Thursday, April 7th, 2011
China’s interest towards Russia’s high north is increasing. A general agreement between Chinese authorities and the regional government in Murmansk might be signed soon. China’s Consul General to St. Petersburg Xie Xiaoyong recently visited Murmansk Oblast, where he met with First Deputy Governor Natalya Portnaya. The main themes that were discussed were the planned economic zone
Thursday, April 7th, 2011
Scientists have identified a massive volume of freshwater floating like a cap on the Arctic Ocean, which they believe could suddenly flow into the North Atlantic and affect the warm Gulf Stream that keeps Britain mild in winter and cool in summer. Studies have shown that a surface layer of fresher water in the Arctic Ocean
Thursday, April 7th, 2011
The Norwegian Civil Aviation Board (Avinor) has announced that passengers must be prepared for delays in air traffic on Thursday, due to the introduction of a new arrival route system in the airspace. Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL) asks that passengers are prepared for delays. Rygge and Torp airports will also be affected. Other airports may also experience
Thursday, April 7th, 2011
Russian Federal Space Agency head Anatoly Perminov said on Wednesday the agency’s scheduled events dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Yury Gagarin’s historic first space flight will go ahead as planned despite rumors of his imminent retirement. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov confirmed earlier on Wednesday rumors that Perminov, 65, will soon retire. State officials
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
A partnership has been established to tackle the range of threats facing forests in the Mediterranean region, such as water scarcity and fires. Each year, wildfires in the region claim up to 1m hectares of forests, at an estimated cost of 1bn euros (£870m). The new partnership was launched at the 2nd Mediterranean Forest Week, which is
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
Following on the heels of Google’s Streetview launch in Germany, Microsoft says it plans to add a similar service to its popular Bing Maps service. The company is also trying to avoid the privacy issues and public debates that contributed to delays in the introduction of Google’s pioneering service. Read More
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
ESA’s Envisat satellite has measured record low levels of ozone over the Euro-Atlantic sector of the northern hemisphere during March. This record low was caused by unusually strong winds, known as the polar vortex, which isolated the atmospheric mass over the North Pole and prevented it from mixing with air in the mid-latitudes. This led to very
Monday, April 4th, 2011
Building a lasting city identity and reputation is one of the profound, but also mysterious, goals that city leaders face. If we can build a city identity that is attractive, or powerful, or commands affection and wonder, or a sense of belonging, confidence, or trust, that identity will help us to solve many of the
Monday, April 4th, 2011
A third of Iowa’s House Republicans would be jammed into the same legislative districts as their peers under proposed redistricting maps released Thursday. It means that those legislators – including House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer – will either have to run against another incumbent, move to a different district or retire. Read More
Monday, April 4th, 2011
Turkey’s Uluhan Group is set to construct a new real estate project in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul. The company broke ground for the Esenyurt Towers of Babel, which will consist of 1,050 houses and 151 commercial units, with a ceremony on Sunday. The project is worth 160 million Turkish Liras and expected to be completed
