GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A 60-day drought in the lower reaches of the Yangtse River in China is set to continue, the country’s meteorological service said Sunday evening, 29 May. Rainfall in the area since January has been 40-60 percent less than in 2010, and no rain is expected in the next few days. More than 35 million people are affected by the dry weather, which has so far caused economic losses of 15 billion yuan ($2.3 billion), reports Xinhua, which notes that more than 4 million people are having trouble finding drinking water.
“China’s two largest fresh water lakes – Dongting Lake in Hunan and Poyang Lake in Jiangxi – are both drying up dramatically” and the price of vegetables is soaring, with fears that inflation in May will rise sharply as a result of the drought.
Last week the government began released enormous quantities of water, 5bn m3 a day, for irrigation and drinking water, from the Three Gorges dam, cutting back its capacity to generate power. The drought is the worst in 50 years in the region.
The Yangste is Asia’s longest river.
Earlier in May, shipping traffic on the Yangtse became problematic because of the low water level. A 140-mile stretch above Wuhan was closed 12 May to avoid further problems.
Links to other sites: China Post, Guardian, Reuters
S Korea and US will have joint sea missions
Late Tuesday North Korea announced that it is severing all communication and relations with the South, and South Korea said that it is cutting trade and it will not allow ships from the North to pass through its waters.
South Korea and the US will carry out military exercises at sea together as part of their response to the South’s claims that North Korea torpedoed one of its submarines 26 March. Forty-six sailors died in the incident.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came out with a firm statement Monday backing South Korea and demanding that the North stop its “belligerant behaviour.” For the first time in several years the South Korean government intervened to support its currency, which fell sharply as fears grew over escalating tensions between the two Koreas.
The five countries with veto power within the UN Security Council have agreed to tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear plans, and what US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling a “strong” draft resolution is being circulated among the 15 members. Iran agreed just a day earlier, Monday 17 May, to a deal with Turkey that Brazil helped broker, which has it sending most of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for enriched fuel for a research reactor, a deal similar to one suggested by other Western countries in 2009.
The US accused Iran Tuesday of trying to deflect criticism of its nuclear programme. The new, fourth sanctions package is a carrot-and-stick solution to dealing with Iran: it offers tough measures against shipping and banking, and would stop any shipments to Iran of conventional arms, but it also encourages Iran to cooperate with nuclear inspections.
Links to other sites: Aljazeera, BBC, Financial Times, Reuters/New York Times
US President Barack Obama has flown to New Orleans, Louisiana, to reassure residents of the area following the accident where an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded and sank, releasing thousands of barrels of oil. The slicks from the accident, 40 miles from the Louisiana shore, have been moving inland, threatening the fishing industry and potentially creating the worst such disaster in US history. Obama pointed out that the responsibility lies entirely with BP, which will foot the bill. The bulk of the slick is now just nine miles (a little over 5km) off the coastline.
Meanwhile, supertankers that ship crude to the US may face tighter regulations in the wake of the disaster, reports Bloomberg.
Background, GenevaLunch
Links to other sites: New Orleans Times-Picayune, Times, UK,
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez da Kirchner announced 16 February that ships going from the South American mainland to the Falklands/Malvinas will need a licence from Argentina. Britain promptly rejected the move, saying that the waters around the Falklands are UK territorial waters and the licenses will not apply. It has told the shipping industry to ignore the Argentine instructions when going from international waters to Falklands territorial waters. The two countries have disputed ownership of the islands since the 19th century and in 1982 they fought a short war, which the British Royal Navy won. Diplomatic relations were resumed in 1990. Observers are calling the new, stronger stance by Argentina “worrying”, suggesting that drilling for oil in the region may lie behind the move, with Argentina wanting a share.
Links to other countries: BBC, Canadian Press, El Pais (Spa), Mercopress
Next stop, Nuuk. © 2008, Princess Cruises
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The breakup of Arctic pack ice due to global warming means an increasing number of icebergs drift into sea lanes in the North Atlantic, and 2009 was the eleventh most severe in that respect since 1912, the year the Titanic sank after colliding with an iceberg.
An growing number of ships are venturing into seas at latitudes and in months that were impossible before. This increases the risks and the opportunities to shipping, and the need for up-to-date information and well-trained crews, according to a report by the International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG) which met in Geneva at the World Meterological Organization 12-16 October.
Photo: © La Poste, Switzerland
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The cost of shipping letters, registered letters and packages outside Switzerland will increase by 7% on 1 April 2009, when La Poste restructures its price schedule. The new prices must still be approved by Mr Price, the government’s consumer watchdog.
Rex Express ships animals for you from Switzerland to just about anywhere, and the online service, in English, is easy to use.
An oil super tanker that could be carrying up to two million barrels of crude oil, taken by pirates, is heading towards a Somali port, reports the US Navy. CNN reports that with pirates now operating in the Indian Ocean in an area of over one million square miles, despite patrols by a multinational naval force, it is clear that kidnapping ships “could” become a lucrative business.
