Prices at the pump have leapt since the start of the conflict – but clinging to fossil fuels will only prolong the pain
The car is perhaps the closest thing Germany has to a national symbol. For this reason, the success of the auto industry and the happiness of motorists has long been a barometer for the standing of the Federal Republic.
Since the beginning of the war on Iran, German news has been filled with stories about drivers. Journalists have filed breathless dispatches from petrol stations all over the country, reporting scenes of anger and frustration at the hike in fuel prices.
Tania Roettger is a journalist based in Berlin
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
04/30/2026 - 23:00
04/30/2026 - 23:00
Yara CEO warns of global auction that would leave poorest countries scrambling for supplies they can ill afford
The Iran war could have “dramatic consequences”, causing food shortages and price rises in some of Africa’s poorest and most vulnerable communities, the head of the world’s largest fertiliser company has said.
Svein Tore Holsether, the chief executive of Yara International, said world leaders needed to guard against soaring prices and shortages of fertiliser causing a de facto global auction that would leave the poorest countries, particularly in Africa, scrambling for supplies they could ill afford.
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04/30/2026 - 18:01
Birdwatching no longer niche, old-fashioned pastime, says RSPB as research shows 47% increase in hobby since 2018
Birdwatching is the second fastest growing hobby for generation Z after jewellery making, according to a multiyear study of more than 24,000 people.
Almost 750,000 gen Zers (16 to 29-year-olds) in Britain regularly enjoy watching birds, a -1,088% increase since 2018, according to research by Fifty5Blue published by the RSPB.
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04/30/2026 - 17:26
Foil boarders were pursued by shark – likely a great white – off Santa Barbara before it lost interest and swam away
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Ron Takeda and Tavis Boise were a few miles off the coast of Santa Barbara when they noticed the large mass trailing behind them.
“Tavis, is it a dolphin?” asked Takeda as he stood on his foil board, a specialized form of surfing, propelling himself through the waves. Boise, who was filming their run, recognized the question as an ominous sign – the veteran surfers are familiar enough with dolphins that Takeda should have recognized one immediately.
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04/30/2026 - 10:20
Lee Zeldin claims before Senate that Trump administration plan will make Environmental Protection Agency ‘more efficient’
Senate Democrats accused the Trump administration of abandoning the Environmental Protection Agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment at a congressional hearing Wednesday, slamming agency leadership over a proposal to cut its budget in half.
Lee Zeldin’s appearance before the Senate environment committee was the EPA administrator’s last of three budget hearings this week where he argued for sharply reduced funding for the agency, which already has seen its staffing reduced to its lowest level in decades under his leadership. During much of the week, the former Republican congressman from New York took an aggressive approach, responding to Democrats in the House and Senate with his own questions and at times accusing them of being unprepared or failing to care about the EPA’s record.
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04/30/2026 - 10:00
Exclusive: Government should accelerate clean energy to protect consumers from ongoing price shocks, they say
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Former oil and gas industry leaders, including senior executives from BP and Shell, are warning the Albanese government that Australians risk ongoing price shocks and higher costs if it prioritises fossil fuel development in response to the global energy crisis.
Sixteen ex-executives and professionals – who had worked for companies including Woodside, Inpex, ExxonMobil and Esso – have urged the government to reject calls for fast-tracked gas and coal extraction, arguing it would do nothing to improve the nation’s liquid fuel security.
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04/30/2026 - 05:15
Nearly 60 countries back voluntary roadmaps to wean world off coal, oil and gas, at conference prompted by frustration with UN climate summits
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Governments have been asked to develop national “roadmaps” setting out how they will end the production and use of fossil fuels, after a landmark climate meeting involving nearly 60 countries.
The voluntary plans will form the bedrock of a new initiative to wean the world off coal, oil and gas, the focus of two days of intensive talks in Colombia this week.
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04/30/2026 - 05:00
Moreangels Mbizah has blazed a trail in Zimbabwe as the first black African woman to found a conservation organisation in the country
The turning point for Moreangels Mbizah came in 2014. The conservation biologist was in Hwange national park in Zimbabwe, scanning the savannah to monitor the movements of lions for her zoology PhD research.
The GPS signal told her something was wrong. One of the lions had strayed into a nearby village, putting itself and the local community at risk. Mbizah and her team took off to try to herd it back into its habitat.
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04/30/2026 - 01:00
WPP accused of breaching its climate policy after report reveals firm linked to twice as much oil advertising as US rivals
A British advertising conglomerate has helped the oil companies ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and BP spend an estimated $1bn (£740m) on adverts in the US since the 2015 Paris agreement to tackle the climate crisis, a report shows.
London-based WPP was the leading advertising group serving the US’s oil industry over the past decade, according to analysis by the climate investigations platform DeSmog. The figure is nearly twice the respective amounts linked to its US rivals Omnicom and Interpublic Group (IPG), which merged in November.
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04/30/2026 - 00:00
The Welsh seaside resort has already seen a fall in offending and drug use, now a £20m investment and a fresh approach to building job skills is bringing new opportunities for under-25s
Killing time playing pool at the West Rhyl youth club, friends Sienna, 19, and Jake, 26, are unanimous when asked what a tour of the north Wales seaside town should look like. “The first place I’d show anyone is ‘Crackhead Circle’,” Sienna says.
The small public garden behind the town hall and a paved area by the closed home bargain store Wilko in the adjacent high street host several strung-out characters on a cold February afternoon. Police cars crawl through the area every 15 minutes or so as part of Project Renew, a year-long crackdown on gang activity and drugs.
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