Month: October 2022

Climate change increased the rainfall from Hurricane Ian by more than 10 percent, according to a new quick-fire analysis, as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the United States devastated parts of Florida.

Ian “could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida history,” President Joe Biden said after the storm brought ferocious winds, turned streets into churning rivers that swept away homes and left an unknown number of casualties.

According to a rapid and preliminary analysis, human-caused climate change increased the extreme rain that Ian unleashed by over 10 percent, U.S. scientists said.

“Climate change didn’t cause the storm but it did cause it to be wetter,” said Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Michael Wehner, one of the scientists behind the new finding.

The researchers compared simulations of today’s world — which has warmed nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times — with counterfactual simulations of a world without human-induced climate change.

Wehner said these were “conservative estimates,” adding that while they are not peer reviewed, they are based on methods used in a study on the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which was published in April in the journal Nature Communication.

Climate change from emissions of planet-heating greenhouse gases is warming the ocean’s surface and increasing moisture in the atmosphere that fuels hurricanes.

Although the total number of tropical storms, or cyclones, may not increase, scientists say warming is whipping up more powerful cyclones with stronger winds and more precipitation.

“Human-caused climate change is affecting hurricanes in many ways including causing them to intensify faster, be stronger overall, and dump a lot more rain,” tweeted climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, who was not involved in the research.

For each degree Celsius of warming, scientists expect the water in the atmosphere to increase by around seven percent.

But Wehner said that his research found that storms are “more efficient” at turning the available moisture into rainfall.

Ian swept across Cuba Tuesday, downing the country’s power network, before slamming into the Florida coast Wednesday as a strong Category 4 hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center said Thursday the then-Category 1 storm was expected to bring “life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds” to the Carolinas.

 

 

Source: Voice of America

 

Luanda – Angolan head of State João Lourenço Saturday said that the country intends to continue exploring the best ways to diversify and strengthen the traditional ties of friendship, based on international solidarity and community of values between Angola and China.

The intention is expressed in a message of congratulation sent to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on 73 years of the People’s Republic of China.

João Lourenço says he is convinced that relations between the two countries contain all the potential to instill a new dynamic of cooperation, capable of winning concrete results and mutual benefits in carrying out common projects.

The head of State praised the permanent progress made by China since the second half of the 20th century, which place that country in the concert of nations not only as a world reference for stability, progress and development, but also as another pillar on which the world peace and security are built.

Since 2007, Angola has been China’s largest trading partner in Africa, with a turnover of US$24.8 billion in 2010 alone.

In 2017, the value of trade with the Asian giant rose by 61.32 percent in the first quarter, that is, to 5.55 billion US dollars.

At the end of 2018, China approved a new US$2 billion financing line

 

 

Source: Angola Press News Agency

 

While European Union nations are still mulling a cap on gas prices, some businesses are more in a hurry for solutions to the continent’s energy crisis.

In Brussels, the epicenter of the EU, restaurant owners have imagined how a future without gas and electricity would look like for gourmets.

The guests at the dinner served at the Brasserie Surrealiste and cooked by Racines employees this week were the first to experience it: No ovens, no stoves, no hot plates, no coffee machines and no light bulbs.

Still, great food.

Just cold entrees, or slightly grilled over the flaming charcoal grill of a Japanese barbecue, served at candle-lit tables.

“The idea is to go back to the cave age,” said Francesco Cury, the Racines owner. “We prepared a whole series of dishes that just need to be grilled for a few seconds … But the search for taste, for the amazing, for the stunning, is still part of our business.”

On the menu: brioche with anchovies, porchetta and focaccia cooked on a wood fire, raw white tuna, grilled pork with beans, and ricotta cream with pumpkin jam and pistachios as desert.

But what sounds like a romantic atmosphere and a one-time experience is actually what customers could face more permanently if energy bills keep increasing.

“People see price increases of 30% to 40% in the supermarket. And we, restaurant owners, buy the same raw material, the same products. So what do we do? We increase the prices. But then on top comes the price of gas and electricity. Can we do our job without energy sources? The answer is no,” Cury said. “So we have to think a little bit more, and society has to realize how critical the situation is.”

The dramatic rise of inflation in Belgium could have been a deterrent, but 50 guests took part in the dinner Thursday organized as part of the “Brussels in the Dark” initiative involving a dozen of restaurants.

“We are at a point when one needs to choose between being warm at home or eating out,” said Stephane Lepla, on a night out with his girlfriend. “Finding the balance is complicated. So yes, of course, there is a reflection on a daily basis. There are habits that need to change, that we try to change anyway, even if it is not always easy.”

 

 

 

Source: Voice of America

 

The Indian capital of New Delhi will enforce a 15-step action plan to curb pollution ahead of the arrival of winter, when a haze of toxic smog envelops the world’s most polluted city.

High pollution is an annual sore point for Delhi, especially in October and November.

Authorities urge people to stay indoors as burning of crop waste ahead of a new sowing season and lower temperatures trap pollutants in the air for longer, often forcing the closure of schools, with curbs placed on use of private vehicles.

“We are announcing a 15-point winter action plan,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told a news conference at which he laid out the measures to reduce pollution, though the annual campaign has had little impact for years.

Measures to help limit dust in the air will include installation of anti-smog guns and water sprinklers, he added.

The government will also ensure that people do not burn waste materials, a major cause of pollution.

Tough measures to check vehicular pollution include curbs on the usage of diesel-fueled vehicles older than 10 years and petrol-run vehicles older than 15.

Pollution levels also peak during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which falls on Oct. 24 this year. The government renewed a ban on firecrackers this month.

The Delhi city government will draft thousands of volunteers to ensure the anti-pollution measures are followed, Kejriwal added. He urged neighboring states to ensure a constant supply of electricity and so limit use of diesel-run power generators.

 

 

Source: Voice of America

 

Luanda – The blatant lack of staff to empower coffee growers with new scientific and technological knowledge continues to be one of the main reasons for the constant drop in coffee production in Angola.

 

The director-general of the National Coffee Institute (INCA), Vasco António, said currently the institution has only 14 researchers and seven senior technicians, aged over 48.

According to him, the number is insufficient  to respond to the challenges of this agricultural subsector in the country.

Speaking to ANGOP, ahead of the International Coffee Day, celebrated on October 1st, the Vasco António explained that the blatant deficit of technicians stems from “non-admission of new staff in the agriculture sector, over many years”.

He added that the vacancies left by retired and deceased professionals are not being filled, causing a “blatant” staff deficit in the coffee subsector, a scenario that can be seen in almost all segments of the agricultural and livestock sector.

In order to reduce the shortage of professionals in the research area, for example, the source said that the institute needs at least 110 researchers, including coordinators and trainees, as well as 82 senior technicians (advisors and 2nd class technicians).

Given this scenario, Vasco António admitted the possibility of new admissions, in the near future, with a view to reducing the existing staff deficit.

He explained that the inclusion of new specialists will serve, essentially, to meet the real needs of the three coffee research stations, installed in the provinces of Uíge, Cuanza Sul (Gabela) and Benguela (Ganda).

The International Coffee Day, which began to be celebrated on October 1, 2015, aims to recognise the importance of this product in the daily lives of citizens, as well as to support the millions of coffee growers who are dedicated to the cultivation of the aromatic product.

The date, celebrated by 74 member states of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) and 26 coffee sector associations around the world, gives coffee lovers the opportunity to share their love for the drink.

Worldwide, coffee cultivation employs more than 500 million people, while the trade in this product moves more than 170 billion dollars, surpassed only by oil.

According to statistical data, it is estimated that over two billion cups of coffee are consumed per day in the world, a fact that challenges countries to increase production levels more and more to satisfy the market.

 

 

Source: Angola Press News Agency

Luanda – At least 153 children with cleft lip and palate underwent surgery at Luanda’s Josina Machel Hospital, as part of a campaign promoted by Health Ministry (MINSA).

Of the total figure of the kids operated – 89 females and 64 males – ,83 had cleft lip, 53 cleft palate and 17 multiple defects.

Cleft lip and cleft palate are openings or splits in the upper lip, the roof of the mouth (palate) or both.

Cleft lip and cleft palate result when facial structures that are developing in an unborn baby don’t close completely.

The campaign covered children from several parts of the country, with stress to the provinces of Uige, Bengo, Cuanza Norte, Huambo, Malanje, Benguela, Huila and Lunda Norte,

Angolan Health minister Silvia Lutucuta assured that in addition to routine work, this type of surgery will continue.

The intention is to ensure skills and conditions in various hospitals of the country.

 

 

 

Source: Angola Press News Agency