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Iran opens new consulate in Iraq's Basra after attack![]() Basra, Iraq (AFP) Sept 11, 2018 Iran's ambassador to Iraq opened a new consulate for his country in the southern city of Basra on Tuesday, four days after its old mission building was torched by protesters. Basra has seen a surge in deadly protests in the past week, with demonstrators angry about poor public services setting alight several key buildings. "I'm here to inaugurate the new premises of our Iranian consulate in Basra... because we don't want lose a single day of services for the people of Basra," said ambassador Ira ... read more  | 
 
Gulf, US commanders to hold talks in KuwaitKuwait City (AFP) Sept 9, 2018 Gulf Arab army chiefs, including Qatar's military commander, will meet with US Central Command officials for talks on defence cooperation this week, a Kuwaiti official said Sunday. ... more  
Re-opened Iraqi railway a sign of progressFallujah, Iraq (AFP) Sept 10, 2018 The newly revived railway between Baghdad and Fallujah snakes across the western Iraqi desert, through a landscape of burned-out tanks, abandoned cars and collapsed buildings. ... more  
Oil prices down after Pompeo outlines plan to get nations off Iranian oilWashington (UPI) Sep 7, 2018 Speaking in India this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared plans to wean nations off Iranian oil before the U.S. reimposes sanctions on Iran in November. ... more  
Court scraps multibillion-dollar Ecuador damages against ChevronQuito (AFP) Sept 7, 2018 An appeals court in The Hague has cancelled $9.5 billion in damages handed down by an Ecuadoran court against American energy giant Chevron for causing oil pollution in the Amazon jungle, Quito said Friday. ... more  | 
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| Previous Issues | Sep 11 | Sep 10 | Sep 07 | Sep 06 | Sep 05 | 
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Pipeline derailed, so is Canada's climate strategyMontreal (AFP) Sept 5, 2018 A Canadian court has sparked the ire of the oil industry by suspending the expansion of a pipeline to the Pacific over environmental concerns - and dealt a huge blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's climate plan. ... more  
Oil markets up as Gulf Coast braces for GordonWashington (UPI) Sep 4, 2018 The oil and gas industry is cautiously watching Tropical Storm Gordon as the system approaches refineries and platforms along the northern Gulf Coast of the United States. ... more  
Iraq oil exports hit 2018 peak in AugustBaghdad (AFP) Sept 1, 2018 Iraq's oil exports for August hit their highest monthly figure this year, the oil ministry said Saturday, with nearly 112 million barrels of crude bringing $7.7 billion to the war-torn country's ailing economy. ... more  
PetroChina's profits double as oil prices soarShanghai (AFP) Aug 30, 2018 China's biggest oil producer PetroChina said Thursday its net profit more than doubled in the first half of the year as global crude prices soared. ... more  
Crude oil rises on news of decline in U.S. inventoriesWashington (UPI) Aug 30, 2018 Crude oil futures moved upward on Thursday after news of a decline in U.S. oil inventories, and analysts' wait-and-see approach to Iranian threats to leave the 2015 nuclear deal. ... more  | 
![]() Water pollution lays waste to Iraq's oil-rich south  
Injection wells can induce earthquakes miles away from the wellSanta Cruz CA (SPX) Aug 31, 2018 A study of earthquakes induced by injecting fluids deep underground has revealed surprising patterns, suggesting that current recommendations for hydraulic fracturing, wastewater disposal, and geoth ... more  | 
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Chinese airlines' profit hit by fuel costs, weak yuanShanghai (AFP) Aug 31, 2018 China's major airlines mostly saw their earnings battered in the first half of the year as a weaker Chinese yuan and higher fuel prices offset steadily rising passenger traffic. ... more  
Court blocks construction of Canada pipeline to PacificOttawa, Canada (AFP) Aug 30, 2018 A Canadian court on Thursday quashed the government's approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline to the Pacific, siding with indigenous people worried that increased tanker traffic will harm whales along the coast. ... more  
Alberta pulls out of carbon tax initiative after pipeline rulingMontreal (AFP) Aug 31, 2018 The Canadian province of Alberta announced Thursday it would pull out of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's flagship climate change initiative in protest against a court ruling against the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. ... more  
Labor Day weekend gas prices highest in four yearsWashington (UPI) Aug 31, 2018 U.S. gasoline prices, as well as demand, remain high for the Labor Day weekend, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on Friday. ... more  
U.S. action on NAFTA, India's Iranian oil imports roils marketsWashington (UPI) Aug 31, 2018 As Canada rushes to join NAFTA negotiations, and India and the United States prepare to discuss Iranian oil imports, oil prices were down slightly heading into the Labor Day weekend in the United States. ... more  | 
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Barriers and opportunities in renewable biofuels production Gothenburg, Sweden (SPX) Sep 12, 2018  
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have identified two main challenges for renewable biofuel production from cheap sources. Firstly, lowering the cost of developing microbial cell factories, and secondly, establishing more efficient methods for hydrolysis of biomass to sugars for fermentation. Their study was recently published in the journal Nature Energy. 
The study ... more | 
California commits to 100% clean electricity by 2045 Los Angeles (AFP) Sept 10, 2018  
 California Governor Jerry Brown signed landmark legislation Monday committing his state to a 100 percent clean electricity grid by 2045. 
At least 20 countries and twice as many large cities have made similar pledges, but California - the fifth largest economy in the world - is by far the biggest jurisdiction to do so to date.  
"This bill and the executive order put California on a path ... more | 
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Wind Power: It is all about the distribution Freiburg, Germany (SPX) Sep 06, 2018  
Wind power is an important pillar in Germany's energy policy turnaround: According to the German government, the resource should cover 65 percent of German electricity needs by 2030, along with solar, hydropower and biomass. In a recent study, Dr. Christopher Jung and Dr. Dirk Schindler from the University of Freiburg show that it will be possible to cover 40 percent of the current electricity c ... more | 
Nuclear energy may see role wane, UN agency says Vienna (AFP) Sept 10, 2018  
 The UN's nuclear agency on Monday said global capacity for electricity generation through nuclear power may be shrinking over the coming decades. 
In a new report the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that the sector would face challenges as "ageing reactors are retired and the industry struggles with reduced competitiveness". 
"Overall, the new projections suggest that nuclea ... more | 
 
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Episodic and intense rain caused by ancient global warming Bristol UK (SPX) Sep 11, 2018  
A new study by scientists at the University of Bristol has shown that ancient global warming was associated with intense rainfall events that had a profound impact on the land and coastal seas. 
The Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), which occurred about 56 Million years ago, is of great interest to climate scientists because it represents a relatively rapid global warming event, wit ... more | 
French police disperse protesters opposed to motorway construction Kolbsheim, France (AFP) Sept 10, 2018  
 French police used tear gas early Monday to disperse around 200 protesters blocking the construction of a ring road near the eastern city of Strasbourg, an AFP journalist said. 
Regional authorities gave the green light in August to the plan for the construction of the 24-kilometre (15-mile) stretch of motorway. 
But critics say it will destroy farmland and threaten endangered species incl ... more | 
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US vows to respond 'decisively' to attacks in Iraq by Tehran allies Washington (AFP) Sept 11, 2018   The White House on Tuesday warned it would hold Iran accountable for any violence attributed to Tehran-allied militias in Iraq that results in damage to US facilities or injures American personnel. 
"Over the past few days, we have seen life-threatening attacks in Iraq, including on the United States consulate in Basra and against the American embassy compound in Baghdad," the White House sai ... more | 
Unique photos detailing creation of USSR's first ballistic missile released Moscow (Sputnik) Sep 06, 2018  
The Soviet rocketry program, which would eventually help Moscow achieve strategic parity with the United States and send human beings into space, had its origins in a design reverse-engineered from a captured German V-2. 
Russian Space Systems, a subsidiary of Roscosmos, has published a unique and detailed photo album detailing the elements that comprised the R-1, a short-range ballistic mi ... more | 
 
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China shuts down prominent Christian church Beijing (AFP) Sept 10, 2018   Beijing officials have shut down one of China's largest "underground" Protestant churches for operating without a licence, the Communist government's latest move to ramp up control over religious worship. 
Around 70 officials stormed into the Zion Church - housed on the third floor of a nondescript office building in the north of the capital - after its Sunday afternoon service, said church ... more | 
Pygmies, masters of the forest, tackle tough lifestyle changes Doumassi, Gabon (AFP) Sept 12, 2018  
 Just back from the hunt with a choice selection of plants, Ebona feels at home in the endless forest where many Gabonese fear to tread. 
"Townsfolk paid me to find these leaves," the Pygmy says, setting the heap down outside his wooden hut, 500 metres (yards) from the rest of Doumassi village in north Gabon. 
Ebona's people, the Baka, are held in folklore to be Africa's oldest inhabitants, ... more | 
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Beijing's massive new airport 'on time' for 2019 launch Beijing (AFP) Aug 31, 2018  
 Amid farmlands on the outskirts of Beijing, a massive construction site rising above the horizon bustles with activity as 8,000 workers build a new mega airport. 
Aimed at easing the passenger load of Beijing's other two airports, Daxing International Airport is scheduled to become operational in June 2019, said Li Jianhua, vice chairman of Beijing City Planning New Airport Construction. 
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Chinese companies flee overseas to avoid US tariffs Beijing (AFP) Sept 11, 2018  
 A growing number of Chinese companies are adopting a crafty way to evade US President Donald Trump's tariffs: remove the "Made in China" label by shifting production to countries such as Vietnam, Serbia and Mexico. 
The world's two largest economies have been locked in a months-long trade fight after Trump imposed 25 percent customs duties on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods this summer, tr ... more | 
 
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US, India announce military drills, tout partnership New Delhi (AFP) Sept 6, 2018   Top Indian and US officials on Thursday touted deepening ties that will see greater cooperation between the two countries' militaries - and will likely result in India buying more American arms. 
The US has gone to great lengths to forge a closer bond with India as Washington seeks partners to push back against China's economic and military rise across the region. 
As an example, Indian D ... more | 
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Most EU countries miss air quality targets: report Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Sept 11, 2018  
 Most EU countries fail to meet the bloc's air quality standards and more than 1,000 Europeans die prematurely each day, ten times more than in road accidents, a watchdog said Tuesday. 
The European Court of Auditors (ECA), the European Union body which scrutinises how the bloc spends its budget, said pollution's toll on health in Bulgaria and other eastern European countries was even worse th ... more | 
Japan disasters highlight vulnerable infrastructure Tokyo (AFP) Sept 12, 2018  
 Flooded runways, thousands of passengers stranded and a tanker smashing into an access bridge: last week's typhoon in Japan highlighted the vulnerability of Kansai Airport which serves a region with an economy bigger than Belgium's. 
Because of concerns about engine noise, Kansai - located in the bay of Osaka - is the world's first airport entirely situated on a huge man-made island, puttin ... more | 
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