Salvage crew plans to board oil rig blown ashore on Isle of Lewis
The Transocean Winner rig ran aground on coast of Scottish island on Monday and is carrying 280 tonnes of diesel A small group of salvage experts are planning to attempt to board a vast drilling rig which ran aground on the coast of the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. They are due to be winched […]
China-UK investment: key questions following Hinkley Point C delay
Theresa May’s decision to put off approval for nuclear power station has put Chinese-British business relationship under strain The relationship between the British and Chinese governments is under strain after the prime minister, Theresa May, decided to delay approval of the planned £18bn Hinkley Point C nuclear power station because of concerns over China’s 30% […]
Government says links with China are vital after Hinkley Point warning
Spokeswoman confirms UK commitment to ‘strong relationship’ after Chinese official says relations are at ‘critical juncture’ The government has emphasised its determination to retain positive economic links with China after Beijing’s ambassador warned that cancelling the Hinkley Point C nuclear project could jeopardise relations. Liu Xiaoming used an article in the Financial Times on Tuesday […]
Why the EU is right to oppose a global ivory ban | Colman O’Criodain
Controversial proposals ahead of this year’s global wildlife trade summit threaten to fuel a divisive debate and divert attention away from the real measures needed to tackle the illegal ivory trade Anyone paying even cursory attention to wildlife stories in recent years would have heard all about Africa’s elephant poaching crisis. And with good reason. […]
Belarus under fire for 'dangerous errors' at nuclear plant
Neighbouring countries denounce ‘Soviet-style secrecy’ over accidents during energy site’s construction, RFE/RL reports Thirty years after world’s worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl, Belarus, which saw a quarter of its territory contaminated in the disaster, is building its first energy plant powered by the atom. However a series of mishaps at the site in Astravets are […]
Greenpeace sounds alarm over China's long-distance fishing fleet
The government is subsidising an industry that is growing rapidly, fishing in waters as far away as South America and Antarctica China’s vast, long-distance fishing industry has expanded to more than 10 times the size of America’s and its growth is depleting fisheries and creating conflicts, according to a Greenpeace report. From 2012 to 2014, […]
Nobody can buy the silence of a climate spinning out of control | Caroline Lucas
Attempts by ministers to bribe local people who oppose fracking is an insult to those who have fought hard to protect the environment The government’s reckless pursuit of fracking has reached new lows with the announcement that ministers will attempt to buy off widespread community opposition to the controversial new fossil fuel source through the […]
Mike Baird says another bidder for Ausgrid will emerge if sale to Chinese company rejected
Premier says national security a matter for federal government after Scott Morrison’s comments on sale of electricity distributor The New South Wales premier, Mike Baird, says if the federal government knocks back the sale of the state electricity distributor Ausgrid to a Chinese company another bidder will step in. Baird told reporters on Tuesday national […]
BMC Ecology Image competition 2016 – the winners in pictures
A Kalahari desert sunrise and a wren’s nest under a bike seat are among the winning images in the scientific journal’s annual competition, which showcases biodiversity, natural beauty and biological interactions photographed by ecologists Continue reading… Source: Guardian Environment
The first slim flocks of starlings gather by a muddy river
Waltham Brooks, West Sussex Now breeding has finished, the numbers of starlings gathering together are building up again, and will rise into the thousands in the coming months The river Arun has slowed almost to a stop, the bare strip of dried earth along the bank betraying the low water level. Large bunches of dark […]