UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on March 5

* Ultra Electronics: British defence contractor Ultra Electronics said it terminated the $234 million acquisition of Sparton Corp following an unfavourable anti-trust review outcome from the U.S. Department of Justice. * ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND: Britain's Royal Bank of Scotland could reach a multi billion-dollar settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over its mis-selling of toxic mortgage-backed securities within weeks, Sky News reported on Friday, citing sources.

Renewables, not natural gas, were main driver behind drop in U.S. power sector emissions in 2017

The growth of clean energy in 2017 was one for the record books: Last year was the first time a reduction in U.S. power sector carbon emissions could be attributed more to renewable energy and energy conservation than the nation switching from coal to natural gas to generate electricity. Carbon emissions from the power sector dropped 4.2 percent in 2017, this time on the back of declining load and greater renewable generation, according to a new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance .

Groups sues for of Trump’s Keystone pipeline approval – Tue, 20 Feb 2018 PST

Opponents of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada are asking a judge to force the U.S. government to turn over emails and other documents related to President Donald Trump's approval of the project. Environmentalists who sued to stop the 1,179-mile pipeline said the documents could bolster their case that Trump's decision was arbitrary and should be overturned by the courts.

Utility offered Burgum more than free Super Bowl tickets

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum's trip to the Super Bowl as a guest of a Minneapolis utility included free invitations to a rock concert, private parties, meals and other events, The Associated Press found through an open records request. Burgum spokesman Mike Nowatzki said Saturday the GOP governor has reimbursed Xcel Energy for all costs related the weekend trip, with the sum now totaling almost $40,000.

Trump’s addiction to coal hurting Nevada

The damaging effects of the Trump administration's war on President Barack Obama's legacy are beginning to hit home in Las Vegas. In the past few days, the administration hit Southern Nevada with two gut-punches in the form of a proposed 65 percent reduction in federal funding for renewable energy research and development, and closure of the Las Vegas EPA research laboratory.

How Donald Trump Plans to Enlist Fossil Fuels in the Struggle for Global Dominance

The new U.S. energy policy of the Trump era is, in some ways, the oldest energy policy on Earth. Every great power has sought to mobilize the energy resources at its command, whether those be slaves, wind-power, coal, or oil, to further its hegemonic ambitions.

Edible oil of choice in South Korea is palm

Palm oil has become the most popular edible oil in South Korea, according to a Feb. 7 Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture . The report said that while soybean oil and corn oil was used predominantly in South Korea during the 1970s and 1980s, the industry has shifted to meet the changing demands of the country's cosmetic, food and biofuel industries.

In Trump’s First Year, the U.S. Lost Almost 10,000 Solar Jobs

Since the end of the Great Recession, two things have been true of the American solar industry: It was growing like gangbusters, and basically everyone liked it. From 2010 to 2016, the number of solar jobs in the United States nearly tripled, roaring from about 93,000 to more than 260,000.

Cohen: Donald Trump’s first year brims with success

WINNING: President Trump, accompanied by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, right, has lunch with the United Nations Security Council yesterday. Not only have his policies added over $8 trillion in value to the stock market - in year one of his administration - the economy is roaring and unemployment is at an all-time low.

Kochs warm to Trump policies, not behavior

In this May 22, 2012 file photo, Charles Koch speaks in his office at Koch Industries in Wichita, Kan.The Koch brothers are spending up to $400 million to shape November's midterm elections nationwide. less FILE - In this May 22, 2012 file photo, Charles Koch speaks in his office at Koch Industries in Wichita, Kan.The Koch brothers are spending up to $400 million to shape November's midterm elections nationwide.

Michael Bloomberg’s Silence On De Blasio’s Climate Lawsuit Speaks Volumes

Former New York Mayor-turned anti-oil activist Michael Bloomberg has yet to render a judgement about his successor's highly-publicized climate change lawsuit against oil companies. Bloomberg refuses to address the controversy, while other prominent activists take a skeptical approach toward the pursuit against Exxon Mobil and other companies criticized for producing emissions some argue contributes to global warming "Fundamentally, solving the climate problem is about looking to the future, not the past," Jason Grumet, president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, told Axios in an interview Thursday.

Solar industry on edge as Trump weighs tariffs on panels

Some in the U.S. solar-power industry are hoping a decision this week by President Donald Trump doesn't bring on an eclipse. Companies that install solar-power systems for homeowners and utilities are bracing for Trump's call on whether to slap tariffs on imported panels.

European Parliament backs Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050

Green lawmakers have hailed a "great victory for the climate" as a proposal to bring down to zero the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted in the atmosphere by 2050 received unexpected backing from the European Parliament last Wednesday . Plenary session week 3 2018 in Strasbourg - Debate on energy efficiency, renewables and the governance of the Energy Union.

Senator Bernie Sanders to Join 350.org in Launch of Fossil Free U.S….

Senator Bernie Sanders to Join 350.org in Launch of Fossil Free U.S. Campaign the Day After the State of the Union WASHINGTON - Senator Bernie Sanders will join prominent climate activists to kick off a new campaign to take on the Trump Administration and the fossil fuel industry on . The event, Fossil Free Fast: The Climate Resistance, launches Fossil Free U.S , a campaign led by 350.org , calling for an immediate halt to all fossil fuel projects and a fast and just transition to 100% renewable energy for all.

In praise of the Trump-appointed regulators who saved us from Rick Perry’s disastrous coal plan

Energy Secretary Rick Perry's plan to bolster coal-fired and nuclear power plants was rejected by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Jan. 8. Energy Secretary Rick Perry's plan to bolster coal-fired and nuclear power plants was rejected by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Jan. 8. Perry, more famously known for his appearance on "Dancing With the Stars" and for saying, "Oops," during a GOP presidential candidate debate in 2011 when he couldn't name the third federal agency he would shut down, made an absurd pitch to revive coal usage despite the cost his plan would have imposed on utility ratepayers and the potential devastation to the environment.

U.S. could ‘conceivably’ re-join Paris climate agreement, Trump says

The United States "could conceivably go back in" to the Paris climate agreement, President Trump said Wednesday - but it would have to be under terms that don't punish the country for its wealth of fossil fuels. "Frankly, it's an agreement that I have no problem with, but I had a problem with the agreement that they signed, because, as usual, they made a bad deal," Trump said.

Tillerson backs Trump as book casts mental health doubts

Washington, Washington's chief diplomat Rex Tillerson found himself obliged to defend President Donald Trump's fitness for office Friday after a bombshell new book called into doubt his mental health. In an extraordinary portion of a television interview on foreign policy challenges, Tillerson was asked about claims that Trump has a short attention span, regularly repeats himself and refuses to read briefing notes.