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Mother superior: Nuns abducted by Syrian rebels

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Opposition fighters have abducted 12 nuns from a predominantly Christian village near Damascus and taken them to a rebel-held town, the mother superior of a Syrian convent said Tuesday. The statement by Febronia Nabhan, Mother Superior at Saidnaya Convent, came as Syria’s state TV reported that a suicide attacker set off his explosive vest in an unspecified government institution in Damascus, killing four and wounding 17. The TV gave no further details about the blast in the central Jisr Abyad neighborhood. Such blasts in Damascus are not uncommon. Some have killed scores of people in the city. Nabhan said Tuesday that the nuns and three other women were taken the day before from another convent in the predominantly Christian village of Maaloula to the nearby town of Yabroud. Syrian rebels captured large parts of Maaloula, some 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of the capital, on […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Japan Finds Methane Hydrate in Sea of Japan

Japan has discovered methane hydrate lying over a large area in the Sea of Japan in northwestern Japan, in addition to previously discovered areas in the Pacific Ocean, the trade ministry said. The government plans to spend the next three years trying to determine the nation’s reserves of methane hydrate – a frozen gas known as “flammable ice” – as part of its goal to achieve commercial production within six years. A geological survey in June and July confirmed 225 “gas chimney” structures off Joetsu and Noto Peninsula, which likely contain methane hydrate, the ministry said. The survey also confirmed shallow methane ice forming over a large area within one of the structures. In March, Japan succeeded in producing 120,000 cubic meters of gas over six days from a test tapping of methane hydrate in the Pacific Ocean off Aichi Prefecture in central […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Vehicle innovators face fight to win hearts and minds

Ahead of the game: the BMW i3 electric vehicle, made from carbon fibre, is unveiled in London When the most sought-after $1m supercars are hybrids, when hatchbacks are being made from carbon fibre and when manufacturers are promising volume vehicles that can drive themselves, it is clear the world’s car factories and showrooms are geared up for change. Driven by regulations and shifting customer demands, carmakers are pushing the boundaries of how we drive, fuel and interact with cars. Tomorrow’s vehicles will be less polluting, lighter and safer. They will be more intelligent and better connected – less of a petrolhead’s toy and more of an extension of the office or living room. Vehicle sales When this summer BMW launched its i3 model – an electric car made from carbon fibre in a factory powered by wind turbines – Ian Robertson, the carmaker’s head […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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BP wins battle to limit Gulf payouts

BP won a big victory in its battle to limit the cost of compensation for its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico after an appeals court called for an injunction to suspend payments to businesses that had not suffered losses as a result of the disaster. BP has argued that the compensation settlement over the spill that it agreed last year is being misinterpreted to allow businesses that have not suffered any harm to claim for apparent losses. A majority on a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit appeals court ruled that a lower district court should draw up an injunction “tailored so that those who experienced actual injury traceable to loss from the Deepwater Horizon accident continue to receive recovery, but those who did not do not receive their payments until this case is fully heard and decided”. The decision gave BP the suspension of payments […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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In Fracking, Sand Is the New Gold

The race to drill for oil in the U.S. is creating another boom—in sand, a key ingredient in fracking. Energy companies are expected to use 56.3 billion pounds of sand this year, blasting it down oil and natural gas wells to help crack rocks and allow fuel to flow out. Sand use has increased 25% since 2011, according to the consulting firm PacWest, which expects a further 20% rise over the next two years. In Wisconsin, the source of white sand perfectly suited for hydraulic fracturing, state officials now estimate more than 100 sand mines, loading, and processing facilities have received permits, up from just five sand mines and five processing plants operating in 2010. And the stocks of publicly traded companies that deal in sand have soared. Shares of Houston-based Hi-Crush Partners HCLP -1.59% Hi-Crush Partners LP U.S.: NYSE $ 31.00 -0.50 -1.59% Dec. 2, 2013 4:04 pm […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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AAA: U.S. gasoline prices should fall

Following a November spike, AAA said Monday it expects U.S. retail gasoline prices to fall at least 10 more cents by the end of the year. AAA reported a national average price Monday for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline of $3.26. Michael Green, a AAA spokesman, told United Press International the price for a gallon of gasoline has fallen for five straight days. It followed a late November streak of 15 consecutive days where prices increased. “We expect gas prices will continue to fall in the weeks ahead as refineries increase production and supplies build in many parts of the country,” he said. “Prices could drop another 10-15 cents per gallon by the end of the year if supplies build as expected.” Green said last week seasonal maintenance at oil refineries was taking longer than expected to conclude, which explained the mid-November price […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple