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Authorities from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have rejected recent research on the number of early deaths caused by last year’s fires

Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean authorities have dismissed research that suggested smoky haze from catastrophic forest fires in Indonesia last year caused 100,000 deaths. Some even contend the haze caused no serious health problems, but experts say those assertions contradict well-established science.

Last year’s fires in Sumatra and the Indonesian part of Borneo were the worst since 1997, burning about 261,000 hectares of forests and peatland and sending haze across the region for weeks. Many were deliberately set by companies to clear land for palm oil and pulpwood plantations.

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New initiative closes loophole allowing dealers to claim ivory from recently killed elephants is antique without providing proof of age

Britain is to ban all sales of ivory which are not backed by proof that the item is over 70 years old.

Although it is already illegal to sell ivory from elephants killed after 1947, a loophole allows dealers to claim items are antique without providing documentary evidence of their age.

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It will be the first Australian city to install the system, which relies on underground pneumonic tubes to transfer waste out of the city-centre.

University of Maryland students say they have achieved an aviation first, getting their manned, solar powered helicopter off the ground.

Lyme Regis, Dorset Morning sun highlights the cliffs, visitors stroll along the Cobb and little boats dip and roll across the open sea

From Uplyme, shady paths beside the river Lim lead to the renovated mill in the middle of old Lyme Regis; the waterwheel is geared to millstones that grind wheat into flour, and a micro hydro system generates 32,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. Before 10.30am, the associated tearoom, galleries and workshops remain quiet, but the nearest car park is already full. Sun sparkles on the sea; a flotilla of sailing dinghies is heading out and a gig cuts across the bay.

Land and cliffs on the eastern side of town have been stabilised and protected by a new seawall; beyond this, towards the Spittles, morning sun highlights dangerous cliffs, made of alternating layers of slippery grey clay and pale, lumpy limestone that overhang the rough and muddy shoreline. Farther up the coast, Golden Cap is cloud-free, and visibility extends to the hazy Isle of Portland.

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Suzlon Energy's Tulsi Tanti says making wind turbines in Australia would be a "win-win", but market must first demonstrate stability, growth.

Advertising Standards Authority concedes it erred in upholding a complaint against the advert last year, which claimed fracking would not cut energy bills

The UK’s advertising watchdog has admitted it made the wrong decision when it banned a Greenpeace advert last year which claimed fracking would not cut energy bills.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) originally ruled in May 2015 that the advert was misleading due to the green group’s statement that experts agreed fracking would not reduce energy costs.

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AGL is encouraging local residents to have their say on the proposed Coopers Gap Wind Farm project.

EthosEnergy has been successfully completed a $2m major overhaul of a gas turbine and generator for Origin Energy.

Survival tactic also increases chances of successful insemination, with the immature females able to store sperm until they reach adulthood

Male redback spiders at risk of being cannibalised by their sex partners have developed a survival tactic: mating only with females too young to eat them.

New research has identified the adaptive behaviour among some males of the widow spider genus. Adult females of the genus regularly cannibalise their partners during or after mating.

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Is there a way of using farming to save coral?

South Korea to provide incentives for utility-scale solar operators to install energy storage units as it outlines plans to invest $US27 billion in renewable energies over next five years.

GM is set to take on Tesla with its Chevy Bolt electric car. Meanwhile, big developments in offshore wind and battery storage.

The jaw-dropping bids for a massive solar plant in Abu Dhabi will help change the thinking about the future of energy markets. The price offered is one third the cost of local gas generation, and one fifth of the cost of the proposed new nuclear plant in the UK.

The British Veterinary Association warns would-be dog owners to think twice before buying breeds with fashionably "flat-faced" features - because of growing concerns for their welfare.

Australia will likely miss its Paris climate commitments by around one billion tonnes of greenhouse emissions by 2030 if it continues with its current policies.

Watching a tragic film could have an unexpected benefit in triggering a feel-good chemical, research suggests.

过去3年间，新加坡缉获大量非法象牙，生态保护团体担心犯罪团伙正在开辟新的走私路线。翻译：金艳 (翻译：子明/chinadialogue)

English language: Large ivory seizures in Singapore make it a smuggling hub of ‘primary concern’

生态保护组织称，过去3年间新加坡缉获大量非法象牙，使得这个东南亚城邦成为全球最大的有组织象牙走私犯罪中心。

这些象牙多数会销往中国大陆和香港，因此，两地的海关会把来自这些港口的集装箱作为重点检查对象。EIA活动负责人朱利安·纽曼以及TRAFFIC专家汤姆·米利肯表示，为了躲过中国海关的重点检查，装载象牙的集装箱会被运送到新加坡或是马来西亚的巴生港作为中转，在那里停留几个月，然后装载到另一艘船上，文件上货物的来源也会改成新的港口。

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RepuTex analysis says federal government paying polluters and ambitious renewable energy targets won’t have sufficient impact

Australia’s emissions will remain at the same level through to 2030, despite the federal government paying polluters billions to lower greenhouse gas emissions and some states having ambitious renewable energy targets, according to new analysis by the energy advisory firm RepuTex.

Combining the effect of current policy settings with expected growth in liquefied natural gas exports and land clearing, Australia’s emissions were modelled to end up at just 2% below 2005 levels by 2030.

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Crocodiles are protected in Australia, but it wasn't always so. from www.shutterstock.com

Crocodiles are protected in Australia. These impressive, if dangerous, animals are icons of the north. But it wasn’t always so. Crocodiles used to be hunted freely in northern Australia, an activity that led to their decline and eventual protection.

There have been calls to cull crocodiles to improve safety, but experts argue that this will make little difference to the risk. Besides, crocodiles are already sustainably farmed for leather products.

However, there are also calls – for instance, from federal MP Bob Katter – to allow crocodiles to be shot for safari. Selling hunting licences worth thousands of dollars to rich shooters, the argument goes, could provide vital income.

But this ignores Australia’s history of crocodile hunting.

Crocodile hunters in the Northern Territory. Australian News and Information Bureau, July 1968/National Archives of Australia, CC BY Postwar crocodile hunting

Immediately after the second world war, .303 rifles were widely available and were capable of reliably killing crocodiles. Crocodile skins suddenly increased in value — the Australian crocodile-hunting boom was the result.

The boom attracted hunters from southern Australia, including new immigrants. Some made significant amounts of money as the price of crocodile skins rose, but the prospect of adventure was often a far more significant lure. For many, coming north to hunt crocodiles was a working holiday combined with a boy’s own adventure. It was also an opportunity for men restless from the war to put off settling back into domesticity.

Australian News and Information Bureau, July 1968/National Archives of Australia, CC BY

That mood of adventure was captured in a 1956 home movie, aptly titled Northern Safari. Shown as a feature film, it packed cinemas in Australia and overseas. Northern Safari documented a family trip north and showed the accessibility of hunting in northern Australia to anyone with the time and practical skills to get there.

In addition to this accessible but rugged style of hunting, some postwar entrepreneurs began to offer organised hunting. Aimed at people with more money, less time and a greater desire for comfort, the commercial Australian safari was born.

The Australian Crocodile Shooters’ Club actively promoted safari cruises to hunters who wished to shoot in luxury. In 1952 it established one of Australia’s first safari camps in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

However, the Australian safari at this time was less exclusive than the original African version. While expensive, hunters might subsidise their holidays through the sale of crocodile skins – and the services and amenities provided could not be described as truly luxurious.

Safari hunting in the present

Nevertheless, the Australian safari has evolved since the ban on crocodile hunting and has taken its place among international safari organisations. Safari operations cater to visiting sportsmen by providing access to introduced species and game fish. The Australian experience is one of many such distinct experiences promoted at the annual Safari Club International convention.

An NT croc hunter in 1949. National Archives of Australia, CC BY

New Zealand provides an example of how such tourist trophy hunting operates. Based on privately owned red deer estates, some hunting providers sell clients the right to hunt an animal selected for its probable value under the Safari Club International scoring system.

Estate deer are bred for their trophy value and their antlers command scores unmatched by red deer found on public land. Access to them is limited and the cost of hunting one of the highest-scoring stags is more than NZ$20,000. Estate deer hunting is largely invisible to ordinary New Zealand hunters.

Despite the enthusiasm of proponents, there is widespread unease about the killing of big game. As with the red deer industry in New Zealand, the safari industry in Australia at present depends on introduced species of game, and so avoids controversy.

Overseas the death of Cecil the lion brought public unease about big game hunting into the open, as did the participation of touring New Zealand rugby players in a legal hunt in South Africa. Privileged access to native game and the killing of large native animals for sport has been made more visible by the sharing of images via the internet, and that visibility has demonstrated widespread public unease with the safari.

So who gets to hunt?

Scientific commentators agree that crocodile culling is unlikely to decrease the number or severity of crocodile attacks on humans in Australia. Neither is hunting crocodiles in Australia about managing an introduced pest.

A croc hunter stuffing crocodiles for sale in 1949. National Archives of Australia, CC BY

Instead, it is desirable because of the adventure involved, because for some hunting provides a meaningful connection with nature and because for others killing large animals brings prestige. These motivations aren’t being discussed.

If the crocodile safari were to be re-established in Australia it wouldn’t be the freely available experience it once was. Modern safari hunting is expensive and the preserve of only a few. Australians need to consider if they really wish to entice elite international hunters to Australia using a native species (even one as unlovable as the saltwater crocodile) as prey.

Claire Brennan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.