Mid-East protest contagion fears for Saudi oil fields
"Yemen, Sudan, Jordan and Syria all look vulnerable. However, the greatest risk in terms of both probability and severity is in Saudi Arabia," said a report by risk consultants Exclusive Analysis.
While markets have focused on possible disruption to the Suez Canal, conduit for 8pc of global shipping, it is unlikely that Egyptian leaders of any stripe would cut off an income stream worth $5bn (£3.1bn) a year to the Egyptian state.
"I don't think the Egyptians will ever dare to touch it," said Opec chief Abdalla El-Badri, adding that the separate Suez oil pipeline is "very well protected". The canal was blockaded after the Six Days War in 1967.
There has been less focus on the risk of instability spreading to Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, headquarters of the Saudi oil giant Aramco. The region boasts the vast Safaniya, Shaybah and Ghawar oilfields. "This is potentially far more dangerous," said Faysal Itani, Mid-East strategist at Exclusive.
More
More
IMF raises spectre of civil wars as global inequalities worsen
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the IMF's chief, said the economic rebound across the world is built on unstable foundations, with many rich nations still strapped in job slumps while the rising powers of China, India and Brazil already facing the threat of overheating. "It is not the recovery we wanted. It is a recovery beset by tensions and strain, which could even sow the seeds of the next crisis," he said.
"Global unemployment remains at record highs, with widening income inequality adding to social strains," he said, citing turmoil in North Africa as a prelude to what may happen as 400m youths join the workforce over the next decade. "We could see rising social and political instability within nations – even war," he said.
More
More
Clinton convenes mass meeting of 260 U.S. ambassadors
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is convening an unprecedented mass meeting of U.S. ambassadors. The top envoys from nearly all of America's 260 embassies, consulates and other posts in more than 180 countries will be gathering at the State Department beginning on Monday. Officials say it's the first such global conference.
The gathering comes at a time of crisis in Egypt that could reshape dynamics in the Middle East, fallout from leaked diplomatic documents and congressional calls for sweeping cuts in foreign aid.
Source
Calfornia is becoming a Third World state
The last three weeks I have traveled about, taking the pulse of the more forgotten areas of central California. I wanted to witness, even if superficially, what is happening to a state that has the highest sales and income taxes, the most lavish entitlements, the near-worst public schools (based on federal test scores), and the largest number of illegal aliens in the nation, along with an overregulated private sector, a stagnant and shrinking manufacturing base, and an elite environmental ethos that restricts commerce and productivity without curbing consumption.Source
Canada's banks not so much stronger than U.S.'s
Despite their reputation, Canada’s six largest banks do not necessarily have stronger balance sheets under new global banking rules than their major U.S. counterparts, a new report has found.In a study of large Canadian and U.S. banks, Canaccord Genuity analyst Mario Mendonca said Canada’s biggest lenders, on average, have lower Tier 1 capital ratios than seven of the largest U.S. banks. Tier 1 capital can be easily liquidated to help a bank absorb losses in a financial crisis, and is considered a key measure of financial strength.Source
Housing Armageddon: 12 Facts Which Show That We Are In The Midst Of The Worst Housing Collapse In U.S. History
We are officially in the middle of the worst housing collapse in U.S. history - and unfortunately it is going to get even worse. Already, U.S. housing prices have fallen further during this economic downturn (26 percent), then they did during the Great Depression (25.9 percent). Approximately 11 percent of all homes in the United States are currently standing empty. In fact, there are many new housing developments across the U.S. that resemble little more than ghost towns because foreclosures have wiped them out. Mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures reached new highs in 2010, and it is being projected that banks and financial institutions will repossess at least a million more U.S. homes during 2011. Meanwhile, unemployment is absolutely rampant and wage levels are going down at a time when mortgage lending standards have been significantly tightened. That means that there are very few qualified buyers running around out there and that is going to continue to be the case for quite some time to come. When you add all of those factors up, it leads to one inescapable conclusion. The "housing Armageddon" that we have been experiencing since 2007 is going to get even worse in 2011.Source
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
2nd Coal Mine explosion in 6 DAYS - Colombia 2nd Feb. 2011
A gas explosion ripped through a mine in Colombia Tuesday, killing five workers and injuring a sixth, days after the government promised a safety overhaul following a string of similar tragedies. The methane blast occurred at around 1245 GMT at La Escondida coal mine in the central province of Cundinamarca, a spokesman from the state Institute of Geology and Mining said.The sixth miner was being treated in hospital, the spokesman said, but the extent of his injuries was not immediately known. No other workers were in the mine at the time of the blast, the official added.
President Juan Manuel Santos cut short a trip to Europe last week to be at the side of the victims of an earlier blast last Wednesday that left 21 workers dead at a coal mine in the northeast of the country. Santos, before returning from the summit in Switzerland, described the accident as a tragedy that should never have happened. "We must massively reinforce mine safety measures," he told reporters. "For that reason, when I return, I am going to give instructions for a detailed review of all the regulations and their enforcement."
Mines Minister Carlos Rodado pointed to a glaring lack of resources and said the government must radically rethink its oversight of the industry. "We need to bolster human, technical and financial resources because we only have 16 people to monitor the 3,000 thousand mines currently being operated and the 3,000 others in exploration," Rodado said. Source..
Russia loses contact with newly launched satellite
Russia's top military and space official launched a search Tuesday for a missing military satellite that apparently was put into the wrong orbit shortly after its launch.The Russian defence ministry confirmed that it had lost sight of the craft -- a dual-use vessel that can draw a three-dimensional map of the Earth and locate the precise positions of various targets. The incident came just a month after President Dmitry Medvedev sacked two top space officials for a similar setback and delivered another humiliating blow to Russia's much-maligned space industry.
The seriousness of the situation was underscored late Tuesday by reports that the defence ministry had set up an urgent joint task force with the Russia's space agency to look for the missing craft. The Geo-IK-2 satellite was created in Russia to help the military survey land and create a detailed three-dimensional map of the Earth. It was designed to spin in a circular orbit 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) above ground. But news reports said that the satellite had been put in an an elliptical orbit whose lowest point brought it to within 330 kilometres of Earth.
"We have still not been able to establish contact with the craft, and it looks like most likely, it will be declared lost," a Russian space source said. "The spacecraft will not be able to perform its intended functions at these orbit characteristics," another space official told the news agency.
Reports pointed the initial blame for the failure on the satellite's Briz-KM upper stage rocket. The satellite's launch had already been delayed from December because of technical malfunctions that were detected at its northern Russian launch site in Plesetsk. Tuesday's malfunction came less than five weeks after Medvedev fired two top space officials and reprimanded the space agency chief for a launch failure caused Russia to delay the deployment of its own navigation system.
Russia's Proton-M rocket had on that occasion proven too heavy to reach its initial orbit and had been forced to dump its three high-tech Glonass-M satellites near the Hawaii Islands. Investigators said that accident was caused by a basic fuel miscalculation that made the craft too heavy to reach its required height. The three Glonass satellites would have completed a system whose research had been started by the Soviet Union in 1976. Source...
Avian virus outbreaks- Hundreds of pigeons dying in Geneva, Switzerland
February 2, 2011 - Geneva, Switzerland – A deadly virus is killing what may be hundreds of pigeons and turtledoves around Geneva, particularly in the commune of Carouge. Health authorities advised people in an alert published 31 January not to touch any dead birds to avoid spreading the disease to other ones. The virus is not dangerous to humans or other animals, and the scale of the problem is not a health nuisance, nor have the birds been poisoned, authorities were quick to reassure. The pigeon population may be reduced in the short term but it will rebuild as the virus dies out naturally. Health authorities say the virus, which is often lethal, affects only pigeons and turtledoves, but they recommend that people avoid touching sick or dead birds. Geneva has a law against feeding birds, but the city is insisting that for the sake of the pigeons, people must restrain from feeding them now, as the virus spreads most easily when the birds flock together. Feeding encourages them to concentrate in small areas. Some research has shown that bird droppings are the main form of the virus spreading in areas where birds are concentrated. Researchers at the University of Zurich have identified it as pigeon paramyxovirus-1, which causes neurological problems: tremors of the head or wings, difficulties landing, a stiff neck, loss of sense of orientation and difficulty feeding. In very rare cases a pigeon may become more aggressive towards other birds.” -Geneva Lunch
Japan – H5N1 spreading – MIYAZAKI (Kyodo) The Miyazaki Prefectural Government said Tuesday that 191 chickens died at a poultry farm in the city of Miyazaki and that six of the seven dead birds tested positive for avian influenza in a preliminary exam. Officials decided to launch more detailed examinations on the six dead birds to confirm whether they were infected with bird flu. It would be the prefecture’s seventh outbreak. In Tottori Prefecture, meanwhile, officials said the highly virulent strain of the H5N1 virus was detected in two wild birds that tested positive for avian flu in earlier tests. The infection, involving a tufted duck and hooded gull found in a weakened state in Yonago last month, marks the second outbreak of a highly virulent strain of bird flu in Tottori this winter. -Japan Times
Worst fears materialize- Cyclone Yasi morphs into category 5 killer
GOVERNMENT WARNING – TC Yasi, CATEGORY 5, will continue to move in a west-southwesterly direction during the day. The cyclone is expected to cross the coast in the Innisfail area at about midnight. Coastal residents within the warning area, and particularly between Cairns and Ayr are specifically warned of an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SEA LEVEL RISE [i.e. storm tide] as the cyclone approaches, crosses the coast and moves inland. The sea is likely to steadily rise up to a level which will be VERY DANGEROUSLY above the normal tide, with EXTREMELY DAMAGING WAVES, STRONG CURRENTS and FLOODING of low-lying areas extending some way inland. People living in areas likely to be affected by this flooding should take measures to protect their property as much as possible, and be prepared to follow instructions regarding evacuation of the area if advised to do so by authorities.
-AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING CENTRE BRISBANE
Feb 2 (Reuters) – Australia’s Cyclone Yasi, with winds of up to 300 km (186 miles) per hour, is so powerful it could blow apart even “cyclone proof” houses, engineers said on Wednesday. Yasi is headed for major towns and cities along the northeast coast. It is believed to be the strongest ever to hit Australia, surpassing Cyclone Tracy which largely destroyed the northern city of Darwin in 1974. -Reuters
Update: CYCLONE Yasi has begun to batter towns and cities across north Queensland, tearing down trees and damaging houses about 5 hours before the eye of the storm is expected to cross the coast. Innisfail Mayor Bill Shannon said he had already seen the roof torn from a building near the council chambers where 500 people are sheltering. “The eye is five hours away and it’s already causing damage so it’s pretty worrying,” he said. Cassowary Coast councillor Ross Sorbello, a Tully resident, said trees had been torn down in nearby El Arish and Cardwell. “We’re just hoping and praying we can all get through the night,” he said. “The winds are probably getting up to 100 kilometres an hour which is worrying when we are this far out (from the eye).” However, he said he was more concerned about the potential loss of life than damage to property. ”This is a cyclone of savagery and intensity,” Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in a news conference. “People are facing some really dreadful hours in front of them.” -News.Au
Posted in Earth Changes, Extreme Weather Event Leave a comment
5.9 quake strikes Alaska peninsula
February 1, 2011 – ALASKA - A 5.9 (6.3 on European scale) quake struck the volcanically-active and densely populated Alaskan peninsula. The quake coincides with yesterday’s renewed eruption of the Kizimen volcano across the water in Kamchatka. The quake looks like a minor stress-shift from the recent bout of agitation in the South Pacific though we still see an unusual band of activity under Taiwan. Below the graphs for Alaska (left) and Oregon (right) indicating San Juan de Fuca is stirring and the recent 9 quakes rattling Mount St. Helens and the Cascadian fault was no mere coincidental fluke.
Posted in Earth Changes, Seismic tremors, Volcano Watch Leave a comment
Cyclone Yasi reaches category 5 strength
Update- Australian government upgrades Yasi to category 5. The rapid strengthening of this storm over a 3 day period is almost unprecedented. Wind gusts of 265 km/h have been reported. You can follow the storm on our live-tracker map in the previous post about Yasi. (c) ITN News
Posted in Earth Changes, Extreme Weather Event Leave a comment
Aurora blast captured in photograph
February 1, 2011 – AURORA-BURST: “According to the official forecast, the odds of geomagnetic activity on Jan. 31st were less than 10%. That was good enough for Kjetil Skogli of Troms, Norway. “We went out to look in spite of the low expectations–and there it was!” An aurora-burst was in progress directly overhead. “We didn’t have to wait at all,” says Skogli. “The show started right away and lasted for more than an hour with a lot of moving green curtains and rays.” The unexpected display was caused by a disturbance in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) near Earth. The IMF tilted south, opening a hole in Earth’s magnetosphere. Solar wind poured in and ignited the auroras. More auroras are in the offing. A solar wind stream is heading for Earth, due to arrive on Feb. 2nd and 3rd. NOAA forecasters peg the chances of geomagnetic activity on those dates at 20% to 35%–much better odds than Skogli had.” –Space Weather
Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano explodes
February 1, 2011 - TOKYO (AP) – A revived volcano in southern Japan erupted Tuesday with its biggest explosion yet, shooting out a huge plume of gas, boulders and ash and breaking windows eight kilometers away. The danger zone around Shinmoedake volcano was widened to keep residents safe. The largest eruption since it burst back to life last week covered wide areas in ash, shot boulders onto distant roads, knocked down trees and broke hundreds of windows in hotels and offices. No serious injuries have been reported since the initial eruption last Wednesday, but public broadcaster NHK said a woman suffered cuts from shattered glass in Tuesday’s blast. NHK said the eruption was five times larger than the initial activity last week, which was Shinmoedake’s first major eruption in 52 years. -Manila Bulletin
(c) RT News 2011
Posted in 2012, Earth Changes, Volcano Watch Leave a comment
Weather chaos across the globe: Heavy snowfall paralyzes Japan
February 1, 2011 – JAPAN – “Heavy snow has wreaked havoc on transportation in areas along the Sea of Japan coast of central Honshu. The Imajo district of Minami-Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, saw a record 236 centimeters of snow as of 7 a.m. on Jan. 31, the Fukui Local Meteorological Observatory said. Services on the Hokuriku Line and other JR lines in the Hokuriku region have been suspended because of heavy snow since the night of Jan. 30. Seven limited express trains as well as local trains came to a halt mainly at stations on the Hokuriku Line, such as Tsuruga and Fukui, since around 9 p.m. on Jan. 30, according to the Kanazawa branch of West Japan Railway Co. (JR West). A winter snowstorm dumped more snow on to the Sea of Japan coastline, local authorities closed sections of major roads and highways in Fukui prefecture. The fresh snowfall pushed the snow accumulation to 64 centimetres in Kanazawa and to 118 centimetres in Fukui, surpassing 100 centimetres for the first time in 25 years, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Hundreds of vehicles were halted near Tsuruga Tunnel on National Route No. 8 situated between Tsuruga and Minami-Echizen, causing a 10-kilometer traffic snarl, according to the local branch of the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry.” -Manichi Daily News
Canada- A major storm is expected to hit southern Ontario late Tuesday, bringing up to 30 centimetres of snow in some parts and strong winds. That system will bring periods of light snow to southwestern Ontario overnight Monday, she said. Winds will produce blowing snow and reduced visibility. Environment Canada on Monday morning upgraded a special weather statement to a winter storm watch. “The heavy snowfall and blowing snow will cause whiteout conditions making for extremely hazardous driving conditions. This storm has the potential to create near-paralyzing conditions.” The agency said that 20 to 30 centimetres of snow could accumulate in areas stretching from Windsor in the west to Brockville in the east by Wednesday afternoon, after which the storm is expected to taper off. “It’s possible it could be the most snow we’ve seen in a storm so far this year, at least for regions outside the snowbelt,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Ria Alsen. -CBC.ca
Chicago (U.S.) - Light snow is expected to begin falling Monday night, but the heavy snowfall will begin falling midday Tuesday and through Wednesday afternoon. Meteorologists predict the blizzard will produce whiteout conditions as 40 to 45 mph winds combine with snow falling at a pace of 2 to 4 inches per hour during portions of the storm, Nelson said. A blizzard and ice storm is expected to cripple half of the country over the next 48 hours. Winter snow warnings have been issued in 22 states.
China - Drought prevails across much of China. In China’s capital, they are having the exact opposite problem. The state news agency Xin Hua is reporting that after 83 snowless days into winter, this is the longest dry spell since they started keeping records in 1951. -NPR
Boliva – La Paz - Flooding in Bolivia has cost at least 22 people their lives, with at least six others missing in the province of Chuquisaca, police chief Iver Marquez said Monday. A truck and a bus were swept away by the Molle Punku River in a remote area some 30 kilometres from provincial capital Sucre on Friday. Only the younger passengers were able to escape. The normally dry river has been overflowing to due to heavy rain. -M&C
Posted in Earth Changes, Extreme Weather Event Leave a comment
Dark hole Sun: dense ionized wind stream burns Earth’s magnetosphere
February 1, 2011 – It’s here. The solar wind pouring from the large coronal hole on the Sun has hit earth and though the wind speed blast has not caused the magnetosphere to expand in its usual dramatic flaring fashion to protect the earth- it has instead ionized the shield. Proton density is 20.9 protons/cm3 in a wind helio-wind speed of 376.8 km/sec. That’s high enough to have an ionized, searing effect of the planet’s fledging protective barrier. This is one of the largest coronal holes we’ve seen on the Earth-facing hemisphere of the Sun in some time and it’s emitting a powerful blast of proton particles toward earth like a ray gun. The particle stream is so powerful, it’s pushing the planet’s magnetic field out almost as fast as it’s being generated from its rotational spin. Looking at the pressure reading of the magnetosphere below, we can see this is a very high resolution burn at maximum intensity. High proton density counts on the Sun are common when there is a plasma interface with the Sun’s magnetic field from a comet but solar wind streams generally flow out in much weaker constitution from the Sun. Stay tuned…
Monster: Cyclone Yasi 250 kmh winds, 6 meter tidal surges on arrival
January 31, 2011 - Queensland – Cyclone could be Australia’s biggest ever seen. Queensland premier Anna Bligh is warning residents to prepare themselves for a “frightening experience” as Cyclone Yasi approaches. Evacuations are underway in Queensland as the state prepares for the category four cyclone to hit the already flood-ravaged state. “We stand ready. It’s not a task that we expected. We thought we’d borne all that we would be expected to bear in the last five weeks,” said Bligh. “But it seems that more is to be asked of us.” Bligh is calling on Queenslanders to prepare themselves ahead of the cyclone as forecasters predict gale-force winds of up to 265km/h, torrential rain and massive storm surges. “Yasi may well be one of the largest and most significant cyclones that we have ever had to deal with,” Bligh told ABC Australia. Cyclone Yasi could become a category four cyclone when it hits the northeast coast. If it builds to a four, wind gusts of up to 250km/h can be expected, as Cyclone Larry was when it devastated Innisfail and surrounding communities in March 2006.” -TVNZ
Posted in Earth Changes, Extreme Weather Event Leave a comment
6.0 earthquake strikes Tonga in the South Pacific
January 31, 2011 - (Left) Kermandec Islands seismic wave and (right) the New Zealand graph
An underwater 6.0 earthquake has struck near the Tonga region at a depth of 68.6 km. See our earlier piece on seismic anomalies around Kermandec and Tonga in the South Pacific.
US prepares for growing winter stormlink
Snow is forecast to cause travel problems across more than a dozen states The US is bracing for another onslaught of bitter winter weather as a major storm gathers in the mid-west.
The storm is expected to affect a third of the country, stretching from Colorado in the country's centre to the north-eastern state of Maine.Some 6,000 flights were cancelled on Tuesday, with more cancellations foreseen on Wednesday.
Nearly 27,000 homes in Texas and 14,000 in Ohio were without power, and storm alerts were issued in 19 states.
Officials in the city of Chicago, which is expecting 24in (60cm) of snow, said its public schools would close on Wednesday for their first "snow day" in 12 years.
In Missouri, more than a foot (30cm) of snow had fallen by midday, the Associated Press (AP) news agency reported, with more continuing to blanket the state.
Meteorologist Jeff Johnson of the National Weather Service in Iowa told AP the storm was sure to "cripple transportation for a couple of days".
The series of storms that has hit the US this winter is also wreaking havoc with government budgets. Clean-up costs are placing pressure on already tight public funds.
But other businesses are benefiting, with concerned residents stocking up on essentials.
"Milk, bread, toilet paper, beer," Todd Vasel, who works at the St Louis-based grocery chain Dierbergs, told AP. "It's been the equivalent of Christmas Eve, which is normally one of our biggest days of the year."
Hardware stores in affected regions have reported selling out of snow shovels, ice-melting salt and generators.
'Significant impact' Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma, were paralysed as the storm reduced visibility on the roads and snow drifts piled in drifts as high as 4ft.
More than 1,300 flights were cancelled in Chicago's O'Hare airport, among the busiest in the world. Another 350 were cancelled at the city's second airport, Midway.
Aviation officials warned that flights were likely to be badly affected on Wednesday too.
Some 900 flights were cancelled in Dallas, 650 in Newark, and nearly 1,100 at New York's LaGuardia and JFK airports.
"This storm is going to have a significant impact on airlines, particularly those with hubs in Chicago (United, American) and Newark (Continental)," the FlightAware website warned.
Celente: Revolutionary Fervor to Spread Beyond Arab States; Europe Next
 |
| Peter Whitley Illustration |
Rense
KINGSTON, NY, 1 February 2011 - When the Tunisian government toppled, the mass media and their stable of experts who were blindsided by these events quickly stepped in to proclaim the obvious: that citizens of other Arab nations would be emboldened to challenge autocratic and corrupt governments.
Now Egypt is in the throes of insurrection, and Algeria, Jordan, Morocco and Yemen are already targeted for revolutionary change. The richer and more tightly controlled Kingdoms of the Middle East will not be immune to challenges from their citizenry to break the chains of royal rule.
In December 2010 (before Tunisia made the headlines) we issued a Trend Alert® titled, "Off With Their Heads!" in which we predicted a "long war between the people and the ruling classes." We noted that, "Anyone questioning the intensity of the people's seething anger is either out of touch or in denial."
It wasn't Arab anger that led us to that forecast it was the student and worker revolts spilling into the streets of Europe. The imposition of draconian austerity measures higher taxes, tuition hikes, lost benefits, curtailed services, public sector job cuts had young and old raging against a rigged system that paved the way for the privileged and punished the proles.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.