Environment news

• On board plane flying through the jet stream

  29-09-2016 23:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Science editor David Shukman goes on board the plane measuring the jet stream to find out how it affects our weather.
  
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• Oil rises close to $50/barrel; doubts on OPEC plan cap gains

  29-09-2016 23:19
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil jumped more than 1 percent on Thursday, with Brent nearing $50 (39 pounds) a barrel on optimism over OPEC's first planned output cut in eight years, although gains were limited by doubts the reduction would make a substantial dent in the global crude glut. OPEC said other details will be known at its policy meeting in November, leaving unanswered when the agreement will come into effect, what new quotas for member countries will be and for what periods
  
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• Rosetta spacecraft's crash landing explained

  29-09-2016 23:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Rosetta probe, which has been beaming back spectacular pictures of a comet, is to end its journey by crash landing.
  
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• Lifestyle choice of the world's most cosmopolitan butterfly

  29-09-2016 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Most painted ladies have already headed south, and new research reveals just how far these butterflies travelThe last red admirals and commas are feeding on ivy flowers in autumn sunshine and Britain’s butterfly year is drawing to a close once more.One butterfly, though, is on the move. I’ve seen several painted ladies this month, but most have already headed south for the winter. The fate of British-born generations of painted ladies was a mystery until recently, when radar finally
  
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• U.S. energy envoy says OPEC deal likely to be self defeating

  29-09-2016 22:24
  By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. energy diplomat said he has little faith an OPEC deal would raise world crude prices for long because America's drilling revolution and global efficiency gains mean energy markets are resilient to producer cuts. Details are to be worked out in a November meeting, but there has been some scepticism that the cuts will come to fruition given the growth in U.S. oil drilling. "I don't think it's going to work," Amos Hochstein, the State Departmen
  
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• Oil rises near $50; doubts on OPEC plan limit gains

  29-09-2016 22:06
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped more than 1 percent on Thursday, with Brent nearing $50 a barrel on optimism over OPEC's first planned output cut in eight years, although gains were limited as some analysts doubted the reduction would be enough to make a substantial dent in the global crude glut. OPEC said other details will be known at its policy meeting in November, leaving unanswered when the agreement will come into effect, what new quotas for member countries will
  
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• Gabon opposition leader rejects Bongo's legitimacy, calls for talks

  29-09-2016 21:27
  By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon's opposition leader Jean Ping called on Thursday for national talks to form a "new republic" and urged foreign powers to impose sanctions on allies of President Ali Bongo, sworn in this week after a disputed election in the oil-producing nation. Ping remained intransigent during his speech in the capital Libreville, saying he refused to recognise Bongo's presidency. Ping ridiculed Bongo's earlier appeals for talks, saying that the preside
  
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• New data shows 'staggering' extent of great ape trade

  29-09-2016 20:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new database suggests a dramatic under-reporting of the live, illegal trade in great apes including orangutans, chimpanzees and gorilllas.
  
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• Areva says awarded 5 billion euros worth of Hinkley Point contracts

  29-09-2016 19:58
  French nuclear group Areva said on Thursday it has won contracts worth over 5 billion euros (£4.32 billion) to provide various services at Britain's $24 billion Hinkley Point nuclear project. The deal to build Britain's first new nuclear power station in decades at Hinkley Point was signed behind closed doors in London earlier on Thursday in a private ceremony. Areva said the subcontracts include among others, a long-term fuel supply agreement, and the delivery of the two nuclear steam sup
  
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• Corbyn doubtful he can make his MPs oppose Heathrow expansion

  29-09-2016 19:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Labour leader says he has not decided whether to hold free vote, with many of his MPs likely to back plans for third runwayJeremy Corbyn has suggested it would not be easy to whip Labour MPs to vote against a third runway at Heathrow, despite his personal opposition to the infrastructure project.The Labour leader said he has not yet decided whether to hold a free vote, but it could be difficult to get his MPs to fall into line with his view that the proposed project would cause harmful pollution
  
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• UK ‘consistently waters down’ reforms of EU farming subsidies

  29-09-2016 19:18 via theguardian.com
  
  European commission says government chooses not to apply CAP payment ceiling to large landowners in EnglandThe UK government could have stopped wealthy landowners including aristocrats and a Saudi racehorse owner receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds from the EU’s common agricultural policy, the European commission has said.
  An investigation of the top 100 recipients of CAP subsidies in the UK last year by the environmental campaign group Greenpeace revealed that at least one in five w
  
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• Strange reptile fossil puzzles scientists

  29-09-2016 18:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A reptile that lived 200 million years ago is rewriting the rulebooks on how four-legged animals conquered the world.
  
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• Hinkley Point: ministers sign go-ahead for nuclear power plant

  29-09-2016 18:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Representatives of British, Chinese and French governments attend ceremony giving final authorisation for power stationThe UK has signed its £18bn contract with France and China to build the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, giving the final go-ahead for construction at the site.The deal was finalised at a low-key ceremony in London, just two months after Theresa May alarmed her French and Chinese counterparts by putting the entire project under review. EDF, the French nuclear contrac
  
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• EU Commission sues UK over harbour porpoise protection

  29-09-2016 18:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The European Commission takes the UK to court for failure to allocate safe marine areas for harbour porpoises.
  
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• Oil marches higher on OPEC optimism; analysts question deal

  29-09-2016 18:35
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 3 percent on Thursday, extending their rally on optimism over OPEC's first output cut plan in eight years, despite some analysts' doubts that the reduction would be enough to rebalance a heavily over-supplied market. OPEC said other details of the plan will be known at its policy meeting in November, leaving unanswered when the agreement will come into effect, what new quotas for member countries will be and for what periods, and how
  
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• Sharks fascinate us - but are we prepared to protect them from extinction?

  29-09-2016 18:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Sharks’ reputation as fearsome predators means that it can be difficult to convince the public of the urgent need for conservation As a marine biologist specialising in shark research, I’m passionate about all aspects of shark conservation. What many people don’t realise is that shark conservation issues exist within the UK - typically warmer, more tropical waters are brought to mind when thinking of sharks.Think again, though: at least 21 species of shark are commonly found in
  
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• 'Project blackout fear': Green economy scolds think tank research into Britain's energy mix

  29-09-2016 17:36
  
  A new report questioning the economic value of renewable energy and phase out of coal-fired power plants has faced retaliation from green organisations for undermining the value of renewable generation in the UK's future energy mix.
  
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• Corbyn doubtful he can whip MPs to oppose Heathrow expansion

  29-09-2016 17:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Labour leader says he has not decided whether to hold free vote, with many of his MPs likely to back plans for third runwayJeremy Corbyn has suggested it would not be easy to whip Labour MPs to vote against a third runway at Heathrow, despite his personal opposition to the major infrastructure project.The Labour leader said he has not yet decided whether to hold a free vote, but it could be difficult to get his MPs to fall into line with his view that the proposed project would have harmful impa
  
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• Coal electricity generation falls to record UK low this spring

  29-09-2016 17:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Closure of coal-fired power plants led to the fossil fuel dropping to just 6% of the power mix, official data showsCoal generated a record low 6% of the UK’s electricity this spring, official figures show. The share of coal in the power mix fell from 20% in the same period last year, following the closures of Ferrybridge C, West Yorkshire, and Longannet coal-fired power station in Scotland.Continue reading...
  
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• UK signs long-awaited Franco-Chinese nuclear project behind closed doors

  29-09-2016 17:20
  A $24-billion (£18.5 billion) deal to build Britain's first new nuclear power station in decades was signed behind closed doors in London on Thursday in a low-key ceremony that underlined Prime Minister Theresa May's cautious approach to the Franco-Chinese project. Journalists were not invited to the event but the government said the contract had been formally signed at a ceremony attended by Business Secretary Greg Clark, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and China's National Ener
  
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• BP sells Sunbury office building for 360 million pounds - industry sources

  29-09-2016 16:48
  BP has sold its biggest office building in Britain to a local council for an estimated 360 million pounds, according to industry sources, and will remain in the premises as a tenant. Spelthorne Borough Council, west of London, said in a statement it had purchased the Sunbury-on-Thames facility from the British oil and gas giant as a way to boost revenue streams.
  
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• UK faces European court for failing to protect porpoises

  29-09-2016 16:19 via theguardian.com
  
  UK has failed to provide enough safe habitats for the mammals, with just one small site formally proposed so far, says European commissionThe UK will be hauled before the European court of justice for failing to provide safe habitats for harbour porpoises, the European commission said on Thursday. Harbour porpoises resemble bottlenose dolphins, with small rounded heads, flat foreheads and a black-lipped mouth that curves upwards, as if smiling. Continue reading...
  
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• Russia says OPEC deal positive but aims to keep output at existing level - RIA

  29-09-2016 16:02
  Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday he thought OPEC's deal to modestly curb output was a positive signal for the market, but that Russia aimed to keep its own oil production at existing levels. Novak, in comments cited by the RIA news agency, said that Russia was ready to consider proposals from OPEC for joint action on the oil market and would hold consultations with OPEC in October/November. The minister was not ready to say at what level Russia might potentially freeze it
  
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• Report: FTSE100 must go beyond compliance with sustainability reporting performance

  29-09-2016 15:59
  
  The gap between corporations leading the way on sustainable business practices and those that are simply complying with legislation for their CSR programmes is "as large as ever", according to new research into the sustainability reporting performance of the UK's top 100 listed companies.
  
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• Oil slips as focus shifts to details of OPEC deal

  29-09-2016 15:51
  By Swetha Gopinath LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Thursday as investors questioned whether an OPEC agreement to curb production - the group's first such deal since 2008 - would be enough to rebalance a heavily over-supplied market. "The problem of surpluses will not be solved if these countries take full advantage of their capacities," Commerzbank chief commodities analyst Eugen Weinberg said.
  
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• Sculptor Antony Gormley creates labyrinth for new London show

  29-09-2016 15:30
  British sculptor Antony Gormley puts people's relationships with urban construction at the forefront of his latest exhibition "Fit", creating a sort of labyrinth in a London gallery space. "Sleeping Field", one of the installations at the White Cube Bermondsey gallery, is made up of hundreds of iron sculptures, which at first look like small high-rise buildings but on closer inspection resemble resting bodies. "Fit" follows the Turner Prize winning artist's "Model" exhibition with a concept that
  
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• RSB photographer of the year shortlist and young photographer of the year winner – in pictures

  29-09-2016 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Fighting elk bulls and a microscopic image of shark’s skin are among the shortlisted images for the Royal Society of Biology’s photographer of the year award, which this year takes the theme Biology: from Big to SmallThe winner will be announced at the Royal Society of Biology awards ceremony on 13 October at Charles Darwin House, London Continue reading...
  
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• 92% of the world's population exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution

  29-09-2016 14:18 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new WHO air quality model confirms that 92% of the world's population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits. Some 3 million deaths a year are linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution can be just as deadly. In 2012, an estimated 6.5 million deaths (11.6% of all global deaths) were associated with indoor and outdoor air pollution together.
  
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• England sees surge in shoppers using their own carrier bags

  29-09-2016 14:02
  
  The overwhelming majority of the English population now carry their own bags when food shopping following the introduction of the 5p carrier bag charge a year ago, new research has revealed.
  
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• Young people urged for park-life views

  29-09-2016 13:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A campaign is urging young people to share their thoughts and ideas via social media on the future of the UK's parks and open spaces.
  
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• Wildlife summit cracks down on illegal rosewood trade

  29-09-2016 13:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Cites moves to protect the world’s most trafficked wild product by placing all 300 species of the tree under trade restrictionsGovernments have launched a crackdown on the rampant billion-dollar trade in rosewood timber that is plundering forests across the planet to feed a booming luxury furniture market in China.The Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) summit on Thursday placed all 300 species of rosewood under trade restrictions, meaning criminals can no longer pass off
  
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• Furniture that destroys forests: crackdown on 'rampant' trade in rosewood

  29-09-2016 13:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Cites summit moves to protect the world’s most trafficked wild product by placing all 300 species of the tree under trade restrictionsGovernments have launched a crackdown on the rampant billion-dollar trade in rosewood timber that is plundering forests across the planet to feed a booming luxury furniture market in China.The Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) summit on Thursday placed all 300 species of rosewood under trade restrictions, meaning criminals can no longer p
  
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• Furniture that destroys forests: crack down on 'rampant' trade in rosewood

  29-09-2016 13:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Cites summit moves to protect the world’s most trafficked wild product by placing all 300 species of the tree under trade restrictionsGovernments have launched a crackdown on the rampant billion-dollar trade in rosewood timber that is plundering forests across the planet to feed a booming luxury furniture market in China.The Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) summit on Thursday placed all 300 species of rosewood under trade restrictions, meaning criminals can no longer p
  
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• Exclusive - Genel Chairman Tony Hayward to step down next year: sources

  29-09-2016 13:25
  By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Tony Hayward, the former BP boss, is set to step down next year as chairman of Genel Energy , which he founded in 2011 and became the biggest oil and gas producer in Iraqi Kurdistan, three sources close to the company said. Today, Genel is struggling with a drop in oil prices, regional conflict and a large reserves downgrade. "Genel is committed to having a strong board and, as you would expect, carefully considers succession planning in order to ensure a smooth
  
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• Bumblebee Set to Become Officially Endangered

  29-09-2016 13:25
  
  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has proposed listing a species of bumblebee as an endangered species, the first bee species to be granted such federal protection in the continental United States. The rusty patched bumblebee - the workers of which can be identified by a small rust-colored mark on the middle of their second abdominal segment - was historically widespread along the east coast of North America, from Quebec down to Georgia, and across much of
  
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• Peak salt: is the desalination dream over for the Gulf states?

  29-09-2016 13:08 via theguardian.com
  
  The Middle East is home to 70% of the world’s desalination plants, but the more water they process, the less economically viable they becomeGulf states are among the most water-scarce in the world. With few freshwater resources and low rainfall, many countries have turned to desalination (where salt is removed from seawater) for their clean water needs. Related: Water scarcity in Yemen: the country's forgotten conflictContinue reading...
  
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• Toyota drops diesel from new model, signals likely phase-out

  29-09-2016 13:03
  By Laurence Frost PARIS (Reuters) - Toyota decided to drop diesel engines from its new C-HR compact in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal and would do the same for future model renewals, the carmaker's second-ranking global executive said on Thursday. The Japanese automaker decided "within the last six to 12 months" not to offer a diesel version of the car, unveiled at the Paris auto show, because demand for the powertrain technology is falling sharply, Executive Vice President Didier
  
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• The Queen, aristocrats and Saudi prince among recipients of EU farm subsidies

  29-09-2016 12:35 via theguardian.com
  
  At least one in five of the top 100 UK recipients of CAP subsidies were for farms owned or run by aristocratic families, say GreenpeaceWealthy aristocrats and a Saudi landowning prince are continuing to reap hundreds of thousands of pounds from the European Union’s common agricultural policy (CAP).
  At least one in five of the top 100 recipients of CAP subsidies in the UK last year were farm businesses owned or controlled by members of aristocratic families, an investigation by environmenta
  
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• Mini-nuclear reactors could be operating in the UK by 2030 - report

  29-09-2016 12:13 via theguardian.com
  
  Energy Technologies Institute argues small modular reactors capable of delivering clean power and heat could be in place by 2030 if the right policy framework is put in place, reports BusinessGreenThe first small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) could be operating in the UK by 2030 with the right government support, according to a new report from the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI).
  The analysis, released today by the government and industry-backed energy research body, examined the steps nee
  
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• Zimbabwe accused of preparing to ship dozens of young elephants to China

  29-09-2016 12:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Conservationists say dozens of young elephants being captured by Zimbabwe’s government may be bound for China, rather than nearby national parkConcerns have been raised that Zimbabwe is again preparing to send dozens of young elephants to wildlife parks in China.The government’s national park authority, ZimParks, began capturing elephants from Hwange national park in August and keeping them in pens at Umtshibi wildlife capture and relocation unit.Continue reading...
  
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• 'Trump's promises are empty': energy experts lay waste to proposals

  29-09-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From making coal great again to ‘cancelling’ the Paris accord, industry analysts say his ideas are farfetched and his talk of climate change as a ‘hoax’ is dangerousDonald Trump’s energy agenda – which includes pledges of “complete energy independence”, making coal great again and ditching the Paris climate deal – is drawing bipartisan fire from industry analysts, former members of Congress, and even one coal mogul.
  All of them, to varying de
  
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• Farm subsidies: Payment to billionaire prince sparks anger

  29-09-2016 12:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Campaigners call for reform as figures reveal taxpayers are paying more than £400,000 a year to subsidise a Saudi billionaire's farm.
  
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• Switch disposable coffee cups for reusables, urge campaign groups

  29-09-2016 11:47 via theguardian.com
  
  International coalition of NGOs is calling for an end to the throwaway culture after the success of a plastic bag charge shows a similar charge on coffee cups could work tooThe billions of disposable coffee cups thrown away each year globally should be replaced with reusable ones because they are a waste of resources and harm forests, an international coalition of NGOs has urged.The call comes as a study by Cardiff University said that the plastic bag charge in England had been so successful tha
  
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• Nigerian militant group claims attack on oil pipeline in Niger Delta

  29-09-2016 11:43
  By Tife Owolabi YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - A Nigerian militant group claimed an attack on Thursday on a crude pipeline operated by state oil firm NNPC in the Niger Delta. Attacks on Nigeria's energy facilities by groups calling for the Delta region to receive a greater share of the OPEC member's oil wealth have cut crude production, which stood at 2.1 million barrels per day at the start of the year, by a third.
  
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• Oil prices slip as focus shifts to details of OPEC deal

  29-09-2016 11:34
  By Swetha Gopinath LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Thursday as investors questioned whether an OPEC agreement to curb oil production - the group's first such deal since 2008 - would be enough to rebalance a heavily over-supplied world market. Oil prices rose sharply on the news and energy shares rallied in early trading on Thursday. Global benchmark Brent crude oil was down 60 cents a barrel at $48.09 by 0850 GMT, after earlier climbing to a high of $49.09 (37.7964 pounds), its stronges
  
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• Azerbaijan says will try to take into account OPEC oil output deal

  29-09-2016 11:32
  BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan will try to take into account an agreement between members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to reduce production when calculating its 2017-2018 oil output, Azeri Energy Minister Natig Aliyev told Reuters on Thursday. OPEC on Wednesday agreed modest oil output cuts in the first such deal since 2008, effectively re-establishing production ceilings abandoned a year ago. (Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Andrew O
  
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• FTSE buoyed by oil shares after OPEC agrees supply curbs

  29-09-2016 10:49
  By Alistair Smout and Adela Suliman LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top share index rose near a 1-1/2 year high on Thursday, boosted by a rise in its heavyweight energy sector as a decision by OPEC to curb output for the first time since 2008 lifted oil prices. Energy stocks added 47 points to the FTSE 100 , contributing more than half of its rise. Heavyweight oil firms such as Royal Dutch Shell and BP were up 5.6 and 4.5 percent respectively.
  
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• Lucozade Ribena Suntory strives to quench energy usage

  29-09-2016 10:00
  
  Soft drinks firm Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) has introduced an energy management partnership in a bid to reduce its UK factory's annual energy consumption by 5%.
  
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• Meet Didik: shot and orphaned baby orangutan highlights crisis

  29-09-2016 09:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Abandoned with a bullet wound in a local shop, an orphaned orangutan named Didik is just one of thousands of victims of the ecological destruction of Borneo.
  When International Animal Rescue (IAR) staff found Didik, he was emaciated and near death. The 18-month-old orangutan, who had been dumped at a local store in Ketapang, Indonesia, had a bullet in his shoulder and had very likely seen his mother killed by the same people who put it there. “Our team deals with so many cases like Didik&r
  
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• Plastic Soup Foundation: UK microbeads ban first step to implementing plastic circular economy

  29-09-2016 09:20
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The UK Government's decision to introduce a national ban on microbeads can act as an "important step" that mobilises countries to look beyond microbeads in the ocean and focus on creating a plastic circular economy "without leakage".
  
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