Environment news

• Was that climate change? Scientists are getting faster at linking extreme weather to warming | Graham Readfearn

  14-09-2016 23:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Attribution studies are letting researchers respond quickly to questions about human influence – before the news cycle turns elsewhereIs it still true to say you can’t point to any single extreme weather event and claim you can’t link it to human-caused climate change? Plenty of people seem to think this is still the case. But a rapidly evolving field of climate science suggests that it’s not.Continue reading...
  
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• Brazil's Lula charged as 'top boss' of Petrobras graft scheme

  14-09-2016 23:21
  By Sergio Spagnuolo CURITIBA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazilian prosecutors charged ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday with being the "top boss" of a vast corruption scheme at state oil company Petrobras, in a major blow to the leftist hero's hopes of a political comeback. It was the first time that Lula, still Brazil's most popular politician despite corruption accusations against him and his Workers Party, was charged by federal prosecutors for involvement in the political kickback
  
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• Switching banks: nearly half of all Australians would consider move over climate change

  14-09-2016 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Poll findings released as prominent Australians call on big four to withdraw backing for fossil fuel industryAbout half of all Australians would be likely to switch banks if they found out their bank was lending money to projects that contribute to climate change, according to polling commissioned by the financial activist group Market Forces.The findings came as more than 100 prominent Australian individuals and organisations signed a letter demanding that the big four banks stop supporting pro
  
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• 'Deepwater Horizon' makers say authenticity a priority for film

  14-09-2016 22:17
  By Jeffrey Hodgson TORONTO (Reuters) - A top priority for a new movie about the deadly 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was ensuring it accurately depicted the disaster that killed 11 workers, its director and main actor said. "Deepwater Horizon", which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday evening, focuses on the hours before and after the rig explosion on April 20, 2010 that led to the worst offshore oil disaster in U.S. history. Directed by Peter Berg, the
  
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• Oil down 3 percent again; product builds offset U.S. crude draw

  14-09-2016 22:09
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell about 3 percent for a second straight day on Wednesday, after data showing large weekly builds in U.S. petroleum products offset a surprise draw in crude stockpiles. U.S. inventories of distillates, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 4.6 million barrels in the week to Sept. 9, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported. Gasoline stockpiles also rose more than expected, but crude inventories fell by 559,000 barrels.
  
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• Brazil prosecutors say Lula was 'general' of vast Petrobras graft scheme

  14-09-2016 21:56
  SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian prosecutors on Wednesday denounced former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as the 'general' in command of a vast corruption scheme at state oil company Petrobras aimed at keeping his leftist Workers Party in power. Public Prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol told a news conference that the Petrobras scheme caused an estimated 42 billion real(9.52 billion pounds) in losses. Lula's lawyers said in a statement that he strongly denied the allegations and would fight the cha
  
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• Global oil down 3 percentt again; product builds offset U.S. crude draw

  14-09-2016 21:33
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global oil prices fell about 3 percent for a second straight day on Wednesday, after data showing large weekly builds in U.S. petroleum products offset a surprise draw in crude stockpiles. U.S. inventories of distillates, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 4.6 million barrels in the week to Sept. 9, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported. Crude inventories, meanwhile, fell by 559,000 barrels.
  
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• Green city in UAE desert has much to teach the world

  14-09-2016 21:19 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new desert city in the United Arab Emirates without light switches or water taps has much to teach people around the world about saving energy and precious resources.With its low-rise and energy efficient buildings, smart metering, excellent public transport - a personal transportation pod is pictured below - and extensive use of renewable energy, the 2,000 citizens of Masdar City, in Abu Dhabi, are living in a place which is a ‘green’ example to city planners around the globe.
  
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• Brazil's Lula and wife charged with corruption

  14-09-2016 21:13
  By Sergio Spagnuolo CURITIBA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazilian prosecutors filed corruption charges on Wednesday against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his wife and six others in the sprawling Petrobras kickback scandal, dealing a big blow to the popular leader's chances of a comeback. This was the first time Lula, still Brazil's most popular politician despite corruption accusations against him and his Workers Party, was charged by federal prosecutors for involvement in the massive gra
  
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• Theresa May set to give go-ahead for Hinkley Point C nuclear plant

  14-09-2016 21:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Prime minister poised to approve £18bn project but is expected to seek a better deal with China on future electricity pricesTheresa May is poised to give the go-ahead to the £18bn Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, but is expected to seek to drive a tougher bargain with China over the controversial project.The prime minister announced a review of the contract to build the Somerset reactor in July, amid concerns about the potential security impact of Chinese involvement and the costs. Con
  
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• Sustainability Leaders Awards: SIX days left to enter

  14-09-2016 20:47
  
  The countdown is on: individuals, businesses and organisations have just six days left to submit their entries to the Sustainability Leaders Awards, after edie extended the entry deadline by one week.
  
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• Brazil's Lula and wife charged with corruption -Globo TV

  14-09-2016 20:06
  Brazilian prosecutors filed corruption charges on Wednesday against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his wife and six others in the sprawling Petrobras kickback scandal. This was the first time Lula, still Brazil's most popular politician despite corruption accusations against him and his Workers Party, was charged by federal prosecutors for involvement in the massive graft scheme at the state-run oil company. Lula's case will go before crusading anti-corruption Judge Sergio Moro, who
  
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• Humanity driving 'unprecedented' marine extinction

  14-09-2016 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Report comparing past mass extinction events warns that hunting and killing of ocean’s largest species will disrupt ecosystems for millions of years Humanity is driving an unprecedented extinction of sealife unlike any in the fossil record, hunting and killing larger species in a way that will disrupt ocean ecosystems for millions of years, scientists have found.
  A new analysis of the five mass extinction events millions of years ago discovered there was either no pattern to which marine s
  
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• Clever crow naturally uses tools

  14-09-2016 19:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A crow that survives only in captivity has been found to adapt and use tools to find food, according to scientists.
  
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• UK businesses face increasing risk of drought, warns water sector

  14-09-2016 19:21
  
  Companies are being called upon to ramp up water efficiency measures, share best practices and water consumption and open up new communication streams surrounding water conservation after a new report commissioned by water companies revealed the growing risk of drought facing the UK.
  
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• Tool-using crow: Rare bird joins clever animal elite

  14-09-2016 19:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A crow that survives only in captivity has been found to adapt and use tools to find food, according to scientists.
  
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• Polar bears vs scientists: Russians get emergency supplies

  14-09-2016 18:55
  MOSCOW (AP) — It's been polar bears versus Russian scientists on a remote island in the Arctic.
  
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• Star's dust cloud gives birth to giant planet

  14-09-2016 18:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Astronomers have discovered signs of a baby planet developing around another star.
  
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• New tools assess the future of wind power

  14-09-2016 18:29 via feedproxy.google.com
  Using software tools developed by Near Zero, a research group hosted by the Carnegie Institution for Science's Department of Global Ecology, a team of researchers has completed the largest expert survey yet on any energy technology, in this case wind energy.Near Zero conducts research and assessment of energy and climate issues, focusing on integrating quantitative analysis with expert judgment. In this way, they inform decision-making to accelerate the global transition to a near-zero emission
  
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• Oil prices down 2 percent; product builds offset U.S. crude draw

  14-09-2016 18:17
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell about 2 percent on Wednesday as data showing large weekly builds in U.S. petroleum products offset a surprise draw in crude stockpiles, pressuring prices to their second daily loss. U.S. inventories of distillates, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 4.6 million barrels in the week to Sept. 9, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported. It was the biggest weekly build since January, putting distillates at six-yeaar season
  
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• Londoners overwhelmingly back Sadiq Khan’s air pollution crackdown

  14-09-2016 17:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Some 15,000 people responded to the mayor’s air quality consultation, with 79% backing plans to bring forward restrictions on polluting vehicles, reports BusinessGreenLondoners are backing Sadiq Khan’s plans to crack down on air pollution in the capital, with more than 70 per cent of residents supporting plans to bring forward measures to restrict polluting vehicles in the city, according to the results of the Mayor’s air quality consultation.Some 15,000 people responded to the
  
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• Hinkley Point: Government approves nuclear power station deal

  14-09-2016 17:38
  
  The Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset has today (15 September) been given the go-ahead by UK Prime Minister Theresa May, dividing opinion amongindustry groups and environmentalists.
  
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• Wildlife decline has slowed, not stopped

  14-09-2016 17:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The health of the countryside varies depending on how it is measured.
  
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• Attenborough urges UK to use Brexit to improve wildlife protections

  14-09-2016 16:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Brexit is an opportunity to refine legislation to match UK’s needs, says conservationist, speaking at the launch of a major report that shows Britain is one of the world’s most ‘nature-depleted countries’David Attenborough has urged the government to use Brexit to better protect the UK’s nature and wildlife.“Like it or not Brexit has happened. All agriculture and environment treaties for nature and wildlife will have to be rethought. It’s a great opportu
  
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• Polar bears losing crucial sea ice: study

  14-09-2016 16:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Life-sustaining sea ice needed for hunting, resting and breeding is declining in all 19 regions of the Arctic inhabited by the speciesPolar bears are losing life-sustaining sea ice crucial for hunting, resting and breeding in all 19 regions of the Arctic they inhabit, a study warned on Wednesday.
  As climate change pushes up Arctic temperatures, ice is melting earlier in spring and refreezing later in autumn, a team of researchers reported in the Cryosphere, a journal of the European Geosciences
  
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• Oil prices tumble ahead of U.S. inventory data

  14-09-2016 16:04
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell 1 percent on Wednesday, extending their tumble ahead of data likely to show U.S. crude stockpiles had risen last week after a one-week reprieve. On Tuesday, crude futures settled down 3 percent after the world's energy watchdog and OPEC both revised forecasts that signalled the global crude glut could persist much longer than expected. Analysts expect the U.S. Energy Information Administration to cite a build of 3.8 million barrels in domes
  
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• As decision time approaches, PM May mulls Hinkley options

  14-09-2016 16:04
  By William James and Geert De Clercq LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - Theresa May could announce as soon as Thursday whether Britain will go ahead with a $24 billion (18 billion pounds) nuclear power project, laying down a marker on energy policy and her approach to investment from China. Hours before a deal was due to be signed in July, the new prime minister stunned investors by putting it on hold. May said she needed time to assess the terms of a project that would see French utility EDF build Britai
  
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• National oil companies to retain investment dominance - IEA's Birol

  14-09-2016 16:03
  By Karolin Schaps and Susanna Twidale LONDON (Reuters) - National oil companies (NOCs) will continue to dominate upstream oil and gas investments if oil prices remain at current low levels, creating a new dynamic in the market, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) told Reuters. NOCs, which include huge state-run firms Saudi Aramco, China's CNPC and Mexico's Pemex, have raised their share of upstream investments to a 40-year high of 44 percent, the IEA said.
  
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• Lewis Wind Power acquires new wind farm site in Scotland

  14-09-2016 15:39
  (Reuters) - Lewis Wind Power (LWP), a joint venture between engineering and construction group Amec Foster Wheeler and EDF Energy Renewables, on Wednesday bought new wind farm acreage on Scotland's Isle of Lewis as it seeks to sell output into the wider UK grid via a planned sub-sea cable. LWP's acquisition of Uisenis Wind Farm for an undisclosed amount gives it the ability to install 45 turbines with a generating capacity of 162 megawatts (MW), it said in a statement. Combined with its nearby S
  
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• Total says restarted all units at Gonfreville refinery after incident

  14-09-2016 15:01
  PARIS (Reuters) - Total has restarted all units at its 247,000 barrels-per-day Gonfreville refinery in Normandy, northern France, a spokesman for the French oil and gas company said, after a technical incident led to some units being halted on Monday. "The unit where the incident occurred was restarted late on Tuesday night," the spokesman said, adding that a complete restart of the refinery would take several days. (Reporting by Bate Felix, editing by Sybille de La Hamaide)
  
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• A new map of the Milky Way

  14-09-2016 14:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The European Space Agency has released details of the position and brightness of more than a billion stars.
  
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• Oil prices slide as oversupply concerns weigh

  14-09-2016 14:55
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices extended losses on Wednesday after falling by as much as 3 percent in the previous session amid concerns that rebalancing the global oil market will take longer than originally envisaged. Prices had been supported earlier in the session by data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) which showed a crude build of 1.4 million barrels for the week ended Sept. 9, smaller than the 3.8-million-barrel rise expected by analysts. U.S. West Texas Interme
  
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• Oil pares gains as oversupply concerns weigh

  14-09-2016 14:40
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices pared gains on Wednesday after falling by as much as 3 percent in the previous session amid concerns that the rebalancing in the global oil market will take longer than originally envisaged. Prices were supported earlier in the session by data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) which showed a crude build of 1.4 million barrels for the week ended Sept. 9, smaller than the 3.8-million-barrel rise expected by analysts. U.S. West Texas Intermed
  
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• Washing-line snobbery: why can’t I hang my knickers out to dry?

  14-09-2016 14:39 via theguardian.com
  
  An anonymous note chiding a retired funeral director for hanging her frillies outside has gone viral. But it’s just the latest incident in the global war on dryingIn the US, they would call them “freedom panties”, which sounds terrible. In the tiny Devon village of Stokeinteignhead, they are known as Rozamund Perrin’s controversial smalls. The retired funeral director is at odds with her prudish neighbours in the latest skirmish in a global war on washing lines.“It
  
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• Virgin unveils aviation 'game-changer' with alcohol-to-jet fuel

  14-09-2016 14:29
  
  Virgin Atlantic has today (14 September) announced that an innovative partnership with carbon capture company LanzaTech has successfully produced 1,500 gallons of low-carbon, alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) fuel.
  
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• Science snaps

  14-09-2016 13:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Fifteen stunning images from the Royal Photographic Society's International Images for Science competition
  
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• Global open data call to deliver world food security

  14-09-2016 13:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The opening of data sources in agricultural research is needed to deliver the global goal of delivering zero hunger by 2030, say campaigners.
  
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• Global cost-effectiveness of renewables revealed amid fears over domestic energy security

  14-09-2016 13:37
  
  New analysis has highlighted the need for policymakers and investors to exploit the global cost-effectiveness of renewable power generation, as the Renewable Energy Association (REA) casts a doubt over the UK Government's willingness to priorities energy security in post-Brexit negotiations.
  
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• Deepwater Horizon premiere in Toronto hit by Dakota pipeline protest

  14-09-2016 13:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Picketers targeted Toronto film festival venue in protest against the controversial Dakota Access pipeline The Toronto film festival premiere of the oil rig disaster movie Deepwater Horizon was picketed on Tuesday by activists protesting against the controversial Dakota Access pipeline. Related: Deepwater Horizon review – Mark Wahlberg v BP in angry disaster movieContinue reading...
  
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• Theresa May set to give conditional approval for Hinkley Point C

  14-09-2016 13:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Prime minister poised to approve proposed £18bn nuclear plant after delaying decision on project over security concernsTheresa May is poised to give the conditional go-ahead to the £18bn Hinkley Point C nuclear plant.The prime minister announced a review of the contract to build the power station over the summer amid concerns about the potential security impact of Chinese involvement and the costs to the Treasury of guaranteeing a minimum price for the electricity produced by the pla
  
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• UK watchdog approves $1.45 billion Britain-France power cable

  14-09-2016 13:06
  UK energy regulator Ofgem has approved plans for a 1.1 billion pound under-sea power cable between Britain and France, developer Aquind Limited said on Wednesday. The approval means the privately-funded 2 gigawatt (GW) cable could start importing power from 2022 from northern France's nuclear-powered electricity grid to southern England, where it could power up to four million homes. Britain plans to build more power links with Europe to avert an electricity shortfall by the early 2020s as coal
  
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• Norway and Turkey vote against ban on dumping mining waste at sea

  14-09-2016 12:47 via theguardian.com
  
  All of the other 51 countries voted in favour of an international ban, including big mining nations China and RussiaNorway and Turkey were the only two of 53 countries to vote against an international ban on the dumping of mining waste at sea, at a major conservation summit in Hawaii last week.
  Even big mining nations including China and Russia voted in favour of the resolution at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) congress. Continue reading...
  
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• Trump and the Republican Party are doing Big Oil's bidding | Dana Nuccitelli

  14-09-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The fossil fuel industry is dictating Republican Party actions on climate change in attorney generals offices, Congress, and for its presidential nominee
  The GOP has become the Grand Oil Party. The fossil fuel industry has now managed to dictate Republican Party actions on climate change in attorney generals offices, Congress, and for the party’s presidential nominee.Continue reading...
  
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• Arctic sea ice cover set to be second lowest ever recorded, data suggests

  14-09-2016 11:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Satellite data shows ice was close to last year’s record low confirming a long-term downward trend towards ice-free Arctic summersArctic sea ice cover could be confirmed within days as the second lowest ever recorded, the latest data suggests.According to the US national snow and ice data centre (NSIDC) the ice which forms and disperses annually has been close to its minimum extent for the year for several days and has begun to grow again as autumn sets in. Continue reading...
  
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• Investors fear next financial crisis will be climate-related

  14-09-2016 11:55
  
  A rushed transition to clean energy triggered by extreme weather events linked to global warming "will be very expensive" to swallow for the economy, investors warned policymakers at an event in Bratislava last week.
  
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• Gaia space telescope plots a billion stars

  14-09-2016 11:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Europe's Gaia space telescope releases its first batch of data as it builds the most precise map ever made of the night sky.
  
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• Increased drought could see Londoners queueing for water

  14-09-2016 11:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Water companies warn of the likelihood of more shortages due to climate change and lack of investment in infrastructure Londoners face a one in five probability of queuing in the street at standpipes for their water for days or weeks during a sweltering summer in the coming 25 years, owing to drought brought about by climate change and a lack of water infrastructure, new data suggests.As the UK basked in unaccustomed September heat, with temperatures topping 30C on Tuesday, a report commissioned
  
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• Britain is ready for the green bus transition, says Volvo Buses

  14-09-2016 10:00
  
  The president of Volvo Buses believes an open standard that doesn't lock cities into contracts with individual suppliers could prove vital in accelerating the uptake of low-carbon buses across the country, and is calling on new stakeholders to engage in the conversation.
  
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• Indonesia forest fires: has this Sumatran village got the solution? #palmoil

  14-09-2016 09:43 via theguardian.com
  
  The small village of Dosan has not recorded a single fire since 2012, despite being surrounded by palm oil plantationsFires have returned once again to the forests and peatlands of Riau province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The annual environmental disaster devastates millions of hectares (pdf) in the archipelago and has been linked to the clearing of forest and peatland for oil palm and paper pulp plantations.Last year south-east Asia experienced one of the worst forest fire outbreaks i
  
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• Gym chain seals UK's largest water supplier switch

  14-09-2016 09:30
  
  Sports and leisure business David Lloyd has switched to newly-formed retailer Water Plus to supply all 84 of its UK health clubs and gyms, marking the UK-wide water supplier switch to date
  
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