bumblebees to infected plants by changing scent

  11-08-2016 22:18 via feedproxy.google.com
  Plant scientists at the University of Cambridge have found that the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) alters gene expression in the tomato plants it infects, causing changes to air-borne chemicals - the scent - emitted by the plants. Bees can smell these subtle changes, and glasshouse experiments have shown that bumblebees prefer infected plants over healthy ones.Scientists say that by indirectly manipulating bee behaviour to improve pollination of infected plants by changing their scent, the virus is
  
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• BP loads cargo of ANS on foreign-flagged vessel for export

  11-08-2016 22:00
  By Liz Hampton HOUSTON (Reuters) - British oil company BP Plc has loaded a cargo of Alaskan North Slope (ANS) crude for export, according to two trade sources and Reuters Trade Flows data, the latest indication that exports of Alaskan crude are becoming less rare. While its destination was not immediately clear, the vessel is currently moving in the North Pacific Ocean towards Asia, according to Reuters Vessel Tracking data. In July, BP confirmed it had chartered the Tianlong Spirit, another Bah
  
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• Oil up 4 percent as Saudis mull meeting, tighter market forecast

  11-08-2016 21:22
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped the most in a month, rising more than 4 percent on Thursday, after comments from the Saudi oil minister about possible action to stabilize prices triggered a round of buying and the International Energy Agency forecast crude markets would tighten in the second half of 2016. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said OPEC members and non-members would discuss the market situation, including any action that may be required to stabilize
  
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• Energy specialists raise concerns on Chinese Hinkley involvement

  11-08-2016 21:19 via theguardian.com
  
  China General Nuclear Power face charges of involvement in conspiracy to steal nuclear secrets for Chinese advancementFurther concerns have been raised over China’s involvement in the £18bn Hinkley Point nuclear power project after it emerged that the state-owned company backing the plant is facing espionage charges in the US.The chair of the parliamentary energy and climate change committee said the allegations raised serious questions about the corporate integrity of China General
  
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• Energy specialists raise concerns about Chinese Hinkley involvement

  11-08-2016 21:19 via theguardian.com
  
  China General Nuclear Power faces charges of involvement in conspiracy to steal nuclear secrets for Chinese advancementFurther concerns have been raised over China’s involvement in the £18bn Hinkley Point nuclear power project after it emerged that the state-owned company backing the plant is facing espionage charges in the US.The chair of the parliamentary energy and climate change committee said the allegations raised serious questions about the corporate integrity of China General
  
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• Lawyers in Volkswagen case seek up to $332.5 million in fees, costs

  11-08-2016 21:05
  Lawyers for Volkswagen AG vehicle owners will seek up to $332.5 million in fees and costs for their work in a $10 billion settlement over claims the automaker used software to cheat on emissions testing, according to a court filing. The filing late Wednesday in a federal court in California said Volkswagen and the plaintiffs' lawyers have not yet agreed on how much the attorneys will be paid. Volkswagen has agreed to pay reasonable costs and fees in connection with the settlement announced in Ju
  
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• Greenland shark now oldest living animal with backbone

  11-08-2016 20:50
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — In the cold waters of the Arctic, a denizen of the deep lurked for centuries. Now scientists calculate that this female Greenland shark was the Earth's oldest living animal with a backbone.
  
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• Self-shading windows switch from clear to opaque

  11-08-2016 20:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  A team of researchers at MIT has developed a new way of making windows that can switch from transparent to opaque, potentially saving energy by blocking sunlight on hot days and thus reducing air-conditioning costs. While other systems for causing glass to darken do exist, the new method offers significant advantages by combining rapid response times and low power needs.Once the glass is switched from clear to dark, or vice versa, the new system requires little to no power to maintain its new st
  
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• Shipping Noise Causes Whales to Dive More Slowly and Forage Less

  11-08-2016 20:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  Ocean noise caused by shipping can cause humpback whales to dive more slowly and forage less frequently, according to new research in the journal Biology Letters. A team of U.S. and U.K. researchers tagged 10 humpbacks in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Massachusetts, with devices that simultaneously tracked the whales’ movements and underwater noise.
  
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• The Sustainable Business Covered podcast: Episode 08 - Sustainability without the fluff

  11-08-2016 20:21
  
  It's time to discuss the elephant in the room: companies will only become truly 'sustainable' if they can embed sustainability into their products. But what are the skills required to deliver a comprehensive low-carbon, resource efficient business action plan?
  
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• 400-year-old Greenland shark is the oldest vertebrate animal

  11-08-2016 20:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Shark, which would have reached sexual maturity at around 150 years, sets new record for longevity as biologists finally develop method to determine ageShe was born during the reign of James I, was a youngster when René Descartes set out his rules of thought and the great fire of London raged, saw out her adolescent years as George II ascended the throne, reached adulthood around the time that the American revolution kicked off, and lived through two world wars. Living to an estimated age
  
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• Kurds say Islamic State oil overseer killed in joint ops with U.S.

  11-08-2016 20:06
  The Islamic State militant in charge of the group's oil operations in Iraq and Syria was killed on Thursday in a joint operation between the Iraqi Kurdish and U.S. Special forces, the Kurdistan Region Security Council said in a statement. Sami Jassim al-Jabouri, also known as Haji Hamad, and his aide were killed ''in the vicinity of Qaim,'' an Iraqi town near the Syrian border, the statement said.
  
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• Oil rig grounded off Scotland may have leaked diesel - maritime agency

  11-08-2016 19:58
  An oil rig that ran aground off a Scottish island on Sunday may have leaked around 53 tonnes of diesel but has not caused any serious pollution, Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. "Aircraft yesterday flew over the location and surrounding area to make careful observations for pollution around the rig and the nearby coast and sea and no sheen or sign of pollution has been found," the MCA said on Thursday. Two of four diesel fuel tanks on the rig were believed to have been damage
  
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• Who is the US engineer accused of nuclear espionage?

  11-08-2016 19:18 via theguardian.com
  
  CGNPC employee Szuhsiung Ho is accused of conspiring to develop nuclear material in China without US approval. Who is he and what is his background?Dr Szuhsiung “Allen” Ho is, according to a motion filed by his lawyer, a 66-year-old American citizen who was born in Taiwan, educated in the US and lives in Wilmington, Delaware.In character statements submitted to a court in Tennessee, friends and neighbours described him as an honest and law abiding member of the community who loved th
  
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• Oil up nearly 5 percent as Saudi mulls meeting, tighter market forecast

  11-08-2016 18:24
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 5 percent on Thursday after comments from the Saudi oil minister about possible action to stabilize prices triggered a round of buying and the International Energy Agency forecast crude markets would tighten in the second half of 2016. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said OPEC members and non-members would discuss the market situation, including any action that may be required to stabilize prices, during an informal meetin
  
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• Interserve shares rocket after decision to close energy-from-waste business

  11-08-2016 18:05
  
  Construction firm Interserve's share price has risen sharply after a decision to exit energy-from-waste contracts was announced as part of a half-year update this week.
  
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• Jupiter gravity nudge sets up 'meteor storm' on Earth

  11-08-2016 17:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Observers are looking forward to an annual astronomical event that could to turn into a spectacular "meteor storm" in the early hours of Friday.
  
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• With droughts and downpours, climate change feeds Chesapeake Bay algal blooms

  11-08-2016 17:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  A study shows that weather patterns tied to climate change may increase the severity of algal blooms in Chesapeake Bay as extreme rainfall cycles flush larger amounts of nitrogen from fertilizer and other sources into the Susquehanna River. The researchers found that a spike in rainfall can increase nitrogen levels in the bay even if the amount of fertilizer used on land remains the same, leading to explosive algae growth that poisons humans and wildlife, and devastates fisheries.While efforts t
  
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• New map reveals how little of Antarctica's rock is ice-free

  11-08-2016 17:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  Until now estimates of how much of ice-free rock is exposed in Antarctica were stated as ‘less than 1%’.For the first time scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have been able to produce accurate quantification of how much of the continent isn’t buried under snow.  At a mere 0.18% scientists can now say confidently how much of the frozen continent really is frozen.  This improves the baseline that scientists use to monitor the effects of climate change in the
  
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• University of Surrey receives post-Brexit EU grant for smart cities research

  11-08-2016 16:41
  The University of Surrey has received a new €762,000 grant from the European Union (EU) to conduct research into the development of smart cities and the environmental impact of a cleaner aeronautics industry, allaying fears of a broken environmental relationship between the UK and Europe after the Brexit vote.
  
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• Oil edges higher as IEA sees balanced market ahead

  11-08-2016 16:08
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 1 percent on Thursday after the International Energy Agency forecast crude markets would rebalance in the next few months following several years of heavy overproduction. The IEA, which advises large developed economies on energy policy, predicted oil stocks would draw in the third quarter of this year for the first time in more than two years. "Oil's drop ... has put the 'glut' back into the headlines even though our balances sh
  
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• NASA Peers into the Eye of a 'Super Typhoon' (Photo)

  11-08-2016 16:00
  
  The swirling mass of white clouds, the placid eye of the storm: Satellite imagery has become common enough that it's easy to envision the whorl of a typhoon as seen from space. NASA's Earth Observatory recently released satellite images, taken with three different instruments, of Super Typhoon Nepartak as it raged over the Philippine Sea before making landfall in Taiwan on July 8. The first of the images shows the range of the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), an instrument launched
  
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• Brain-robot training triggers improvement in paralysis

  11-08-2016 15:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Eight paraplegic people have regained partial movement after a one-year training programme based on brain-controlled robotics, researchers say.
  
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• Western Isles: Thousands of litres of diesel lost from grounded rig

  11-08-2016 15:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Transocean Winner ran aground on Isle of Lewis, triggering environmental concernsTens of thousands of litres of diesel may have spilled into the ocean from an oil rig that ran aground on the Western Isles.The Transocean Winner was carrying 280 tonnes of oil – more than 300,000 litres – when it was blown ashore in severe weather conditions on the western side of the Isle of Lewis early on Monday. Continue reading...
  
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• Thousands of litres of diesel lost from grounded rig

  11-08-2016 15:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Transocean Winner ran aground on Western Isles with Scottish government asking why it was being towed in a stormTens of thousands of litres of diesel fuel are believed to have spilled into the ocean from an oil rig that ran aground on the Western Isles.The Transocean Winner rig was carrying 280 tonnes of diesel – more than 300,000 litres – when it was blown ashore in severe weather conditions on the western side of the Isle of Lewis early on Monday. Continue reading...
  
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• Best photographs of the day: white lion cubs and wildfires in France

  11-08-2016 14:28 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian’s picture editors bring you a selection of photo highlights from around the world, including five newborn lions and a forest fire in Marseilles Continue reading...
  
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• May urged to pull plug immediately on Hinkley C over spying allegations

  11-08-2016 14:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Name of China General Nuclear Power, which holds stake in the planned new reactors, has appeared in US legal papersTheresa May is being urged to pull the plug on the controversial Hinkley Point C project immediately, after new allegations of spying in the US by a consultant working for the Chinese co-investor in the planned nuclear plant.Paul Dorfman, a senior research fellow at University College London, said the British prime minister could legitimately blame poor French reactor technology if
  
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• Oil steadies as IEA sees balanced market ahead

  11-08-2016 13:43
  By Christopher Johnson LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices steadied on Thursday after the International Energy Agency forecast crude markets would rebalance in the next few months following several years of heavy overproduction. The IEA, which advises large developed economies on energy policy, predicted oil stocks would draw in the third quarter of this year for the first time in more than two years. North Sea Brent crude was up 10 cents a barrel at $44.15 by 1125 GMT.
  
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• Scotland's wind turbines cover all its electricity needs for a day

  11-08-2016 13:37 via theguardian.com
  
  High winds on Sunday boosted renewable energy output to provide 106% of Scotland’s electricity needs for a dayHigh winds on Sunday were strong enough to power the equivalent of all of Scotland’s electricity needs for the day, according to environmentalists. The Met Office issued a yellow “be aware” weather warning covering much of the country as wind speeds reached 115mph on the top of the Cairngorms and gusts of more than 60mph hit towns in the north.Continue reading...
  
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• Scotland wind turbines cover all its electricity needs for a day

  11-08-2016 13:37 via theguardian.com
  
  High winds on Sunday boosted renewable energy output to provide 106% of Scotland’s electricity needs for a dayHigh winds on Sunday were strong enough to power the equivalent of all of Scotland’s electricity needs for the day, according to environmentalists. The Met Office issued a yellow “be aware” weather warning covering much of the country as wind speeds reached 115mph on the top of the Cairngorms and gusts of more than 60mph hit towns in the north.Continue reading...
  
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• Worst fires in almost two decades ravage hills around Marseille

  11-08-2016 13:26
  Forest fires raged through parts of France's Mediterranean coast on Thursday, with the worst in almost two decades burning around Marseille, injuring seven people and forcing authorities to evacuate thousands from their homes. About 2,500 firefighters still battled the blazes that broke out on Wednesday, backed up by firefighting airplanes from France and neighbouring Italy, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told journalists. The fires, fanned by strong northern winds known as the mistral, rav
  
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• Elon Musk's SolarCity to begin selling roof made of solar panels

  11-08-2016 13:25
  
  In the same month that Apple has been granted permission to sell energy generated by its solar farm in California, renowned cleantech innovator Elon Musk has revealed that his solar power company SolarCity plans to begin selling a fully-integrated "solar roof" that is entirely composed of PV panels.
  
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• ExxonMobil to try alternate pipeline to export Nigeria's Qua Iboe crude

  11-08-2016 13:15
  ExxonMobil is working on a plan to export Qua Iboe crude oil via an alternate pipeline while it works to repair damage to the main export line sustained in July, sources told Reuters. The crude oil grade, Nigeria's largest export stream, has been under force majeure since mid-July, when the company said it detected a "system anomaly" on the line.
  
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• Wind turbines generated 100% of Scotland's power needs for an entire day

  11-08-2016 13:09
  Wind turbines generated the equivalent of all of Scotland's power needs last Sunday (7 August) for the first time on record, according to data from the WWF and WeatherEnergy.
  
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• Militants blow up Nigeria pipeline, Chevron protest goes on

  11-08-2016 12:44
  Militants blew up another crude pipeline in Nigeria's Niger Delta, a youth and protest leader said on Thursday. Protesters also continued to block the entrance to a Chevron oil depot in the restive southern region for a third day. On Wednesday, a previously unknown group called Delta Greenland Justice Mandate said it had attacked a crude pipeline belonging to state oil firm NNPC and local firm Shoreline Natural Resources in Urhobo in Delta state.
  
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• Solar and wind 'cheaper than new nuclear' by the time Hinkley is built

  11-08-2016 12:31 via theguardian.com
  
  UK government’s own projections expect onshore wind power and large-scale solar to cost less per megawatt hour than new nuclear by 2025 The government expects solar and wind power to be cheaper than new nuclear power by the time Hinkley Point C is completed, its own projections show.
  Theresa May’s government last month made a surprise decision to delay a deal on Hinkley, prompting a renewed look at what alternatives could power Britain if ministers this autumn fail to back new reacto
  
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• Balkan wildlife faces extinction threat from border fence to control migrants

  11-08-2016 11:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Controversial razor-wire fence put up by Slovenia along its border with Croatia could wipe out local bear, lynx and wolf populations, say researchersThe death toll of animals killed by a razor wire fence designed to stop migrants crossing into Europe is mounting, amid warnings that bears, lynx and wolves could become locally extinct if the barrier is completed and consolidated.Continue reading...
  
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• National Grid prepares for Olympic demand spike

  11-08-2016 11:26
  
  National Grid is preparing for a 400MW spike in demand on Saturday (13 August) as people tune in to watch Olympic athletes compete for gold medals.
  
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• State buys back controversial BHP mining licence on Liverpool plains

  11-08-2016 10:53 via theguardian.com
  
  New South Wales government says it paid $220m to reclaim licence for fertile farming area, and is in talks to do the same with neighbouring ShenhuaThe New South Wales government has bought back BHP’s licence to mine for coal in the fertile farming regions of the Liverpool plains for $220m, and says it is in negotiations with the nearby Shenhua coalmine, which has sparked strong opposition from farmers and environmentalists.BHP had planned to develop a huge underground coalmine at Caroona,
  
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• Exclusive - Iraq, oil companies agree to restart investment, boost output

  11-08-2016 10:50
  BAGHDAD/BASRA - (Reuters) - Iraq has reached agreement with BP, Shell and Lukoil to restart stalled investment in oil fields the firms are developing, allowing projects that were halted this year to resume and crude production to increase in 2017, Iraqi oil officials said. The agreements, reached in July and August, effectively delay to the second half of the year projects that the three companies had planned to carry out in the first half, which had been suspended because of low oil prices. As
  
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• Scotland completely powered by wind turbines for a day

  11-08-2016 10:48 via theguardian.com
  
  High winds on Sunday boosted renewable energy output to provide all Scotland’s energy needs for the dayHigh winds on Sunday were strong enough to power the equivalent of all of Scotland’s electricity needs for the day, according to environmentalists. The Met Office issued a yellow “be aware” weather warning covering much of the country as wind speeds reached 115mph on the top of the Cairngorms and gusts of more than 60mph hit towns in the north.Continue reading...
  
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• Oil slips on high inventories, record Saudi output

  11-08-2016 10:44
  By Christopher Johnson LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Thursday as a build in U.S. crude inventories and record Saudi Arabian production reinforced fears of a large global supply overhang. North Sea Brent crude was down 50 cents at $43.55. "The market is clearly concerned about oversupply," said Tamas Varga, analyst at London brokerage PVM Oil Associates.
  
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• U.N. says to help Iraq tackle rampant corruption

  11-08-2016 10:33
  A United Nations agency said on Thursday it would help Iraq to tackle endemic graft that is eroding its economy and institutions as Baghdad struggles to defeat Islamic State militants. Oil-rich Iraq ranks 161st out of 168 nations in Transparency International's Corruption Index. Thirteen years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, the country still suffers a shortage of electricity, water, schools and hospitals, while existing facilities and infrastructure suffer widespread ne
  
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• IEA sees oil markets slowly tightening after months of oversupply

  11-08-2016 10:11
  By Dmitry Zhdannikov MOSCOW (Reuters) - Oil markets will begin to tighten in the second half of 2016 but the process will be slow and painful as global demand growth declines and non-OPEC supplies rebound, the International Energy Agency said on Thursday. The IEA, in its monthly report, forecast a healthy draw in global oil stocks in the next few months that would help ease a glut that has persisted since 2014 on the back of rising OPEC and non-OPEC supply. Oversupply helped send oil prices from
  
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• Dinosaur-surviving mammal endangered by stray dogs

  11-08-2016 10:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Research shows the solenodon evolved more than 70 million years ago – in time to hang out with dinosaurs. But today these unique mammals face a barrage of threats including stray dogs, feral cats, invasive mongoose and deforestation.If there was any justice in the animal kingdom – any at all – the solenodon would be as famous as the tiger. The solenodon is a rabbit-sized, shrew-like mammal that is only found on two Caribbean islands: Cuba and Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic
  
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• New data reveals London's green spaces now exceed pollution limits

  11-08-2016 10:00
  
  Environmental campaigners have urged London Mayor Sadiq Khan to ramp up his commitments to improve the air quality of the capital after a new open data website revealed that many parks in the capital are now exceeding the European Union's (EU) recommended limit for air pollution.
  
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