01 MAR 2022 The war in Ukraine is threatening further disruption to already stretched supply chains. Ukraine and Russia may only account for a small proportion of the imports of major manufacturing nations like Germany and the US, but they are essential suppliers of raw materials and energy for many crucial supply chains. Though the economic …
Read More »WILL PUTIN CUT ENERGY SUPPLIES TO RETALIATE FOR WESTERN SANCTIONS?
28 FEB 2022 While the battle for Kyiv rages, the economic war between Russia and the nations of the West has barely begun. The US, the EU and their allies are concentrating their economic attacks on Russia’s financial system while exempting the energy sector. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initial response …
Read More »CHINESE TRADE IS UNLIKELY TO OFFSET SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA
27 FEB 2022 Russia and China are making much of their strategic partnership as a counterbalance to their stresses with the West, but the European Union is still much more important economically to Russia than is China, and Australia comprehensively trumps Russia as a supplier to China. There’s no realistic …
Read More »CHERNOBYL’S RADIATION SPIKED 20 TIMES ABOVE USUAL LEVELS AS RUSSIAN FORCES ARRIVE
25 FEB 2022 The Chernobyl nuclear power plant and its surrounding area are showing increased radiation levels after heavy fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops in the region, Ukrainian officials said Friday (Feb. 25) Online data from the Chernobyl exclusion zone’s automated radiation-monitoring system shows that gamma radiation has increased 20 times above usual levels …
Read More »TWO SIMPLE MUSCLE EXERCISES CAN HELP REDUCE DIZZINESS WHEN STANDING UP
02 MAR 2022 Feeling dizzy or light-headed when standing is a common experience caused by a drop in blood pressure. When this blood pressure dip is very brief and rapid, and not tied to any other health problems, it’s referred to as initial orthostatic hypotension or IOH. New research suggests some simple …
Read More »PLASTIC POLLUTION IS “THE OIL SPILL OF OUR TIMES”
28 FEB 2022 A group of environmental advocates have carried out a lab study on samples of the plastic debris from the wreck of the X-Press Pearl, which burned and sank off Colombo, Sri Lanka last year. The vessel was carrying nearly 1,700 tonnes of plastic pellets, or nurdles, and it released …
Read More »WHAT IS SWIFT, GLOBAL FINANCE ARM THAT WEST CAN TWIST TO HURT RUSSIA
28 FEB 2022 Being removed from SWIFT means Russian banks can’t use it to make or receive payments with foreign financial institutions for trade transactions. Exclusion from SWIFT, a very discreet but important cog in the machinery of international finance, is one of the most disruptive sanctions the West has …
Read More »MERCHANT SHIPS ATTACKED AND ON FIRE OFF UKRAINE
27 FEB 2022 Merchant ships continue to be targeted in the escalating Russian war on Ukraine while security analysts are warning vessels to leave the area due to the increased danger. The crew of a small chemical tanker was forced to abandon ship with at least two members of …
Read More »TURKISH-CONTROLLED BULKER REPORTEDLY HIT BY SHELL IN THE BLACK SEA
26 FEB 2022 Turkey’s president and maritime affairs department were quick to condemn a reported attack on a Turkish-controlled bulker that they said was hit by a shell or possibly a missile while sailing in the Black Sea. It was the latest report of merchant ships finding themselves caught in the …
Read More »CONCEPT FOR ZERO-EMISSION MULTIPURPOSE CARGO SHIP FUELED BY HYDROGEN
27 FEB 2022 Energy Observer, a French partnership that launched a total self-sufficient vessel powered by renewable energies and hydrogen as a demonstration laboratory, is now set to present its concept for a multipurpose ro-ro cargo ship fueled by liquid hydrogen that they believe can rapidly advance zero emissions in …
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