Environment news

• Oil up on Iran talk; stockpile build cited by API surprises

  23-08-2016 23:44
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Tuesday after Reuters reported Iran was sending positive signals that it may support joint OPEC action to prop up the market, before the market pared gains on trade data showing a surprise build in U.S. crude stocks. Iran, the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, refused to join a previous attempt this year by the group and non-OPEC members led by Russia to stabilise production. "Iran is reachi
  
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• Swimming with dolphins could be banned – so they can get a good night's sleep

  23-08-2016 23:17 via theguardian.com
  
  In Hawaii, large numbers of tourists disturb nocturnal spinner dolphins, which continue moving while they snoozeThe federal government is proposing a ban on swimming with dolphins in Hawaii – a move that may crush the dreams of many tourists, but will allow the marine mammals to finally get a good day’s sleep. The proposed rule would bar people from swimming or approaching within 50 yards of the Hawaiian spinner dolphin. The dolphins are an increasingly popular attraction for tourist
  
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• Storms devastate monarch butterflies' forest habitat in Mexico

  23-08-2016 22:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Rain cold and high winds destroy 133 acres of trees west of Mexico CityMarch storms killed 7% of monarchs and added to habit loss by tree-fellingStorms earlier this year blew down more than a hundred acres of forests where migrating monarch butterflies spend the winter in central Mexico, killing more than 7% of the monarchs, according to conservationists.Rain, cold and high winds from the storms caused the loss of 133 acres (54 hectares) of pine and fir trees in the forests west of Mexico City,
  
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• Obama tells flood-ravaged Louisiana residents: ‘You are not alone’ – video

  23-08-2016 21:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Barack Obama visits Baton Rouge on Tuesday, telling residents affected by historic flooding that the country will continue to support them and help them rebuild their lives. Obama also takes a dig at Donald Trump, saying ‘this is not a photo op issue’ . The floods have killed at least 13 people and damaged tens of thousands of homesObama digs Trump in flood-damaged Louisiana: ‘not a photo-op’ – politics liveContinue reading...
  
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• New class of fuel cells offer increased flexibility, lower cost

  23-08-2016 20:27 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new class of fuel cells based on a newly discovered polymer-based material could bridge the gap between the operating temperature ranges of two existing types of polymer fuel cells, a breakthrough with the potential to accelerate the commercialization of low-cost fuel cells for automotive and stationary applications.A Los Alamos National Laboratory team, in collaboration with Yoong-Kee Choe at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan and Cy Fujimoto of Sand
  
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• Oil bounces as Iran signals support for OPEC freeze action

  23-08-2016 20:23
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 1 percent on Tuesday, reversing early losses, after Reuters reported Iran was sending positive signals that it may support joint OPEC action to prop up the market. Iran, the third-largest oil producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, has been boosting output since the lifting of Western sanctions in January. Although it has not said if it will join an effort to curb production at a meeting of OPEC and othe
  
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• VW, U.S. states to hold settlement talks over excess emissions

  23-08-2016 19:20
  Volkswagen AG has agreed to hold settlement talks with several U.S. states that sued the German automaker for hundreds of millions of dollars over environmental law violations, the automaker said in a court filing on Tuesday. Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania sued Volkswagen over excess diesel emissions related to its use of cheating software while the state of Washington has filed a notice of penalty against Volkswagen. VW said settlement talks will begin no later than Nov. 1,
  
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• VW, states agree to hold settlement talks over environmental claims

  23-08-2016 18:33
  (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG and several U.S. states that sued the German automaker seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for state law violations agreed to hold settlement talks, the automaker said in a court filing Tuesday. Volkswagen has been sued over excess diesel emissions related to its use of "defeat devices" by Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, while the state of Washington has filed a notice of penalty against Volkswagen. VW said settlement talks will begin
  
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• VW, U.S. states agree to hold settlement talks over environmental claims

  23-08-2016 18:10
  (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG and several U.S. states that sued the German automaker seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for state law violations agreed to hold settlement talks, the automaker said in a court filing Tuesday. Volkswagen has been sued over excess diesel emissions related to its use of "defeat devices" by Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania, while the state of Washington has filed a notice of penalty against Volkswagen. VW said settlement talks will begin
  
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• Angola's ruling party picks leaders ahead of 2017 election

  23-08-2016 18:04
  Angola's ruling People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) elected new party leaders on Tuesday, including a former army general seen as a front-runner to succeed long-time president José Eduardo dos Santos. MPLA's Central Committee elected João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, a retired general and defence minister, as vice president ahead of 2017 parliamentary elections where the leader of the winning party becomes president. Dos Santos, president of oil-produc
  
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• Nanofur for oil spill cleanup

  23-08-2016 17:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  Some water ferns can absorb large volumes of oil within a short time, because their leaves are strongly water-repellent and, at the same time, highly oil-absorbing. Researchers of KIT, together with colleagues of Bonn University, have found that the oil-binding capacity of the water plant results from the hairy microstructure of its leaves. It is now used as a model to further develop the new Nanofur material for the environmentally friendly cleanup of oil spills. (DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/11/5/05
  
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• Recycling contamination levels are on the rise: what happens next?

  23-08-2016 17:46
  
  The waste and resource management industry is calling for a long-term, coherent regulatory framework to increase recycling and re-use rates in England after a Freedom of Information (FoI) request revealed that the quantity of rejected recyclable waste has increased by 84% over the past four years.
  
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• Nigerian army says arrests militants behind killing of four soldiers

  23-08-2016 17:42
  The Nigerian army has arrested three militants suspected of having been involved in the killing of four soldiers and seized a large weapons cache, it said on Tuesday. Two weeks ago the army said gunmen dressed as priests killed four soldiers in the oil-producing Niger Delta region which has been rocked by violence and militant attacks on oil pipelines. The army said that in a shootout on Monday it killed several militants belonging to the Niger Delta Avengers group, which is accused of being inv
  
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• How to shave a mountain

  23-08-2016 17:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Tourists gather in Transylvania to help with the traditional mountain hay harvest. BBC Gaelic Journalist Teàrlach Quinnell went with them.
  
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• Oil bounces on speculation of Iran supporting OPEC freeze action

  23-08-2016 17:10
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped as much as 2 percent on Tuesday, reversing early losses, after Reuters reported that Iran was sending positive signals that it may support joint OPEC action to prop up the market. Brent crude was up 87 cents, or 1.8 percent, at $50.03 a barrel by 11:02 a.m. EDT (1502 GMT). Iran, the third-largest oil producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, has been boosting output since the lifting of Western sanctions in Januar
  
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• Sea Anemone Proteins Could Help Fix Damaged Hearing

  23-08-2016 17:05
  When it comes to creatures with keen hearing ability, sea anemones are not at the top of the list. In mammals, including humans, sound is translated from vibrations in the air into nerve signals that can be sent to the brain by highly specialized cells called hair cells. Damage to these hair cells, which can be caused by exposure to loud noise, can result in hearing loss, and mammals are not able to repair hair cells once they are harmed.
  
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• New Triodos chief pledges to lead 'movement for change' among UK banks

  23-08-2016 16:51
  
  "Our banks are not serving the needs of society," says Dr Bevis Watts, who has this week been confirmed as the first 'environmentalist' to take up a lead executive role within a UK bank.
  
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• Iran signals more willingness for OPEC action to boost oil price

  23-08-2016 16:50
  By Rania El Gamal and Alex Lawler DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Iran is sending positive signals that it may support joint action to prop up the oil market, sources in OPEC and the oil industry said, potentially aiding efforts to revive a global deal on freezing production levels at talks next month. OPEC's third-largest producer has been boosting output after the lifting of Western sanctions in January. Tehran refused to join a previous attempt this year by OPEC plus non-members such as Russia to st
  
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• Oil slips below $49 as supply trumps hopes for producer action

  23-08-2016 15:51
  By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell below $49 a barrel on Tuesday, giving up part of August's strong rally, as signs of rising supply outweighed hopes that producing nations will agree steps to support prices. A Nigerian militant group, which has claimed a wave of attacks on oil facilities, said at the weekend it was ready for a ceasefire and Iraq resumed pumping through a northern pipeline halted earlier this year. Brent crude was down 52 cents at $48.64 a barrel at 1344 GMT.
  
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• This Tree Started Growing During the Viking Age

  23-08-2016 14:57
  
  Europe's oldest officially dated tree has been uncovered in Greece, and despite living more than a millennium (and counting!), it doesn't look a day over 200. The tree, dubbed "Adonis" by the scientists who discovered it, is a Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii) that took root in A.D. 941, high in the Pindus mountains of Greece. "It is quite remarkable that this large, complex and impressive organism has survived so long in such an inhospitable environment, in a land that has been civilized for ove
  
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• NASA Monitors the 'New Normal' of Sea Ice

  23-08-2016 14:33 via feedproxy.google.com
  This year’s melt season in the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas started with a bang, with a record low maximum extent in March and relatively rapid ice loss through May. The melt slowed down in June, however, making it highly unlikely that this year’s summertime sea ice minimum extent will set a new record.
  
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• Sunrise to sunset: stunning timelapse video of America's national parks

  23-08-2016 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  In honor of the National Park Service’s centennial this week, the Guardian has compiled scenes from around the country. President Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the National Park Service 100 years ago. From coast to coast, Hawaii to Maine, the beauty, nature and scope of US national parks are breathtaking Continue reading...
  
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• BP unit selling up to $261 million stake in Castrol India - termsheet

  23-08-2016 13:47
  MUMBAI (Reuters) - Castrol Ltd, a unit of oil major BP Plc, is selling an up to $261 million (197.96 million pounds) stake in Castrol India Ltd in a block trade on Wednesday, according to a termsheet seen by Reuters. The BP unit is selling shares at between 385 rupees to 415.5 rupees apiece, the termsheet showed. Shares of Castrol India ended flat at 416.80 rupees on Tuesday. The deal size amounts to an up to 8.53 percent stake in the company, including an upsize option. BP owned 59.5 percent of
  
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• Most nations lack ability to deal with invasive species

  23-08-2016 13:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Most countries in the world have little capacity to deal effectively with invasive species, a study suggests.
  
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• National Grid 'risks undermining business confidence' with demand-side service withdrawal

  23-08-2016 13:15
  
  National Grid's decision to cancel a tender financially incentivising companies to reduce electricity demand during peak times in winter months has been criticised as a "short-sighted" approach which will "undermine" business confidence in the UK energy strategy.
  
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• The political crusades targeting national parks for drilling and exploitation

  23-08-2016 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Hailed as ‘America’s best idea’, the parks are hugely popular with the public but face political efforts to lift federal protection and allow private development“It’s easy to feel besieged here,” said Wendy Ross, superintendent of the Theodore Roosevelt national park. Ross’s park, named after the “conservationist president” who helped to keep America’s natural treasures unspoiled, is surrounded by oil and gas drilling that has transform
  
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• Harley-Davidson fined $15m for polluting 'super tuners'

  23-08-2016 12:54
  American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson has reached a settlement with US authorities to pay $15m (£11m) and stop selling an aftermarket tuning product that exceeds national pollution limits.
  
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• New badger culling trials given go ahead across England

  23-08-2016 12:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Badger culls are to be carried out in five new areas of England in a bid to control bovine TB, the BBC learns.
  
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• Share your encounters with elephants

  23-08-2016 11:51 via theguardian.com
  
  As part of a new series on elephant conservation we’d like to hear about your experiences with the world’s largest land mammal
  Over the next year we’re going to be covering the plight of elephants around the world. The numbers of these beautiful animals – now our largest land mammal – have been in steep decline for a century and now face more serious challenges than ever, due to poaching, habitat destruction, and conflict with man. Please help with our coverage by g
  
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• UK needs to invest £215bn in energy by 2030: Barclays

  23-08-2016 11:48
  
  The UK will need to invest an "eye-watering" £215 billion in its energy system by 2030 in order to replace aging assets and decarbonise, analysis by Barclays Research has found.
  
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• Badger cull protesters change tactics in response to expansion

  23-08-2016 11:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Demonstrators focus on driving up policing costs as anti-bovine TB programme expanded across south-west EnglandProtesters against the badger cull in England have said they plan to change tactics by undertaking direct action to drive up policing costs, following reports of an expansion of culling to new areas. The BBC has reported that the cull will be extended to five new areas in south-west England – south Devon, north Devon, north Cornwall, west Dorset and south Herefordshire – whe
  
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• VW, suppliers settle dispute after marathon talks

  23-08-2016 11:20
  By Andreas Cremer BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen and two of its parts suppliers on Tuesday resolved a contract dispute that had hit output at more than half of the carmaker's German plants and threatened to undermine its recovery from a diesel emissions scandal. After more than 20 hours of negotiations that went on through the night, VW said it had settled its differences with CarTrim, which makes seats, and ES Automobilguss, which produces cast iron parts needed to make gearboxes, but gave no fu
  
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• Oil slips below $49 as rising supply trumps hopes for producer action

  23-08-2016 11:07
  By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell below $49 a barrel on Tuesday, giving up part of August's strong rally, as signs of rising supply outweighed hopes that producing nations will agree steps to support prices. A Nigerian militant group, which has claimed a wave of attacks on oil facilities, said at the weekend it was ready for a ceasefire and Iraq resumed pumping through a northern pipeline halted earlier this year. Brent crude was down 59 cents at $48.57 a barrel at 0845 GMT.
  
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• Neither Coalition nor Labor emissions reduction targets are good enough, says climate body

  23-08-2016 10:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Climate Institute report says negative-emissions technology is imperative because risks of global temperature reaching 2C are ‘unmanageable’Australia will blow its carbon budget with either the Coalition’s emissions reduction targets, or those suggested by the Labor opposition, highlighting the urgent need for negative-emissions technology, analysis commissioned by the Climate Institute shows.“Everyone is just now beginning to work out the implications of the 1.5C goal, a
  
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• Australia will need to remove CO2 from air to keep warming below 2C, climate body says

  23-08-2016 10:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Climate Institute report says negative-emissions technology is imperative because risks of global temperature reaching 2C are ‘unmanageable’Australia will blow its carbon budget with either the Coalition’s emissions reduction targets, or those suggested by the Labor opposition, highlighting the urgent need for negative-emissions technology, analysis commissioned by the Climate Institute shows.“Everyone is just now beginning to work out the implications of the 1.5C goal, a
  
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• Dyson Pure Cool Link review: a fan that blows clean air in your face

  23-08-2016 10:45 via theguardian.com
  
  Sleekly designed air purifier and bladeless fan removes pollutants from your surroundings, quickly bringing respite from hay fever and other allergiesDyson’s first Internet of Things fan, the Pure Cool Link, is also an air purifier that claims to be able to turn your pollution- or pollen-filled rooms into clean, hay-fever-free zones within minutes.
  It’s the first in the new range of Link devices, which have Wi-Fi and connect to Dyson’s Link app on Android or iOS, allowing remot
  
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• ConocoPhillips hits snag in Senegal deepwater stake sale to Woodside

  23-08-2016 10:12
  By Sonali Paul MELBOURNE (Reuters) - ConocoPhillips' plan to sell its stake in an oil find off Senegal to Woodside Petroleum hit a speed-bump on Tuesday as a junior partner attempted to buy time to pre-empt the deal at the same time it announced an increase in the size of the field. ConocoPhillips agreed in July to sell its 35 percent stake in the deepwater SNE field offshore Senegal to Woodside for up to $430 million (326.20 million pounds). On Tuesday, Australian explorer, FAR Ltd , ConocoPhil
  
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• Sea Shepherd will keep harassing Japanese whaling boats despite US court ruling

  23-08-2016 10:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Conservation group says it is committed to upholding Australian federal court ruling banning the slaughter of whales in the Australian sanctuaryA United States court ruling preventing conservationists from attacking Japanese whaling boats will not stop the annual protection campaign in the Southern Ocean.The Japanese Times newspaper reported on Tuesday that a settlement declaring the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was “permanently enjoined from physically attacking the [Japanese] resear
  
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• The London rail network's Energy Gardens - in pictures

  23-08-2016 09:45 via theguardian.com
  
  Energy Gardens is a pan-London community garden project where reclaimed land alongside overground train stations and track is cultivated by local community groups. Up to 50 gardens will be created across the rail network.Continue reading...
  
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• The deaths on the British coastline are a reminder of the sea’s awful power | Philip Hoare

  23-08-2016 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Fear of the water is ingrained in many, but our connection with nature also appears to be ebbing awayAs the summer slips towards its close with the triumph of our aquatic athletes in Rio, there is a terrible contrast in the fate of six lost souls around the British coast this past weekend. On the one hand, absolute control and exultation in what a human body can achieve in the water; on the other, the appalling tragedy that can result when we lose control – all the more awful because it ca
  
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• Deadly desert: working in 60C heat – in pictures

  23-08-2016 08:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Unforgiving temperatures of up to 60C (140F) beat down on these saltminers on a daily basis. The mines, situated in the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia, stretch across 38,000 sq miles and at their lowest point are more than 300ft below sea level. Joel Santos travelled to capture the area’s dry, brutal beauty Continue reading...
  
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• Timing of NT government's secret deal with Tri-Star coal company queried

  23-08-2016 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  One day before Northern Territory government went into caretaker mode for Saturday’s election it arranged for Texas company to potentially extend its explorations licenceA day before the Northern Territory government went into caretaker mode, it secretly arranged for a Texas-based coal company to potentially extend its explorations licence over 15,000 sq km in central Australia.The arrangement, under a rarely used mechanism which allows legislative requirements including public submissions
  
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• Are you rubbish at recycling?

  23-08-2016 07:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  There has been a massive spike in the amount of recycling that gets rejected.
  
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• Inside Shanghai Tower: China's tallest skyscraper claims to be world's greenest

  23-08-2016 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Shanghai Tower is another in a long list of ambitious skyscrapers competing fiercely for sustainability credentials as well as height. But how ‘green’ are these buildings – and is environmentalism really the motivation?Twisting high above Shanghai’s financial district, China’s tallest tower – and the second tallest in the world – is preparing to officially open its substantial doors to the public next month. The Shanghai Tower, reaching 632 metres, i
  
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• Fear of the light: why we need darkness | Amanda Petrusich

  23-08-2016 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Light pollution conceals true darkness from 80% of Europe and North America. What do we lose when we can no longer see the stars?Every civilisation we know of has devised a system – scientific, religious, what have you – to make sense of the night sky. The mystery of what’s up there, where it came from, and what it means has been inherited and puzzled over for generations. Those questions may be the most human ones we have.Due to pervasive light pollution – glare from exc
  
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• Stung by a wasp while clearing poppies

  23-08-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Allendale, Northumberland There are a lot of wasps about this year – I know of at least six nests around the gardenThe ladybird poppies, fire-engine red with jet black centres, had flopped in the rain, their flimsy petals scattered across the path. Cutting back the plants, it took me a moment to process what was happening. A flurry of insects was circling my head and arms from a disturbed wasps’ nest. I was shocked by the intensity of pain from a sting on the end of my nose. Swabs of
  
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• Uber for couriers: Australian logistics software promises to minimise traffic and emissions

  23-08-2016 03:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Delivery vehicles are major greenhouse gas emitters but new software reroutes trucks with real-time data and machine learningBrad Lorge began his entrepreneurial journey helping charities more effectively coordinate the collection of food from supermarkets and warehouses. Now the software engineer is the co-founder of Premonition, a logistics optimisation firm helping online retailers and shipping companies meet heightened consumer expectations and develop more sustainable supply chains.Continue
  
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• Oil prices fall as analysts say market still oversupplied

  23-08-2016 02:51
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices fell early on Tuesday as analysts including Goldman Sachs warned that August's price rally had been overdone, and that a proposed oil production freeze at current near record levels would not help rein in an oversupplied market. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 23 cents at $47.18 per barrel. Goldman Sachs said a proposal by members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers like Russia
  
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• Oil rig towed off rocks in Outer Hebrides

  23-08-2016 00:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Two tug boats towed the 17,000-tonne Transocean Winner drilling rig back out to sea, after it ran aground during bad weather on 8 AugustA 17,000-tonne oil rig that ran aground in the Outer Hebrides has been safely towed off the rocks by two tug boats.A Stornoway coastguard spokesman confirmed to the Press Association that the Transocean Winner drilling rig was “safely off the rocks and now under tow” as of 10.10pm on Monday. Continue reading...
  
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• Researchers reduce expensive noble metals for fuel cell reactions

  23-08-2016 00:03 via feedproxy.google.com
  Washington State University researchers have developed a novel nanomaterial that could improve the performance and lower the costs of fuel cells by using fewer precious metals like platinum or palladium.Led by Yuehe Lin, professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, the researchers used inexpensive metal to make a super low density material, called an aerogel, to reduce the amount of precious metals required for fuel cell reactions. They also sped up the time to make the aerog
  
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