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US probe into dud Afghanistan army base incinerators

Agence France-PresseApril 25, 2013 12:46
US army authorities at a base in Afghanistan spent $5.4 million on trash incinerators that ended up being useless, a military investigator reported. The two hulking devices were accepted by US Army officials at the base in eastern Khost province even though they were not completely finished, and ultimately could not be used as many hours as needed each day because of concerns over attacks by the Taliban, the official said. The American authorities at the base had signed a contract in June 2010 with a Turkish company to supply the incinerators.

US probe into dud Afghanistan army base incinerators

Agence France-PresseApril 25, 2013 12:30
US army authorities at a base in Afghanistan spent $5.4 million on trash incinerators that ended up being useless, a military investigator reported. The two hulking devices were accepted by US Army officials at the base in eastern Khost province even though they were not completely finished, and ultimately could not be used as many hours as needed each day because of concerns over attacks by the Taliban, the official said. The American authorities at the base had signed a contract in June 10 with a Turkish company to supply the incinerators.

EU regulators close Veolia, Suez price-fixing probe

April 23, 2013 11:00
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU competition regulators have ended a year-long investigation into French water and waste firms Veolia Environnement <VIE.PA> and Suez Environnement <SEVI.PA> over allegations that they had colluded with another firm and a trade body to fix prices. Veolia said on Tuesday it had been told by the European Commission it would close the case, which began with raids on several companies in 2010, followed by a formal investigation which opened in January last year.

Ikea may sell horsemeat tainted meatballs

April 16, 2013 07:08
Furniture giant Ikea said Tuesday it was looking at selling or giving away meatballs in its home country of Sweden that were recalled after tests showed they contained traces of horse DNA. "We are looking at ways of using the meatballs as food, since they are completely safe to eat. But we are still in talks with the authorities over this," spokeswoman Ylva Magnusson said. "If we are unsuccessful our other option is to use them as biogas," she added.

Call for emergency to resolve power crisis

April 11, 2013 11:43
Experts have emphasised the need for introducing more independent power producers to curb hour-long unannounced power outages across the country. Speakers expressed these views at the 6th International Power Conference and Exhibition on Emerging Energy Mix for Sustainable Power Generation. The Sindh Youth Affairs Department and National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) organised the event.

French zoo to recycle dung of celebrity pandas

April 5, 2013 12:20
Not content with housing a pair of celebrity pandas that attract hordes of avid onlookers, a zoo in France has decided to put their droppings to good use by recycling them into gas and electricity. Yuan Zi and Huan Huan -- "Chubby" and "Happy" in Chinese -- arrived at Beauval zoo in central France in January last year, on loan from China for 10 years at a cost of around a million dollars a year.

Philippines turns trash into clean energy windfall

March 28, 2013 00:30
Teresita Mabignay does her ironing using free electricity on the slope of a garbage dump, an unlikely beneficiary of efforts to turn the Philippines' growing rubbish problems into a clean-energy windfall. Mabignay lives at the base of one of Manila's largest landfills, which was the first in the country to have its methane gas converted into power as part of a United Nations' programme aimed at tackling climate change.

EU transport boss says new law can jump-start green sector

March 11, 2013 18:00
* EU presidency to deliver progress report in June * Draft law proposes minimum number of green fuel stations * Member states want flexibility, worried by deadline By Barbara Lewis BRUSSELS, March 11 (Reuters) - Europe will lag China, Japan and the United States unless it embraces a proposed law requiring millions of new refuelling points across the European Union for electric and natural gas vehicles, the EU transport boss said on Monday.

World's largest biogas plant inaugurated in Finland

March 11, 2013 13:17
The world's largest biogas plant was Monday inaugurated on Finland's western coast as the country seeks to limit its use of foreign coal. Built near an existing coal-fired power plant in Vaasa, central Finland, the 140 megawatt biomass gasification factory is expected to cut coal use by up to 40 percent. Fuelled mainly with wood residue from Finland's large forestry sector, the plant is expected to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 230,000 tons a year while providing both heating and electricity for Vaasa's approximately 61,000 residents.

Actor Jeremy Irons talks trash with EU bureaucrats

March 7, 2013 18:45
By Barbara Lewis BRUSSELS, March 7 (Reuters) - British actor Jeremy Irons hates waste with a passion - so much so that he overcame his natural dislike of regulation to team up with the EU bureaucrats and inject some movie magic into the bloc's latest plans on recycling rubbish. The Oscar-winning Irons took to the Commission podium on Thursday, alongside the EU environment commissioner, to kick off months of debate on plastic waste.
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