Environment news

• Oil ends down but off lows, then slides on API report

  01-11-2016 22:43
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices settled lower on Tuesday, then tumbled again after hours following a trade group's report of a U.S. crude inventory build nine times larger than forecast. During regular trading hours, crude prices hit one-month lows before paring losses at settlement. Then the American Petroleum Institute (API) said crude stockpiles swelled 9.3 million barrels in the week to Oct. 28.
  
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• Biggest telescope may switch location

  01-11-2016 22:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One of the world's biggest telescope projects might be forced to move its location.
  
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• Biggest telescope may swap continents

  01-11-2016 22:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One of the world's biggest telescope projects might be forced to move its location to a different continent.
  
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• Seismic risks remain after Italian quakes

  01-11-2016 20:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  There remains the potential for future quakes in Italy’s Apennines region, say scientists who have reviewed the latest satellite maps of the region.
  
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• Oil ends down after one-month low; U.S. inventory data awaited

  01-11-2016 20:30
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil settled down on Tuesday after hitting one-month lows, ahead of data likely to show a U.S. crude inventory build and on renewed doubts about whether OPEC will follow through with proposed output cuts. The American Petroleum Institute (API), an industry group, will report weekly U.S. crude stockpiles numbers at 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT) ahead of official inventory data from the government on Wednesday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 19 cent
  
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• Niger Delta leaders want army out and oil firms to relocate to region

  01-11-2016 20:29
  By Felix Onuah ABUJA (Reuters) - Leaders from the Nigeria's Niger Delta called on Tuesday on President Muhammadu Buhari to pull the army out from the oil hub, order oil firms to move headquarters there and spend more on development to end militancy in the region. Buhari met leaders from the southern swampland for the first time since militants started a wave of attacks on oil pipelines in January to push for a greater share of oil revenues.
  
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• Oil slides 1 percent, hits one-month low; OPEC, U.S. inventory in focus

  01-11-2016 19:18
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil fell 1 percent on Tuesday, hitting one-month lows, as U.S. gasoline prices pared an early rally sparked by a pipeline blast and crude was also pressured by renewed doubts about whether OPEC will follow through with proposed output cuts. Analysts' forecast that U.S. crude stocks had risen by more than 1 million barrels last week after unseasonal declines in seven of the past eight weeks also weighed on crude. The American Petroleum Institute (API) will
  
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• Shell takes top earnings spot from Exxon as oil majors adapt to low prices

  01-11-2016 18:09
  By Ron Bousso and Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell and BP on Tuesday joined peers in reporting higher than expected earnings by making further deep cuts in spending to cope with an oil price downturn now in its third year. Shell's stock rose by over 4 percent as it announced higher quarterly earnings than arch-rival U.S. Exxon Mobil , the world's largest listed oil company by output and market capitalisation. The oil price was trading flat on the day at around $49 a barrel .
  
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• Thousands of baby turtles released into Peruvian Amazon

  01-11-2016 17:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Thousands of baby Taricaya turtles have been released into the Peruvian Amazon as part of an effort to save them from extinction.
  
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• Elephant poaching costing African nations millions in lost tourism revenue

  01-11-2016 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Report estimates continent is losing out on £25m in tourism spending each year due to the illegal wildlife trade that is killing elephants for their ivoryThe poaching crisis wiping out Africa’s elephants is costing the continent’s economies millions in lost tourism revenue, according to a new study.Researchers looked at visitor and elephant data across 25 countries, and modelled financial losses from fewer visitors in protected areas due to the illegal wildlife trade, which has
  
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• Oil up on dollar, OPEC limits rise; gasoline jumps on line explosion

  01-11-2016 16:43
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices edged higher on Tuesday as a weaker dollar boosted greenback-denominated commodities, although worries that OPEC will not do much to reduce a global glut kept the market near one-month lows. U.S. gasoline futures dominated action outside of the crude oil complex, spiking 11 percent before giving back some gains, after Colonial Pipeline Co shut its main gasoline and distillates pipelines following an explosion in Alabama. The dollar index , measu
  
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• Hailong 1 wave power is based on independent research by a Chinese company | Letter from the Chinese embassy in the UK

  01-11-2016 16:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Two articles published by the Guardian insinuated that a Chinese company “stole” Scottish technology in the process of developing the Hailong 1 wave-power generating device (Mysterious factory break-in raises suspicions about Chinese visit, 10 October; Does China deserve a reputation as the land of copycats? 15 October). However, these reports are not grounded in facts.Upon seeing the above-mentioned reports, we immediately sent an inquiry to the relevant company, China Shipbuilding
  
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• Rio's famous beaches take battering as scientists issue climate change warning

  01-11-2016 15:55 via theguardian.com
  
  Local traders lament collapse in business from storm surge amid growing concern that city’s sea defences are ill-equipped to copeScientists in Rio de Janeiro have warned that the city’s sea defences may not be able to cope with the effects of climate change after a record storm surge swamped beaches, dumping hundreds of tonnes of sand across nearby roads and buildings.Waves of almost four metres in the weekend storm left beach flags fluttering in tatters, forced the closure of deckch
  
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• Ghost Forests: How Rising Seas Are Killing Southern U.S. Woodlands

  01-11-2016 15:42 via feedproxy.google.com
  On a recent afternoon, University of Florida watershed ecologist David Kaplan and Ph.D. candidate Katie Glodzik hiked through the Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve, on the Big Bend coast of northwestern Florida. Not long ago, red cedar, live oaks, and cabbage palms grew in profusion on the raised “hammock island” forests set amid the preserve’s wetlands. But as the researchers walked through thigh-high marsh grass, the barren trunks of dead cedars were silhouetted against passin
  
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• In the right place at the right time

  01-11-2016 15:18 via feedproxy.google.com
  Based on a unique dataset collected during a research cruise to the Irminger Sea in April 2015, a new paper reveals a strong link between atmospheric forcing, deep convection, ocean ventilation and anthropogenic carbon sequestration.The Irminger Sea, a small ocean basin between Greenland and Iceland, is known for its harsh and extreme weather conditions during winter. Research cruises that  take measurements in the subpolar North Atlantic almost exclusively do so in summer, although the are
  
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• Oil hovers near one-month lows, prospects dim for OPEC deal

  01-11-2016 15:11
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil held just above one-month lows on Tuesday, following its largest one-day slide in more than five weeks although analysts said the prospect of a more substantial price recovery was limited. The market remains weighed down by record output from the world's largest exporters, and mounting uncertainty that OPEC and its rivals can do much to tackle a two-year global surplus. Oil prices hit their highest in a year in October after the Organization of the Petrole
  
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• Cicli-activistas de Costa Rica: ‘La sociedad civil tiene que abrir camino’

  01-11-2016 14:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Hartos de la burocracia y el tráfico, los ciclistas de San José resuelven los problemas de transporte urbanoRead this article in English
  Las luces intermitentes de seguridad de cuatro ciclistas sobresalen en el resplandor amarillo de los faroles de las calles de San José. Son casi las 11pm y, a excepción de unos cuantos juerguistas que se tambalean en la puerta de un bar, el grupo se encuentra sólo en el corazón de la capital costarricense. El sonido de
  
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• Nigeria's Buhari meets Niger Delta leaders, militants in Abuja

  01-11-2016 14:21
  By Felix Onuah ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met leaders from the Niger Delta and representatives of militant groups who have been attacking oil facilities in the region. A Reuters reporter saw state governors and traditional rulers from the swamp lands meet Buhari and top security and army officials at the presidential villa in Abuja. A government official said militant groups had also sent representatives. There was no immediate word on the outcome of the ta
  
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• Investors want more transparent sustainable investment opportunities

  01-11-2016 13:48
  New research from ethical investment specialists Triodos Bank has revealed that investors want to increase ethical investment prospects and enhance socially responsible investment (SRI) opportunities, despite many feeling that they don't have the opportunity to do so.
  
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• Investors want more transparent sustainable funding opportunities

  01-11-2016 13:48
  
  New research from ethical investment specialists Triodos Bank has revealed that investors want to increase ethical investment prospects and enhance socially responsible investment (SRI) opportunities, despite many feeling that they don't have the opportunity to do so.
  
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• Shell and BP beat earnings forecasts as oil majors adapt to low prices

  01-11-2016 13:17
  By Ron Bousso and Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell and BP on Tuesday joined peers in reporting higher than expected earnings by making further deep cuts in spending to cope with an oil price downturn now in its third year. Shell's stock rose by over 3 percent as it announced higher quarterly earnings than arch-rival U.S. Exxon Mobil, the world's largest listed oil company by output. Shell's Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said the oil sector had yet to emerge from trou
  
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• Madrid poised to restrict cars in city centre amid air pollution fears

  01-11-2016 13:16 via theguardian.com
  
  With high nitrogen dioxide levels in Spanish capital, council is on verge of halving number of cars allowed inMadrid’s city council is on the verge of temporarily slashing the number of cars allowed into the city centre by half as the Spanish capital struggles with high levels of air pollution.With levels of nitrogen dioxide rising above permitted levels, the city authorities have activated a series of anti-pollution measures, reducing the speed limit on the M30 orbital motorway around the
  
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• Renewables could lose European power grid priority, documents reveal

  01-11-2016 13:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Industry concern after confidential impact assessment models scenarios for paring back the ‘priority dispatch’ system for clean energy
  Windfarms and solar power could soon lose the privilege of getting priority over other energy sources on European electricity grids, leaked documents show.Paring back the “priority dispatch” system could increase carbon emissions by up to 10%, according to a confidential EU impact assessment seen by the Guardian. But the document goes on t
  
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• Norway is green – but not green enough, say students

  01-11-2016 13:07 via theguardian.com
  
  The country’s environmental policies are among the best in the world, but these young campaigners argue there’s more to be doneNorway is a country of contradiction. Internationally it’s seen as a green role model, what with its pledge to become climate-neutral by 2030, a reliance on hydropower and ambitious plans for electric cars. But at the same time, it’s one of the world’s largest exporters of oil and gas.It’s a paradox that has made a new generation of yo
  
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• Nigeria's Buhari meets Niger Delta leaders, militants in Abuja - official

  01-11-2016 13:03
  ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met leaders from the Niger Delta and representatives of militant groups which have been attacking oil facilities in the restive region, a witness and official said. A Reuters reporter saw state governors and traditional rulers from the swamp lands meet Buhari and top security officials at the presidential villa in Abuja. An official said militant groups had also sent representatives. (Reporting by Felix Onuah; writing by Ulf Laess
  
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• Wildlife on your doorstep: share your November photos

  01-11-2016 12:58 via theguardian.com
  
  The clocks have gone back and the light is fading fast. Whether you’re making the most of the last weeks of autumn or preparing for summer months ahead, we’d like to see your photos of the November wildlife near youNovember sees the northern hemisphere edge closer towards colder and darker winter months, and once where there was pavement there are autumn coloured leaves. Meanwhile the southern hemisphere will be enjoying the last weeks of spring before embracing the summer months ahe
  
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• TerraCycle: Recycling won't solve the waste dilemma, but consumers can

  01-11-2016 12:49
  
  Improving economic incentives behind waste collection models and a "silent revolution" in how consumers interact with products will be essential in tackling "monumental environmental crises", all of which can be linked back to waste.
  
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• The Body Shop extends Southeast Asian biodiversity programme

  01-11-2016 12:00
  
  The Body Shop has today (1 November) extended its Bio-Bridges programme which aims to regenerate 75 million square metres of forest by 2020.
  
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• Scientists fight for an endangered tortoise with a secret weapon: lasers

  01-11-2016 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Human impact and a booming bird population are devastating the Mojave desert tortoise. But one man is trying some unusual methods to save themA baby desert tortoise is no match for a raven. The tiny reptile’s soft shell is easily pierced, offering the bird a tantalizing fix of delicious entrails. Related: World on track to lose two-thirds of wild animals by 2020, major report warnsContinue reading...
  
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• The Britain that Theresa May is trying to build has unstable foundations | Caroline Lucas

  01-11-2016 11:36 via theguardian.com
  
  The PM’s support of Trident, Hinkley Point C and Heathrow’s expansion show her belief in building big things. Never mind the better choices buried in the processPrime ministers like to build big things. They like to wear high-visibility jackets and watch concrete being poured. They like to cut ribbons. And they like a legacy.Theresa May is different from past prime ministers in many ways, but it seems she shares with her predecessors a penchant for big projects, even in the face of o
  
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• UK tops G20 on carbon reduction levels

  01-11-2016 11:35
  
  Britain remains a "world-leader" on climate action, with new figures from the professional services firm PwC ranking the country the highest of the G20 group of nations when it comes to annual average reductions in carbon intensity over the past 15 years.
  
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• Global carbon intensity falls as coal use declines

  01-11-2016 11:35 via theguardian.com
  
  China leads the charge for emissions efficiency, but faster progress is needed to meet the Paris climate goals, reports Climate Change NewsThe amount of carbon needed to power the global economy fell to record lows in 2015, as coal consumption in major economies plummeted.PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) annual Low Carbon Economy Index report has found that the global carbon intensity (emissions per unit of GDP) fell by 2.8%. Continue reading...
  
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• As water dries up, West Bank village thirsts for a less precarious supply

  01-11-2016 11:19
  By Fabiola Ortiz AL JAB'A, West Bank (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A mountainous Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Al Jab'a differs in many ways from surrounding Israeli settlements but it shares one worry with its neighbours – a shortage of water. In the last few decades the West Bank has seen rainfall decrease and groundwater levels fall with drought expected to become "more frequent (and) more intense", according to a 2012 United Nations Environment Programme (UN
  
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• Weir warns on profit due to weak Middle East oil markets

  01-11-2016 11:12
  (Reuters) - Pipe and valve maker Weir Group Plc warned that profit would fall below market expectations due to weakness in its oil and gas markets, particularly in the Middle East, sending its shares down as much as 6.5 percent. The Scottish company, which makes valves and pumps for the energy and mining industries, said increased competition in the Middle East combined with lower prices in North America had hurt trading in its oil and gas unit. Engineering and oilfield services companies have s
  
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• How the BBC is preparing to broadcast Arctic Live

  01-11-2016 11:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC is preparing to broadcast live from Churchill in Canada, which has become known as the polar bear capital of the world.
  
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• Shell's earnings beat Exxon as oil majors adapt to low prices

  01-11-2016 10:56
  By Ron Bousso and Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch/Shell and BP on Tuesday joined peers in reporting higher than expected earnings by making further deep cuts in spending to cope with an oil price downturn now in its third year. Shell's stocks rose by over 3 percent as it announced higher quarterly earnings than arch-rival U.S. Exxon Mobil, the world's largest listed company by output. Anglo-Dutch Shell is hoping to outgrow Exxon over the next few years after acquiring rival BG for
  
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• Oil hovers above one-month low, prospects dim for OPEC deal

  01-11-2016 10:38
  The market remains weighed down by record output from the world's largest exporters, and mounting uncertainty that OPEC and its rivals can do much to tackle a two-year global surplus. Oil prices hit their highest in a year in October after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said at a meeting in Algeria in late September it had agreed to limit production that is around record highs to help erode the surplus. "We had a very strong sell-off yesterday and oil is bouncing a little
  
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• China criticises Donald Trump's plan to exit Paris climate deal

  01-11-2016 10:33 via theguardian.com
  
  In a rare comment on a foreign election, veteran climate chief says a wise political leader should make policy in line with global trendsChina on Tuesday rejected a plan by US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to back out of a global climate change pact, saying a wise political leader should make policy in line with global trends, a rare comment on a foreign election. The world is moving towards balancing environmental protection and economic growth, China’s top climate change
  
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• Shell beats profit forecasts, targets lower 2017 spending

  01-11-2016 09:24
  By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell reported an 18 percent rise in third-quarter profit on Tuesday, lowering next year's capital spending to the bottom of the expected range as it grapples with persistently low oil prices and weak refining margins. The Anglo-Dutch oil major, whose acquisition of BG Group transformed it into the world's top liquefied natural gas producer, has been under pressure from shareholders to cut annual spending to ensure it can maintain its dividend given t
  
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• BP beats quarterly earnings estimates, trims spending again

  01-11-2016 09:09
  By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - BP reported a near halving in third-quarter earnings on Tuesday and cut its 2016 investment plans by another $1 billion (0.81 billion pounds) as weak oil prices cut into profits yet tighter spending helped the British oil major still beat analysts' estimates. To achieve a leaner balance sheet, BP said it would lower its 2016 capital expenditure to around $16 billion from the $17-19 billion expected at the start of the year, and target $15-17 billion for 2017.
  
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• BP beats quarterly earnings estimates, trims spending

  01-11-2016 08:25
  LONDON (Reuters) - BP reported a near halving in third-quarter earnings on Tuesday and trimmed 2016 spending by another $1 billion (0.81 billion pounds) as weak prices cut into profits yet the British oil major still beat analysts' estimates. BP's underlying replacement cost profit, the company's definition of net income, fell to $933 million, compared with $780 million expected by analysts and down from $1.8 billion a year earlier. "We remain on track to rebalance organic cash flows next year a
  
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• War is hell – for the natural world too | Michael McCarthy

  01-11-2016 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  New research shows that oil spills from the battle of the Atlantic caused some bird populations to fall by a staggering 95%The human suffering inflicted by war is so terrible that we may naturally overlook the environmental damage which large-scale conflict causes. Sometimes, of course, it is all too obvious, as with the case of Agent Orange, the highly toxic defoliant sprayed by the Americans over 12,000 square miles of forest during the Vietnam war, or with the mass oil pollution from the Sea
  
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• Nature is not a vague abstraction; ask Robbie's friend

  01-11-2016 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Claxton, Norfolk Supporters of development seem to see nature as an abstract idea, a theoretical resource, which can withstand any amount of impositionI was amused recently by a neighbour who described her love-affair with a robin called “Robbie” – a decade-long passion that’s probably three times the average robin’s life. Since both robin sexes sing and cannot always tell each other apart, my neighbour may actually have loved many Robbies over the years. Yet no mat
  
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• Great Barrier Reef: why are government and business perpetuating the big lie?

  01-11-2016 02:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Despite the government’s protests, it’s not possible to save the Great Barrier Reef without tackling global warming firstAt the core of the Australian government’s failure to protect our Great Barrier Reef is the big lie. Through its actions and inaction, rhetoric, funding priorities and policy decisions, the Australian government has implicitly pursued the line that it is possible to turn things around for the reef without tackling global warming.Continue reading...
  
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• Standing Rock: One million people 'check in' on Facebook to support Dakota pipeline protesters

  01-11-2016 01:50 via theguardian.com
  
  More than 1 million people answered a call on Facebook to ‘overwhelm and confuse’ law enforcement, though police deny tracking activists on social mediaSupport our independent journalism with a contribution or by becoming a memberMore than 1 million people have checked in on Facebook to the Standing Rock Indian reservation in response to a viral post claiming that doing so would help protect activists in North Dakota protesting against an oil pipeline from police surveillance. Relate
  
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• Standing Rock: 1 million people 'check in' on Facebook to support Dakota pipeline protesters

  01-11-2016 01:50 via theguardian.com
  
  People answer call on Facebook to ‘overwhelm and confuse’ law enforcement officials, though police deny tracking activists on social mediaSupport our independent journalism with a contribution or by becoming a memberMore than 1 million people have checked in on Facebook to the Standing Rock Indian reservation in response to a viral post claiming that doing so would help protect activists in North Dakota protesting against an oil pipeline from police surveillance. Related: Dakota pipe
  
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• A million people 'check in' at Standing Rock on Facebook to support Dakota pipeline protesters

  01-11-2016 01:50 via theguardian.com
  
  People answer call on Facebook to ‘overwhelm and confuse’ law enforcement officials, though police deny tracking activists on social mediaSupport our independent journalism with a contribution or by becoming a memberMore than 1 million people have checked in on Facebook to the Standing Rock Indian reservation in response to a viral post claiming that doing so would help protect activists in North Dakota protesting against an oil pipeline from police surveillance. Related: Dakota pipe
  
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• Oil prices rise from one-month lows after OPEC approves strategy

  01-11-2016 01:25
  Oil prices edged higher from one-month lows in early trading in Asia on Tuesday after OPEC agreed on a long-term strategy that was seen as an indication the cartel was reaching a consensus on managing production. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were up 9 cents at $46.95 a barrel at 0008 GMT. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) approved a document on Monday outlining its long-term strategy, a sign its members are achieving consensus on managing production.
  
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• Oilfield services shakeup in cards after GE-Baker Hughes deal

  01-11-2016 00:35
  By Jessica Resnick-Ault NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Electric Co's deal with Baker Hughes Inc to create the world's No. 2 oilfield services business is the clearest signal yet that consolidation is picking up in the energy sector as companies face long-term lower oil prices. GE said on Monday it would merge its oil and gas business with Baker Hughes, creating a company with $32 billion in annual revenue and leapfrogging Halliburton Co to be second globally behind Schlumberger AG . "The transacti
  
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