Environment news

• Saudi-led coalition air strike kills at least 19 in Yemen -residents

  21-09-2016 23:46
  At least 19 civilians were killed on Wednesday when a Saudi-led coalition air strike hit a house in western Yemen, according to residents, medics and a local official. Fighter jets of an Arab alliance launched missiles on Wednesday at a presidential palace in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah occupied by leaders of the Iran-allied Houthi militia, a resident told Reuters. A raid hit a house in a neighbourhood populated by workers adjacent to the palace killing 19 civilians and wounding dozens, ac
  
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• Enterprise car rental company leaves Alec after public outcry

  21-09-2016 22:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Company follows lead of Ford and others in exiting rightwing American Legislative Exchange Council after consumers condemned membershipThe car rental giant Enterprise says it has resigned its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec), an anti-regulation lobby group that has pushed against climate change legislation, effective immediately. The announcement follows last month’s revelation by the Guardian of the publicly environmentally friendly company’s contributi
  
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• Report: Staff shortages hamper US wildlife refuges

  21-09-2016 22:36
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Hundreds of national wildlife refuges that provide critical habitat for migratory birds and other species are crippled by a staffing shortage that has curtailed educational programs, hampered the fight against invasive species and weakened security at facilities that attract nearly 50 million visitors annually, a group of public employees and law enforcement said Wednesday.
  
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• ‘It’s a depressing sight’: climate change unleashes ghostly death on Great Barrier Reef

  21-09-2016 22:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Months after the worst coral bleaching event to hit the reef, Australian conservationist Tim Flannery returns to a tourism hot spot 50km north-east of Port Douglas to witness the destruction wrought by a warming planetJohn Rumney says that just a year ago, this particular spot was once the most stunning coral garden on the entire Great Barrier Reef. If a film crew said it wanted to get a cliche shot of the reef with its mind-boggling richness of coral and fish species, this was where he took the
  
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• Tim Flannery returns to the Great Barrier Reef after coral bleaching – video

  21-09-2016 22:15 via theguardian.com
  
  The Australian conservationist travels back to the Great Barrier Reef with the Climate Council after witnessing extensive coral bleaching in the area in May. An estimated 30% to 40% of the previously bleached sections of the reef have now died, which Flannery attributes to ‘the burden of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causing these unprecedented underwater heatwaves’ Continue reading...
  
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• Oil jumps after third surprise weekly U.S. crude draw

  21-09-2016 20:52
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose up as much as 3 percent on Wednesday after a third surprise weekly drop in U.S. crude stockpiles helped assuage fears over a global oil glut. A weaker dollar after the Federal Reserve's decision to leave U.S. interest rates unchanged and an oil workers' strike in Norway that threatened to cut North Sea crude output further boosted oil. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose $1.29, or 2.9 percent, to settle at $45.34.
  
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• Libya exports first oil cargo from Ras Lanuf since 2014

  21-09-2016 20:44
  By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - An oil tanker left the Libyan port of Ras Lanuf for Italy early on Wednesday with the first crude export cargo from the terminal since at least late 2014, boosting hopes of reviving Libya's oil output. The port manager of Ras Lanuf said a second tanker was preparing to load at the terminal, one of four seized on Sept. 11-12 by eastern Libyan forces loyal to military leader Khalifa Haftar. Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) has welcomed a promi
  
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• Ghana could be Africa's number four oil producer by 2020 - report

  21-09-2016 20:32
  Ghana could become the fourth biggest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020 once two new offshore fields come on stream, to push total output above 240,000 barrels per day (bpd), pan-African bank Ecobank said on Wednesday. The West African country produces around 103,000 bpd ranking it ninth, far behind leaders Nigeria and Angola, which produce an average of 1.867 million bpd and 1.754 million bpd respectively, said the Ecobank research report. Ghana's Tweneboa-Enyenra-Ntomme (TEN) field ca
  
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• US tests reveal major TV manufacturers may be manipulating energy ratings

  21-09-2016 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Natural Resources Defence Council claims Samsung, LG and Vizio have designed sets that perform well in testing but disable energy-saving features in real-world conditions, causing energy consumption to soar Independent tests in the US have found that the energy consumption of Samsung and LG TV sets nosedives under test conditions but can soar by up to 45% in real-world use, raising questions of manipulation by software devices.TVs from the top three best selling US brands - Samsung, LG and Vizio
  
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• Greenland's huge annual ice loss is even worse than thought

  21-09-2016 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Ice cap is disappearing far more rapidly than previously estimated, and is part of a long-term trend, new research showsThe huge annual losses of ice from the Greenland cap are even worse than thought, according to new research which also shows that the melt is not a short-term blip but a long-term trend.The melting Greenland ice sheet is already a major contributor to rising sea level and if it was eventually lost entirely, the oceans would rise by six metres around the world, flooding many of
  
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• EU wants to speed up approval of Paris climate deal

  21-09-2016 20:00
  By Alissa de Carbonnel and Jason Hovet BRUSSELS/PRAGUE (Reuters) - European Union environment ministers will try next week to overcome an embarrassing delay in the bloc's approval of the landmark Paris accord on global warming that Europe has long championed, Slovakia said on Wednesday. The EU was a prime mover behind the success of last autumn's climate talks but is now a laggard in ratifying the December deal it produced to slash greenhouse gases and keep global temperature increases to "well
  
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• Tunisia says UK firm Petrofac shutting down local operation due to protests

  21-09-2016 19:59
  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - British oil and gas industry services company Petrofac has told Tunisia it has started to shut down its local operations after months of protests disrupted its gas production, the government said on Wednesday. "Petrofac has officially informed us that they have started the process of closing down," Iyed Dahmeni, the government's spokesman told reporters. "We will do everything we can to convince them to stay if the young men who are protesting accept the agreemen
  
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• DNA hints at earlier human exodus from Africa

  21-09-2016 19:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Evidence for an early exodus of modern humans from Africa may have been detected in living humans.
  
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• Petrofac tells Tunisia it starting shutdown over protests - official, source

  21-09-2016 18:04
  British oil and gas industry services company Petrofac has told Tunisia's government it has started to shut down its local operations after months of protests disrupted gas output, a government official and a Petrofac source said on Wednesday. Petrofac, which supplies around 13 percent of the North African country's domestic gas needs, sent a letter to the government saying it had begun the process of leaving Tunisia, the two sources said. Prime Minister Youssef Chahed was holding an emergency m
  
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• ExxonMobil under investigation by US financial watchdog over oil valuations

  21-09-2016 17:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Securities and Exchange Commission looking into how fossil fuel giant valued its assets since oil prices fell two years agoThe US Securities and Exchange Commission has launched an investigation into ExxonMobil over how the fossil fuel giant has valued its assets in the wake of falling oil prices and increasing climate change-related regulations.
  The company has confirmed that the US’s top financial watchdog is seeking information on its financial reporting. Documents have been sought from
  
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• Oil up 2 percent after third surprise weekly U.S. crude draw

  21-09-2016 17:24
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices were up as much as 2 percent on Wednesday after a surprise drop in crude stockpiles reported by the U.S. government for a third week in a row. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said domestic crude inventories fell by 6.2 million barrels for the week ended Sept. 16, versus a 3.4 million-barrel drop forecast by oil market analysts polled by Reuters. Some 14.5 million barrels were reported drawn for the week ended Sept. 2, the bigges
  
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• EU court rules against Britain over power plant emissions

  21-09-2016 17:10
  Britain failed to respect European Union limits on nitrogen oxide emissions from a coal-fired power plant in Wales, the European Court of Justice said on Wednesday. The European Commission launched an inquiry in May 2012 into the environmental credentials of the Aberthaw plant and took Britain to court in March 2015. Britain can now expect a fine and will have to pay the Commission's legal costs.
  
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• Competitive retail nature placing supply chain performance at risk

  21-09-2016 16:49
  
  EXCLUSIVE: Retailers need to ask "honest" questions as to whether current emphasis on competition over collaboration is actually stifling business growth and transparency, by damaging supply chains that can't cater to minimal standards from day one.
  
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• Paris climate agreement poised to come into force

  21-09-2016 16:15 via theguardian.com
  
  UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, predicts global climate deal will be fully ratified by the end of the year after 31 nations officially sign up in New YorkThe Paris climate agreement is on the brink of coming into force after 31 nations officially joined the landmark accord, with United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon predicting it will be fully ratified by the end of the year.On Wednesday, 31 countries formally signed up to the Paris deal at the UN general assembly in New York. They inc
  
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• Guinness Nigeria gets Diageo loan to help with currency shortages

  21-09-2016 15:58
  Guinness Nigeria said on Wednesday that it had received a $95 million loan from parent Diageo to help it cope with dollar shortages in the West African country caused by a slump in crude prices. Chief finance officer Ronald Plumridge said the company's currency needs were much bigger than it was able to source locally and from its exports and so Diageo had stepped in with the loan. Nigeria is in recession due to a slump in oil prices, which has hurt its currency and government revenues.
  
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• Climate deal comes one step closer to effect at United Nations

  21-09-2016 15:56
  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - An agreement to fight global warming came one step closer to taking effect on Wednesday when dozens of countries deposited their ratification of the deal at the United Nations, taking the total to 60, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. The deal, agreed by nearly 200 countries in Paris last December, needs ratification by at least 55 countries representing 55 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions to take effect. The United Nations said 14
  
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• Oil jumps on chance of another U.S. draw, Norway strike supports

  21-09-2016 15:55
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices were up as much as 2 percent on Wednesday, reacting to the possibility of another surprise weekly drop in U.S. inventories amid an industry strike in Norway that threatened to cut North Sea crude output. The American Petroleum Institute, a trade group, reported a 7.5 million barrel drop in U.S. crude inventories for the week ended Sept. 16, versus a 3.4 million-barrel drop forecast by oil market analysts polled by Reuters. The U.S. Energy Inform
  
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• The Paris effect: Are businesses ready for a new climate reality?

  21-09-2016 15:50
  
  As the UK joins a growing list of nations pledging to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change, a new report released today (21 September) reveals that more than 600 big businesses - worth $12tn - have already started to factor in the profound impacts the deal could have on their operations.
  
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• China space station to fall to Earth in 2017

  21-09-2016 15:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  China's first space station is expected to fall back to Earth in the second half of 2017, amid speculation authorities have lost control of it.
  
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• 'Last Shipwreck' from WWI's Battle of Jutland Found Near Norway

  21-09-2016 15:10
  
  The wreck of the British warship HMS Warrior — the "last shipwreck" from the Battle of Jutland during World War I — has been discovered near Norway. The marine exploration team that found the shipwreck also recently located the wreck of a World War II-era British submarine in the same region. The HMS Warrior is the last of the Jutland wrecks to be located, out of 14 British and 11 German warships that were sunk on May 31 and June 1, 1916, as the Imperial German High Seas Fleet tried
  
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• Search on for the Asian hornet queen

  21-09-2016 15:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How the government is trying to trace nests of invasive hornet which kills honey bees
  
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• Energy policy cannot be dependent on any single project, says UK climate watchdog

  21-09-2016 14:38
  
  Energy policy is about more than just Hinkley and "cannot be dependent on any single project", the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has warned.
  
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• Fearnley-Whittingstall on ivory trade 'ban'

  21-09-2016 13:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says trading ivory not verified as antique should be banned
  
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• Oil jumps after surprise drop in U.S. crude inventories

  21-09-2016 13:23
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped 2 percent on Wednesday after a surprisingly large drop in U.S. crude inventories and as an oil services workers strike in Norway threatened to cut North Sea output. Brent crude futures were up 91 cents at $46.79 per barrel by 1113 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose by 96 cents to $45.01 a barrel. Oil took its cue from American Petroleum Institute (API) data which showed a 7.5 million barrel drop in U.S. crude inventor
  
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• Aberthaw power station breached emissions limit, rules EU court

  21-09-2016 13:18 via theguardian.com
  
  UK ordered to pay European commission’s legal costs after ruling that coal plant was wrongly granted higher pollution thresholdA coal-burning power station in Wales repeatedly violated pollution controls for nitrogen oxide emissions, the European court of justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg has ruled.It ordered the UK to pay the European commission’s legal costs after ruling that Aberthaw power station, near Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, should not have been allowed to exceed specially neg
  
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• Move to extend Azerbaijan presidential term will upset balance of power - European experts

  21-09-2016 12:51
  By Margarita Antidze BAKU (Reuters) - A move by Azerbaijan's president to extend the head of state's term in office to seven years from five drew fire on Wednesday from Council of Europe experts who said it would seriously upset the balance of power in the oil-producing state. Constitutional amendments, clearing the way for the changes, will be put to a national referendum on Sept. 26 and would allow President Ilham Aliyev, in power since 2003, to further tighten his grip on power after his thir
  
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• Oil climbs after surprise drop in U.S. crude inventories

  21-09-2016 12:07
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped 2 percent on Wednesday after a surprisingly large drop in U.S. crude inventories and as an oil services workers strike in Norway threatened to cut North Sea output. Brent crude futures were up 90 cents at $46.78 per barrel by 0955 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures climbed 95 cents to $45.00 a barrel. Oil took its cue from American Petroleum Institute (API) data which showed a 7.5 million barrel drop in U.S. crude inventor
  
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• 375 top scientists warn of 'real, serious, immediate' climate threat | John Abraham

  21-09-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  375 National Academy of Sciences members sign an open letter expressing frustration at political inaction on climate change
  Yesterday, 375 of the world’s top scientists, including 30 Nobel Prize winners, published an open letter regarding climate change. In the letter, the scientists report that the evidence is clear: humans are causing climate change. We are now observing climate change and its affect across the globe. The seas are rising, the oceans are warming, the lower atmosphere is w
  
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• Indonesia dismisses study showing forest fire haze killed more than 100,000 people

  21-09-2016 11:55 via theguardian.com
  
  Authorities from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have rejected recent research on the number of early deaths caused by last year’s firesIndonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean authorities have dismissed research that suggested smoky haze from catastrophic forest fires in Indonesia last year caused 100,000 deaths. Some even contend the haze caused no serious health problems, but experts say those assertions contradict well-established science. Last year’s fires in Sumatra and the Indo
  
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• Keep EU environmental legislation post-Brexit, urge manufacturers

  21-09-2016 11:38
  
  Manufacturers want to see EU environmental legislation transposed to a post-Brexit Britain, but also recognise an opportunity to cut 'red tape' and explore a simpler, more UK-specific approach to green policy.
  
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• Ugandan wildlife dying in national park from drought

  21-09-2016 11:35
  KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A Ugandan wildlife official says scores of animals have died in a national park because of drought.
  
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• UK to crack down on illegal ivory sales

  21-09-2016 11:26 via theguardian.com
  
  New initiative closes loophole allowing dealers to claim ivory from recently killed elephants is antique without providing proof of ageBritain is to ban all sales of ivory which are not backed by proof that the item is over 70 years old.
  Although it is already illegal to sell ivory from elephants killed after 1947, a loophole allows dealers to claim items are antique without providing documentary evidence of their age. Continue reading...
  
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• Nothing to see here: Southeast Asia flummoxed by haze study

  21-09-2016 10:59
  
  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean authorities have dismissed research that smoky haze from catastrophic forest fires in Indonesia last year caused 100,000 deaths. Some even contend the haze caused no serious health problems, but experts say those assertions contradict well-established science.
  
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• Libya exports first oil cargo from Ras Lanuf port since 2014 - port manager

  21-09-2016 10:13
  An oil tanker left the Libyan port of Ras Lanuf for Italy early on Wednesday with the first crude export cargo from the terminal since at least late 2014, the port manager said. The port manager said a second tanker was preparing to load at Ras Lanuf, one of four ports seized on Sept. 11-12 by eastern Libyan forces loyal to military leader Khalifa Haftar. Reopening Ras Lanuf for exports is a major advance for the United Nations-backed government in Tripoli as it works to extend its influence to
  
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• Britain's retailers 'leading the way' on sustainable palm oil

  21-09-2016 10:00
  
  Marks and Spencer (M&S) and Boots are among a cluster of British retailers, manufacturers and foodservice businesses that are "leading the way" on sustainable palm oil sourcing, while others appear to have fallen short of their commitments.
  
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• Tarmac lays the foundation for concrete energy reduction

  21-09-2016 09:45
  
  Construction firm Tarmac has ramped up its energy efficiency efforts through the roll out of on-site technologies, the uptake of demand-response, and the development of an energy management system to help measure, monitor and improve efficiencies across the business.
  
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• Half of UK women flush tampons away – this has to stop | Kate Blincoe

  21-09-2016 09:30 via theguardian.com
  
  It blocks drains and contaminates our surroundings. And it’s not just sanitary products that are causing problemsThis summer, periods hit the news. Olympian Fu Yuanhui blamed hers for a lacklustre performance at Rio, the tampon tax became an economic issue and the hashtag #RedSummer has brought witty period chat to Twitter. It turns out that women do have periods and we can talk about them. But the conversation hasn’t gone nearly far enough, and most of us are still politely silent a
  
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• Could the 'Energy Efficiency Mortgage' solve Europe's green building challenge?

  21-09-2016 09:30
  
  Energy and building sector professionals from across Europe have united to forge a ground-breaking new initiative which offers better borrowing rates on mortgages for homebuyers that commit to purchasing more energy-efficient homes or carrying out energy-saving retrofits within properties.
  
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• Where have all the insects gone? | Charlie Hart

  21-09-2016 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Britain’s insect population is struggling - gone are the days when your windscreen was full of bugs at the end of a car journey I miss seeing the back end of a bug.This summer I sensed a disturbance of some sort. There were hardly any ladybirds, almost no butterflies (only the odd cabbage white) and barely a wasp. Very, very odd. I noticed early on that the orchard would crop moderately (as opposed to well); I put this down to the slow spring and accompanying lack of pollinators. But I won
  
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• Oil prices rise on reported US crude stock draw, Norway strike

  21-09-2016 08:59
  By Henning Gloystein SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped over 1 percent on Wednesday, pushed by a reported draw in U.S. crude inventories and an oil service worker strike in Norway which hit output. Firm import data from Japan also supported prices, traders said. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 1.93 percent, or 85 cents, at $44.90 a barrel at 0644 GMT.
  
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• Late-summer contentment on the Dorset coast

  21-09-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Lyme Regis, Dorset Morning sun highlights the cliffs, visitors stroll along the Cobb and little boats dip and roll across the open seaFrom Uplyme, shady paths beside the river Lim lead to the renovated mill in the middle of old Lyme Regis; the waterwheel is geared to millstones that grind wheat into flour, and a micro hydro system generates 32,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. Before 10.30am, the associated tearoom, galleries and workshops remain quiet, but the nearest car park is alread
  
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• UK advertising watchdog admits it was wrong to ban Greenpeace fracking advert

  21-09-2016 06:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Advertising Standards Authority concedes it erred in upholding a complaint against the advert last year, which claimed fracking would not cut energy billsThe UK’s advertising watchdog has admitted it made the wrong decision when it banned a Greenpeace advert last year which claimed fracking would not cut energy bills.The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) originally ruled in May 2015 that the advert was misleading due to the green group’s statement that experts agreed fracking wou
  
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• Thomson Reuters/INSEAD third quarter Asian Business Sentiment Survey - by economy

  21-09-2016 05:29
  (Reuters) - Optimism among Asia-Pacific companies rose for the third straight quarter in July-September 2016 on signs China's growth is stabilising, although they remained wary of risks from volatile oil prices and the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed. The Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asian Business Sentiment Index, representing the six-month outlook of 118 firms, inched up to 68 for July-September versus 67 three months prior. Philippine firms were the
  
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• Kill Climate Deniers: the provocative play that sneakily infiltrated Australia's Parliament House

  21-09-2016 04:46 via theguardian.com
  
  Once targeted by Andrew Bolt and Breitbart, David Finnigan’s play has found new life in a concept albumAt midday on 31 August, a silent and subversive music event happened inside Parliament House. Milling among the gaggles of children on school excursion were about 15 unacquainted visitors distinguished by one thing: all wore earphones and walked the same route through the building’s public zones.I was one of them. That morning, as instructed by the artists, I downloaded an album fro
  
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• Mexico closes 7 sawmills in monarch butterfly reserve

  21-09-2016 04:20
  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican environmental authorities say they have closed seven sawmills operating illegally in the forest reserve that serves as the wintering ground for monarch butterflies that migrate to Mexico from the United States and Canada.
  
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