Environment news

• Resilient life

  11-10-2016 23:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists begin examining rocks drilled from the crater dug out of Earth's crust by the asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs.
  
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• Chicxulub 'dinosaur crater' investigation begins in earnest

  11-10-2016 23:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists begin examining rocks drilled from the crater dug out of Earth's crust by the asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs.
  
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• Turning Sunlight into Fuel

  11-10-2016 22:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  In one hour, the Earth receives enough energy from the sun to meet all of mankind’s energy needs for one year. Yet the world uses little more than one percent of the sun’s energy for our electricity needs. A major obstacle to being able to tap into the full potential of solar energy is that it is intermittent—we cannot get a steady supply of solar energy because the sun doesn’t always shine.In order for renewable energy to take hold on the scale necessary to help combat c
  
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• Oil down on OPEC doubts as it floats 6-month output cap plan

  11-10-2016 22:27
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices on Tuesday retreated from one-year highs, after OPEC said it was trying to reach a global agreement to cap production for at least six months amid doubts about how much that would reduce a crude glut. The International Energy Agency, the energy watchdog of the West, said it was unclear how rapidly global oil supply could fall in line with demand even if the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and major producer Russia agreed on a s
  
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• Germany takes steps to roll back renewable energy revolution

  11-10-2016 22:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Leaked plans show Berlin halving its goal to expand its northern windfarms because its power grid cannot keep paceGermany is taking steps to curb its booming windfarm sector in what it claims is a necessary move to stop the renewables revolution from undermining its own success.Critics, however, say the step will deal a blow to the country’s reputation as a leader in green energy. Continue reading...
  
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• Coal-fired power stations: Senate committee to examine how best to close them

  11-10-2016 21:50 via theguardian.com
  
  Greens and Labor to combine forces to push for inquiry looking at ways to meet Australia’s climate change targetsA Senate committee will examine how best to close coal power stations to meet Australia’s climate change targets when the Greens and Labor combine to set up an inquiry on Wednesday.The Greens and Labor will move a motion to ask the Senate environment and communications references committee to report on mass closures of electricity generators, and expect sufficient crossben
  
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• European union could require new homes to have electric car chargers

  11-10-2016 21:33 via feedproxy.google.com
  Starting in 2019, all new or refurbished homes and apartment buildings in Europe will be required to have electric vehicle recharging stations built on the premises, according to a draft directive from the European Union.
  
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• Elon Musk hits back at coal baron who called him a 'fraud' over green subsidies

  11-10-2016 21:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Trump backer Robert Murray claimed Tesla had received $2bn from taxpayerMusk tweets that the real fraud is ‘denial of climate science’Tesla founder Elon Musk has hit back against the CEO of a coal power company who accused him of fraud.
  Robert Murray, an outspoken Donald Trump supporter and the CEO of the Murray Energy Corporation – America’s largest coalmining company – went after Musk on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Monday and called Tesla “a fraud”. Con
  
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• Southern right whales off the Head of the Bight in South Australia – video

  11-10-2016 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Drone footage of southern right whales in ocean off South Australia will provide new insights into how they survive the yearly migration, monitoring their ongoing health over time in a changing environment. Southern right whales face a number of threats, including shipping traffic, naval activities, oil and gas exploration, unregulated whale watching and the depletion of fisheries Continue reading...
  
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• Drones monitor 'dramatic' weight loss of southern right whales during calving season

  11-10-2016 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The changing size of mother whales is being tracked after the southern white whale came back from the brink of extinctionAfter being hunted to near extinction and now threatened with climate change, Southern right whales are getting a much-needed health-check using drones in the Great Australian Bight.Sponsored by WWF-Australia, researchers at Murdoch University are carefully measuring the size of individual whales size and watching how that changes during the calving season, with plans to track
  
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• Pentagon hints at possible retaliation after Yemen missile fire

  11-10-2016 20:23
  By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Tuesday warned that whoever fired missiles at a U.S. Navy destroyer and an accompanying ship off the coast of Yemen over the weekend had done so "at their own peril," language that suggested preparations for possible retaliation. Two shore-launched cruise missiles, which U.S. officials believe were designed to hit vessels at sea, were fired at the U.S. Navy ships on Sunday from Houthi-controlled territory of Yemen, just north
  
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• Electric cars could dominate roads in wealthy cities by 2030: report

  11-10-2016 19:21
  Electric vehicles could account for two-thirds of all cars on the road by 2030 in wealthy cities such as London and Singapore due to stricter emissions regulation, falling technology costs and more consumer interest, research showed on Tuesday. Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming far more common. To help lower harmful greenhouse gas emissions, governments are trying to encourage their uptake through subsidies and tax breaks and introducing low-emissions zones.
  
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• Sainsburys boss clashes with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall over food waste management

  11-10-2016 18:34
  
  Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe has fended off a fresh wave of criticism from celebrity chef-turned-eco-warrior Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall about the "ridiculous system" of exacting cosmetic standards of the fruit and veg sold by Britain's supermarkets.
  
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• Sainsburys boss clashes with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall over food waste

  11-10-2016 18:34
  
  Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe has fended off a fresh wave of criticism from celebrity chef-turned-eco-warrior Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall about the "ridiculous system" of exacting cosmetic standards of the fruit and veg sold by Britain's supermarkets.
  
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• Is using less water the secret to cutting our greenhouse gas emissions?

  11-10-2016 18:25 via theguardian.com
  
  California, which uses 20% of its electricity in supplying water, just passed a law to collect emissions data from water utilitiesWhen most of us think of slowing global warming, we think of reducing car exhaust and power plant emissions – limiting activities that involve combusting fossil fuels. But we rarely draw the connection between the production of energy and another important resource: water.Yet in California, 20% of the state’s electricity and 30% of the natural gas that isn
  
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• US to work with private firms on Mars plan

  11-10-2016 18:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  President Barack Obama says the US will work with private companies on its plan to send humans to Mars in the 2030s.
  
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• Oil down 2 percent on mixed Russian response to OPEC

  11-10-2016 18:05
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil fell almost 2 percent on Tuesday, retreating from one-year highs, after mixed responses by Russian oil industry officials toward an OPEC call for all major crude producers to cut output. The International Energy Agency, the energy watchdog of the West, also said it was unclear how rapidly global oil supply could fall in line with demand even if Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed on a steep cut. Brent crude oil was d
  
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• UK minister dismisses threat of climate court battle

  11-10-2016 17:48 via theguardian.com
  
  Climate Home: Nick Hurd waved away suggestions the government could be taken to court over a shortfall in policy to meet binding emissions targetsThe UK’s world-leading Climate Change Act has been “dangerously neglected”, leaving the government open to lawsuits.That is the view of environmental lawyers at Client Earth, in a report published on Tuesday. Continue reading...
  
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• Energy hijacking pathway found within photosynthesis

  11-10-2016 17:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  In a study led by Dr Jenny Zhang, a Research Associate at St John's, academics have found an unexpected performance-destructive pathway within Photosystem II, an enzyme at the heart of oxygenic photosynthesis, and one that is also being used to inspire new approaches to renewable fuel production.
  
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• Crude Oil prices slip from one-year high on mixed Russian response to OPEC

  11-10-2016 17:11
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crude oil prices slipped on Tuesday, retreating from one-year highs, after mixed responses by Russian oil industry officials towards an OPEC call for all major crude producers to cut output. The International Energy Agency, the energy watchdog of the West, also said it unclear how rapidly global oil supply could fall in line with demand even if Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed on a steep enough cut. Brent crude oil wa
  
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• Christine Howson obituary

  11-10-2016 16:36 via theguardian.com
  
  My sister Christine Howson, who has died of ovarian cancer aged 61, was a highly respected marine biologist and diver who undertook survey work in the UK and around the world.Christine was well known in the sports diving world; she was one of the first female divers to attain the First Class grade. She trained divers and other instructors, and organised national events and conferences. Committed to developing swimming for young people, she worked tirelessly at her local swimming club in Tranent,
  
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• Russia's Novak says ready to work with OPEC on oil market stabilisation

  11-10-2016 16:17
  ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday that Moscow was ready to work with OPEC group in order to stabilise global oil markets. Speaking at the World Energy Congress in Istanbul, Novak also said that the recent OPEC and non-OPEC meetings showed that the oil producers were interested in the market stabilisation, while Russia was awaiting for a concrete OPEC decision on oil production control. (Reporting by Olesya Astakhova; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; editi
  
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• Giant coffee cup bins invade Manchester in an attempt to recycle 20,000 paper cups

  11-10-2016 15:48
  
  Thanks to the efforts of a host of retailers including Caffé Nero, Costa and McDonald's, the streets of Manchester will soon be inundated with giant coffee cup bins, as charity Hubbub attempts to save 20,000 paper cups from ending up in landfill.
  
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• Factbox - British consumers paying more for food and fuel

  11-10-2016 15:40
  LONDON (Reuters) - British consumers have been hit by a double blow from Brexit-driven sterling weakness that has increased prices of imported goods and a rebound in oil prices that has lifted domestic energy and petrol prices. Here is a look at how prices of commonly bought grocery items and fuel have fared since May, the month before Britain voted to leave the European Union. GROCERIES Prices in the following table are produced by comparison website mySupermarket.co.uk, which tracks prices acr
  
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• Clinton’s little-known crusade to save Africa’s elephants

  11-10-2016 15:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Relentless poaching is decimating Africa’s elephants. But the world’s largest land mammal could have a powerful, new champion if Hillary Clinton becomes president of the U.S.
  When asked by Ellen DeGeneres what her spirit animal is, Hillary Clinton had a surprising answer: the elephant. Although the symbol of the GOP, Clinton spoke on the Ellen DeGeneres Show this May with rare passion about the need to protect real elephants from a poaching crisis that has killed at least 110,000 of
  
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• 25 New 'Dead Sea Scrolls' Revealed

  11-10-2016 15:12
  
  More than 25 previously unpublished "Dead Sea Scroll" fragments, dating back 2,000 years and holding text from the Hebrew Bible, have been brought to light, their contents detailed in two new books. Scholars have expressed concerns that some of the fragments are forgeries.
  
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• Dolphin pictured killing porpoise by flipping it into air

  11-10-2016 13:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A bottlenose dolphin is pictured flipping a porpoise into the air in a deadly attack.
  
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• The litter levy: Should brands take more responsibility for the UK's waste woes?

  11-10-2016 13:41
  
  Brands such as McDonald's, Coca Cola, Costa Coffee and Wrigley should strive to become a "big part of the solution" to the amount of litter plaguing UK streets, by working with the Government to implement an Extended Produce Responsibility (EPR) scheme.
  
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• Climate Change Has Doubled Western U.S. Forest Fires

  11-10-2016 13:38 via feedproxy.google.com
  A new study says that human-induced climate change has doubled the area affected by forest fires in the U.S. West over the last 30 years. According to the study, since 1984 heightened temperatures and resulting aridity have caused fires to spread across an additional 16,000 square miles than they otherwise would have—an area larger than the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut combined. The authors warn that further warming will increase fire exponentially in coming decades. 
  
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• Oil price falls back from one-year highs, hit by OPEC deal concerns

  11-10-2016 13:36
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell back from one-year highs on Tuesday, knocked by concerns that a production cut by the world's largest exporters might not be enough to erode a two-year old global surplus of unwanted crude oil. Oil prices jumped as much as 3 percent on Monday, after Russia and Saudi Arabia both said a deal between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC members like Russia in curbing crude output was possible. December Brent crude oil
  
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• Low-carbon sector growth key to boosting national economies, study finds

  11-10-2016 13:34
  
  Countries reliant on high carbon intensity (HCI) sectors such as utilities, manufacturing and transport will struggle to boost economic activity while reducing emissions, a new report has claimed.
  
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• UK loses top 10 spot in global energy ranking for the first time

  11-10-2016 13:07 via theguardian.com
  
  World Energy Council warns of potential gap in energy supply due to government’s lack of clarity and myriad changesThe UK has fallen out of the top 10 of a respected international league table of countries’ energy sectors for the first time.The World Energy Council blamed the government’s lack of clarity and myriad changes which it said have left the country facing a potential gap in energy supply. Continue reading...
  
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• The litter levy: Should brands take responsibility for the UK's waste woes?

  11-10-2016 13:04
  
  Famous brands such as McDonald's, Coca Cola, Costa Coffee and Wrigley should strive to become a "big part of the solution" to the amount of litter plaguing UK streets, by pairing with the Government to implement an Extended Produce Responsibility (EPR) scheme.
  
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• Oil falls from one-year highs as investors question OPEC deal

  11-10-2016 11:32
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell back from one-year highs on Tuesday, knocked by concern that a production cut by the world's largest exporters might not be enough to erode a two-year old global surplus of unwanted crude oil. Oil prices jumped as much as 3 percent on Monday, after Russia and Saudi Arabia both said a deal between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC members like Russia in curbing crude output was possible. Global oil supply could f
  
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• Scotland's 50% renewables target by 2030 'necessary and achievable'

  11-10-2016 11:12
  
  Green groups, environmental charities and politicians from across Scotland have welcomed a new report which claims that a 50% renewable energy target by 2030 is necessary and achievable for the nation.
  
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• Hurricane Sandy-level flooding is rising so sharply that it could become normal

  11-10-2016 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Findings highlight how US is in grip of significant environmental changes driven by warming temperatures in different ways to processes that fuel hurricanes
  The frequency of floods of the magnitude of Hurricane Sandy, which devastated parts of New York City in 2012, is rising so sharply that they could become relatively normal, with a raft of new research laying bare the enormous upheavals already under way in the US due to climate change.These findings and two other fresh pieces of research hav
  
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• Exclusive - Russia's Rosneft boss Sechin says no to OPEC oil cap

  11-10-2016 10:42
  By Olesya Astakhova ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Igor Sechin, Russia's most influential oil executive and the head of state-controlled energy giant Rosneft, said his company will not cap oil production as part of a possible agreement with OPEC. President Vladimir Putin told an energy congress on Monday that Russia was ready to join a proposed OPEC cap but did not provide the details.
  
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• Coalition urged to regulate Indigenous hunting of endangered animals

  11-10-2016 10:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Warren Entsch tells party room dugongs and sea turtles are being subjected to cruelty and being hunted commerciallyThe Turnbull government is considering greater regulation of Indigenous Australians’ hunting of dugongs and sea turtles.Malcolm Turnbull has asked the environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, to investigate serious complaints that vulnerable and endangered animals are being subjected to great cruelty by some Indigenous families and killed merely for commercial purposes, not cult
  
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• IEA says oil market may rebalance faster if OPEC sticks to target

  11-10-2016 10:26
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Global oil supply could fall in line with demand more quickly if OPEC and Russia agree to a steep enough cut in production, but it is unclear how rapidly this might happen, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday. OPEC, led by Saudi Arabia, agreed last month to cut production to around 32.5 to 33 million barrels per day (bpd) and Russia has signalled it is ready to join in any effort to temper supply and shrink a stubborn global surplus of unwanted cru
  
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• Green buildings deliver better thinking and better health, study finds

  11-10-2016 09:30
  
  Employees working in certified 'green' buildings are likely to have better cognitive abilities, fewer 'sick building' symptoms and higher sleep quality scores than those working in non-certified buildings, according to a new study conducted in the US.
  
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• BP boss Dudley sees oil prices at $55-$70 for rest of the decade

  11-10-2016 09:28
  ISTANBUL (Reuters) - BP Chief Executive Robert Dudley said on Tuesday he expects global oil prices to stabilise at around $55-$70 per barrel for the rest of the decade. Dudley was speaking at the World Energy Congress in Istanbul. (Reporting by Ron Bousso; Writing by Nick Tattersall)
  
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• Exclusive - Russia's Rosneft boss Sechin says no to OPEC oil cut/freeze

  11-10-2016 09:26
  By Olesya Astakhova ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Igor Sechin, Russia's most influential oil executive and the head of Kremlin energy champion Rosneft, said his company will not cut or freeze oil production as part of a possible agreement with OPEC. President Vladimir Putin told an energy congress on Monday that Russia was ready to join the proposed OPEC cap, but did not provide any details.
  
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• Oil prices fall from one-year highs on output cut doubts

  11-10-2016 08:59
  By Henning Gloystein and Dmitry Zhdannikov SINGAPORE/LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices on Tuesday fell from one-year highs touched the previous day as there were doubts that a planned production cut would have the desired effect of reining in over two years of global oversupply. Oil prices jumped as much as 3 percent on Monday, with Brent hitting a one-year peak, after Russia and Saudi Arabia both said a deal between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC members l
  
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• Plans for an electric car charging point in every new home in Europe

  11-10-2016 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Car manufacturers welcome plans by the EU to boost the convenience of electric cars by increasing recharging facilitiesEvery new or refurbished house in Europe will need to be equipped with an electric vehicle recharging point, under a draft EU directive expected to come into effect by 2019.
  In a further boost to prospects for the electric car market in Europe, the regulations due to be published before the end of the year state that by 2023, 10% of parking spaces in new buildings in the EU zone
  
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• An energy first as UK successfully transmits data via national electricity grid

  11-10-2016 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  New technology is a significant step towards the creation of virtual power stations that would enable smarter electricity use by homes and businessesData has been transmitted across a national electricity grid for the first time, in what could be a significant step towards the creation of virtual power stations, where many thousands of homes and businesses combine to manage electricity use more smartly.The new technology could lead to lower energy bills for consumers who allow small variations i
  
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• Marathon sues BP for breach of contract in Texas oil refinery sale

  11-10-2016 06:54
  Marathon Petroleum Corp alleged BP Plc failed to deliver a Texas oil refinery and three products terminals in the condition promised under a $2.4-billion (1.93 billion pounds) sales agreement signed in 2012, according to a federal lawsuit filed on Monday. Marathon took over the 459,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Texas City, Texas, and terminals when the transaction closed on Feb. 1, 2013, and began finding problems that breached the sale agreement, according to the lawsuit. "After assuming
  
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• Swallows have taken their leave and the sky seems empty

  11-10-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Waltham Brooks, West Sussex Around the pool’s edges, snipe drill into the mud as the sun sinks towards the horizonThe air is noticeably colder, and the blue sky above the Brooks seems empty. The swallows and martins that had been following the river Arun south to the sea, in an almost continuous stream for the past month, have gone. Only jackdaws and rooks fly over, croaking to each other, heading towards the woods and back to their evening roosts. The sinking sun casts a warm glow across
  
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• Actress Shailene Woodley arrested at North Dakota pipeline protest

  11-10-2016 06:20
  Actress Shailene Woodley was arrested in North Dakota on Monday while protesting a planned pipeline that Native Americans say will desecrate sacred land and damage the environment, an incident that was live streamed on Facebook. The 24-year-old actress was taken into custody shortly after noon local time with 27 other people on misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass and engaging in a riot, said Rob Keller, spokesman for the Morton County Sheriff's Office. The protests were taking place at a co
  
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• Goldman sees lower chance of oil market rebalancing in 2017

  11-10-2016 05:31
  (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs said a planned oil output cut by producer cartel OPEC and other exporters like Russia has become a "greater possibility", but warned that any reduction likely won't be deep enough to re-balance markets in 2017. "Higher production from Libya, Nigeria and Iraq are reducing the odds of such a deal rebalancing the oil market in 2017," Goldman analysts said in a note to clients dated Oct. 10. Any failure to reach such a deal, however, would push prices sharply lower to $43 p
  
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• A clean energy transition is already happening, but it is at risk | Alexander White

  11-10-2016 05:18 via theguardian.com
  
  The transition to a low carbon economy is already happening, but is at risk when residents of Australia’s capital go to the polls in local electionsThe transition to a low carbon economy is already happening … in the Australian Capital Territory, where the local Labor government has legislated for a 100% renewable energy target by the year 2020. But this major achievement is at risk on Saturday when residents of Canberra go to the polls for territory elections.Continue reading...
  
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