Russia's first-half oil output up despite June slip

Top oil producer Russia is on course for its highest output in the post-Soviet era this year helped by new fields after a 1.1 percent rise in the first half of 2012, Energy Ministry data showed.

Russia is aiming to increase its overall 2012 crude production by around 1 percent after adding 1.2 percent last year to reach a post-Soviet era high of 10.27 million barrels per day (bpd), or 511 million tonnes.

Crude output in the first half of 2012 increased by 1.1 percent to 10.33 million bpd on average.

Shale gas unlikely to be the solution to the UK's future energy needs

Over recent years the UK has become ever more dependent on the import of gas to supply our energy needs, presenting risks for our future energy security.


In a presentation to the annual international conference of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in Edinburgh on 3 July 2012, Professor Mike Bradshaw, Department of Geography, University of Leicester, argued that a ‘perfect storm' of multiple failures is developing around UK energy policy.

Commenting on his research Bradshaw said: "There is a high degree of risk and uncertainty associated with every element of the UK's energy strategy - whether that's energy efficiency, renewable energy, or carbon capture and storage. Coming together these could result into an ever greater reliance of gas, at a time when its price is likely to increase because of growing demand from countries including China and India."

Some commentators present shale gas extraction as the solution to these future gas and energy security issues. Yet, Bradshaw does not agree, commenting that significant levels of exploitation are unlikely for many years, due to substantial logistical and environmental challenges.

"Shale gas is unlikely to be a game-changer in the UK" concluded Bradshaw.

New infrastructure solution will revolutionise electric vehicles

The TEV Project is an infrastructure solution addressing the growing dependence on cars and the global shift towards electric vehicles. TEV addresses the current limitations on range experienced by drivers of electric vehicles.

The TEV (Tracked Electric Vehicle) Project has created a new transportation infrastructure consisting of an electrically powered track, where electric and hybrid cars can travel indefinitely, without the need for charging. Electric cars and fleet will drive on a pre-fabricated, dedicated track under full automatic control. This will allow passengers to travel safely in vehicles at high speeds and in turn will enable vastly greater passenger carrying capabilities, compared with traditional motorways.

Mercury vapour from broken lamps brought to safe levels

Opening a package containing broken fluorescent lamps and/or CFLs presents a significant risk of mercury vapour exposure, potentially rising well above both the OSHA 8-hour permissible exposure limit of 100 ug/m3 and the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) IDLH (immediately dangerous to life and health) level of 10,000 ug/m3.

Systems can be hacked - even when switched off

Experts warn of hacker threat over Lights Out Management Exploit

Commenting on reports that Intel’s IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) allows hackers remote access to servers - even when the server is switched off - Philip Lieberman, President of the privileged identity management specialist Lieberman Software, says the technology is an electronic accident waiting to happen in many major corporations.

IPMI was introduced in the late 1990s by Intel to allow system administrators to manage a computer system and monitor its operation.

How Flame Succeeded - Spoofing Microsoft Updates

Have you heard of Flame – the latest high-profile cyber-attack – and are you concerned that you are vulnerable to attacks like it? Gartner released a report on Flame and recommended “using ‘whitelisting’ approaches for critical servers whenever possible” to “go beyond simple signature or pattern detection.”

“Flame, like all malware, exploits vulnerabilities in enterprise systems, processes and people, and a broad and highly experienced talent pool with varied motivations is at work producing powerful targeted malware,” stated John Pescatore, vice president, distinguished analyst with Gartner in a recent report. “Use ‘whitelisting’ approaches for critical servers whenever possible” he added.

Opinions have been divided about how sophisticated or novel Flame is in the security research community.  According to Bit9, Flame contains components with the most sophistication of anything discovered in the wild to date - by a long shot.


Bit9's latest blog post contains some more analysis of why Flame succeeded and how it spoofed Microsoft's update mechanism to spread...

By 2015, 80% of successful attacks will exploit well-known vulnerabilities....

Gaylord Hotel and Convention Centre, Washington, USA

At Gartner’s Security & Risk Management Summit (11-14 June 2012), Gartner has predicted that, “by 2015, 80% of successful attacks will exploit well-known vulnerabilities and will be detectable via security monitoring”.

The summit is the only time when the entire Gartner analyst and security and risk management community come together in one location to bring the latest research, insights and forward-thinking perspectives found nowhere else.

Tin and silver - the new electric metals

Record high prices for tin and silver are on the cards between now and 2018, as demand for the two metals in solder used in the electronics industry continues to climb and supply fails to keep pace, according to Jon Hykawy, head of global research at Byron Capital Markets, spesking at an April conference on electric metals sponsored by the investment dealer in Toronto and reported in Canadian Mining Journal.

Prices for the two metals started to climb sharply six years ago after the European Union banned the use  of lead in all products sold in Europe after July 2006. The reasoning behind the Restriction on  Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) is that a large percentage of electronic waste is never  recycled and that the metals and other materials in electronic devices will simply dissipate into the  environment.

UK decision can mean life or death for thousands of African elephants

DOHA Qatar: Will the lives of thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of Africa’s beleaguered elephants be put at risk because of decision that the representatives of the United Kingdom make in the next few days.

Two proposals before the CITES conference in Doha seek to downlist elephants to allow for trade in ivory.

The one from Tanzania would result in trade of over 89 tonnes of ivory and the one from Zambia in trade of almost 22 tonnes.

Deadliest Year on Record for Elephants

Large seizures of elephant tusks made 2011 the worst year on record for elephants since ivory sales were banned in 1989, experts said on Thursday. Recent estimates suggest that as many as 3,000 elephants were killed by poachers, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, an advocacy group. Tom Milliken, an elephant and rhino specialist for Traffic, a wildlife trade monitoring network, said that most cases involve the smuggling of ivory from Africa into Asia, where growing wealth has fed the desire for ivory ornaments and for rhino horn that is used in traditional medicine, though scientists have proved it has no medicinal value.

A version of this brief appeared in print on December 30, 2011, on page A9 of the New York edition with the headline: Deadliest Year on Record for Elephants.