Russian scientists criticise oil spill cleanup Posted on 26/12/2024 Nearly 30,000 of the up to 200,000 tonnes of sand that may have been contaminated with oil have been collected, say authorities. (EPA Images pic) MOSCOW: On Wednesday, Russian scientists criticised the effort to clean up oil that has washed ashore from two oil tankers, saying it lacks sufficient equipment. On Dec 15, two Russian oil tankers, the Volgoneft-212 and the Volgoneft-239 were hit by a storm in the Kerch Strait, with one sinking and the other running aground. The strait separates southern Russia from the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. The ships were carrying 9,200 tonnes of fuel oil, around 40% of which may have spilled into the sea, according to Russian authorities. President Vladimir Putin last week called it an “ecological disaster”. Thousands of volunteers were mobilised to remove oil-sogged sand from nearby beaches. But, scientists say the volunteers don’t have needed equipment. “There are no bulldozers there, no trucks. Practically, no heavy machinery,” said Viktor Danilov-Danilyan at a news conference. Danilov-Danilyan is the scientific head of the Water Problems Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and served as Russia’s environment minister in the 1990s. The volunteers have only “shovels and useless plastic bags that rip apart”, he said. “While the bags wait to finally be collected, storms arrive and they end up back in the sea. It’s unthinkable!” he said. Public criticism of the authorities is rare in Russia. Up to 200,000 tonnes of sand may have been contaminated with oil, Russia’s minister of natural resources said on Monday. Nearly 30,000 tonnes have already been collected, said Krasnodar region governor Veniamin Kondratyev on Wednesday. Sergei Ostakh, a professor at the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, said the oil could soon reach shores in Crimea. “No one should have illusions it will stay clean,” he said, calling for quick action. The oil spills may have killed 21 dolphins, the Delfa dolphin rescue centre said, although additional tests were needed to confirm the cause of death. News
Hezbollah-Israel truce deal says only official forces can bear arms in Lebanon Posted on 27/11/2024 Iran-backed Hezbollah has not formally commented on the ceasefire in Lebanon. (AFP pic) BEIRUT: A ceasefire proposal agreed to by Lebanon and Israel stipulates that only “official military and security forces” in Lebanon are authorised to carry arms in the country, according to a copy of the deal dated yesterday… Read More
Berlin urges Israel, Turkey not to jeopardise Syria’s transition Posted on 12/12/2024 An Israeli army tank patrols near the Alpha Line, which separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams. (AP pic) BERLIN: Germany’s foreign minister on Wednesday urged Israel and Turkey not to jeopardise a peaceful transition in Syria after the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad in… Read More
Swatch case: Malaysian court ruling on ‘illegal’ seizures of Pride watches remain as Home Ministry did not appeal Posted on 27/12/2024 KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 — The High Court ruling which found Malaysia’s Home Ministry’s seizures last year of 172 Swatch watches worth RM64,795 — without search warrants and before the watches were even banned for having lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elements — to be illegal is still valid… Read More