Canning byelection: Tony Abbott says Liberals will win, despite negative poll
Asked if he would step down over a Coalition loss, PM says ‘well we’re not going to lose’, despite a new poll showing a 10% swing away from the Liberals Tony Abbott has predicted the Coalition will win the Canning byelection, dismissing suggestions that his leadership is in trouble. Related: Canning byelection: Abbott asked about […]
Hollywood v heritage on Ireland’s rocky outcrop where monks once trod
The filming of Star Wars on the Skelligs, bird sanctuary and world eco-site, brings the clash between the environment and the Irish economy into sharp focus High up on a brackeny hill in the glen of Ballinskelligs, where the Ring of Kerry is at its most beguiling, a modest, two-storey house commemorates one of Hollywood’s […]
EPA suspends work at 10 polluted mine sites after Animas river spill
Federal report points to thousands of contaminated mine sites Administrator cites need for ‘extra caution’ at spots in four states Site investigations and some cleanup work at 10 polluted mining complexes in four states were suspended because of conditions similar to those that led to a massive wastewater blowout from an inactive Colorado gold mine, […]
Jim Ratcliffe: ‘Fracking can be done safely. A lot of opposition is based on hearsay’
The founder of chemicals giant Ineos says shale offers Britain cheaper energy and insists it could reinvigorate his native north country ‘One thing I’m sure about,” says Jim Ratcliffe, billionaire founder of chemicals giant Ineos. “You can’t have an energy policy that means you can only have a bath when the wind blows.” The Manchester-born […]
Animal magic: how to photograph wildlife
The best nature photography offers a peek into another world – but first you have to pin down your camera-shy subject “I want to see you crawling. Get down lower. Crawl!” I am crawling – my elbows hooking uselessly into the large, loose pebbles of Brighton beach, dragging my body another inch forward, while my […]
Canning byelection: Abbott asked about leadership and Dutton's 'lame joke'
Tony Abbott, on his third visit to the electorate, says Peter Dutton’s joke about rising sea levels and Liberal leadership speculation are ‘not about me’ The prime minister, Tony Abbott, has dodged questions about his leadership and criticism of an insensitive joke made by government frontbencher, saying both issues were “not about me”. Related: Tony […]
The 20 photographs of the week
Europe’s refugee crisis, daily life in war-torn Syria and the US Open tennis – the best photography in news, culture and sport from around the world this week Continue reading… Source: Guardian Environment
Shark fin ban masks growing appetite for its meat
Shark fishing remains profitable as narrow focus on Chinese finning trade obscures wider global trend The internet erupted with praise last month when United Parcel Service tweeted that it would stop shipping shark fins. But the decision – after a petition to the delivery giant garnered 178,000 signatures – addressed just one of many concerns […]
Blessed morning on the moor
Blacka Moor, Derbyshire You wake to a clear sky and the air filtering through the open bedroom window is sharp and fresh Late summer is flat in north Derbyshire; the light is harsh and the moors a drab monochrome. The air is heavy; lay your hand on a slab of gritstone and it comes away […]
Barnaby Joyce says business case for big new coalmines 'no longer stacks up'
With coal at $60 a tonne and upfront costs of $1.3bn, Shenhua may as well buy a secondhand mine in the Hunter Valley, says minister in a swipe at huge projects Barnaby Joyce says the business case for big new coalmines “no longer stacks up” given the low price and slowing global demand for the […]