NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 25 JUNE 2011

 

Text-TV news on German ZDFtext: 50,000 FILIPPINO FLEEING TROPICAL STORM "MEARI"

 

In Marikina, a suburb of the capital, Manila, 25,000 are now living in evacuation camps / centers. 15 are reported missing.

 

There has been HEAVY RAIN in the Philippines for one week now.

 

Saturday the storm headed for CHINA.

 

 

Text-TV on Danish TV2 News: 10 KILLED IN NORTHERN VIETNAM IN BAD WEATHER - 7 HEREOF WERE KILLED BY LIGHTNING

 

At least 10 people died during several days of storm and torrential rain in northern VIETNAM. 7 of the dead were struck by lightning while working in the rice fields.

 

One drowned in the floods. 2 were killed when the strong wind destroyed more than 1,000 houses in the port city Haiphong close to the capital - HANOI.

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

 

AVALANCHE KILLS 6 MOUNTAINEERS IN THE FRENCH ALPS

 

The 6 victims - all of unknown nationality so far - were hit by an avalanche of snow and stones Saturday at Neige Cordier in an altitude of 2,700 m, and the dead bodies were found today = Sunday and later evacuated by helicopter to the nearby village Villar d'Arene. (From text-TV on Swedish SVT and Danish DR1 + TV2 News)

 

 

SEVERAL FOREST FIRES IN SPAIN AFTER FIRST HEATWAVE THIS YEAR

 

Alone in the region Galicia in the north-western Spain, more than 70 fires were reported. According to the authorities 5 fires are still on-going Sunday. Most fires were caused by arsonists.

 

A heatwave alarm has been issued for several regions. In Madrid temperatures might reach 39 degrees Celsius, and in the southern Spain, the metropoles SEVILLA and Cordoba might experience up to 40 degrees Celsius. (From text-TV on German ZDFtext)

 

 

THE PHILIPPINES: UN warns against the outbreak of pneumonia and diarrhoea among almost ½ million children who have fled massive floods and are now living in evacuation camps since the start of the Rio Grande flood. (From text-TV on Swedish SVT on 26.5.11)

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

 

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT FLOODED IN NEBRASKA IN THE USA

 

A random dam around a nuclear power plant in the US-state of Nebraska has breached, and water masses from the bloated Missouri river has run into the plant.

 

The nuclear power plant FORT CALHOUN 3 miles north of Omaha has been shut down since April for fuel filling, but the cooling system is needed for reactors and for the storage tanks (reservoirs) for used fuel.

 

According to NRC, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the cooling system has done well, and the water is now sinking according to the news agency Reuters.

 

From text-TV on Swedish SVT

 

 

US LABOR LOS ALAMOS IN NEW MEXICO THREATENED BY WILDFIRE

 

The remote nuclear research center where the first atomic bomb in the world was developed remained shut down after the fire had approached the area being 1.5 km away. Only the absolutely necessary staff members are inside the building complex according to the center. "All radio-active and dangerous material is safe / secure".

 

Sunday, the flames were triggered by strong winds and dry grass.

 

From text-TV on German ZDF / ZDFtext

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 28.6.11

 

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT THREATENED BY FOREST WILD FIRE

 

The research and nuclear laboratory Los Alamos in New Mexivo where the first atomic bomb in the world was developed will remain shut down Tuesday because the plant is threatened by the Los Conchas forest fire.

 

12,000 inhabitants in Los Alamos have been evacuated because the wind has changed direction so that both the plant and the town Los Alamos are threatened.

 

According to Los Alamos the fire has caught a corner of the plant, but toxic substances have not leaked / escaped.

 

So far the forest fire has ravaged well over 20,000 hectares of landscapes - forests, fields and prairie south and west of Los Alamos

 

From Text-TV on Danish DR1 on 28.6.11, posted at 4.17am and from TV2 News)

 

 

EDIT (Tuesday at 18:30 central European time)

 

28 June 2011 Last updated at 14:36 GMT

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13937781

 

Los Alamos nuclear lab: New Mexico fire forces closure

 

One of the top nuclear weapons research facilities in the US will remain closed until Thursday as fire fighters battle a wildfire raging at its boundary.

 

Only "essential-duties" staff at Los Alamos National Laboratory will be permitted on site on Wednesday.

 

Officials at the New Mexico facility have said they detected "no off-site releases of contamination".

 

The town outside the laboratory in the state of New Mexico was evacuated on Monday as the fire raged nearby.

 

Officials said the nuclear facilities faced "no immediate threat" but warned of damage to houses.

 

The lab, opened during World War II, led the development of the atomic bomb.

 

By late Monday, the Las Conchas fire had grown to 68 sq miles (176 sq km), burning through forests, canyons, and mesas, fuelled by dry timber and powered by strong winds.

 

Authorities warned it could triple in size in the coming days, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

 

The fire had reached the lab's southwestern boundary and leapt a state road onto the land, burning roughly an acre, state fire officials said.

 

"No facilities face immediate threat, and all nuclear and hazardous materials are accounted for and protected," officials said in a statement.

 

The lab employs about 11,800 people, and about 12,000 people live in the town of Los Alamos.

 

"That's the biggest threat we have right now to homes in the community," Deputy Los Alamos County Fire Chief Mike Thompson told the Associated Press.

 

The southwestern US has been stricken by giant wildfires this year, with millions of acres scorched in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.

 

To the west of New Mexico, the largest wildfire in the history of the state of Arizona has been burning for nearly a month.

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 28 JUNE 2011

 

LOW-RADIOACTIVE / -CONTAMINATED WATER LEAKED IN JAPAN

 

About 15 ton low-contaminated water has leaked from a storage tank on the quake-crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima in Japan - according to NISA, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

 

The leak occurred after a technician yesterday tested a new system - a closed circuit - which should cool down the damaged reactors. The system worked for 90 minutes.

 

The leak has now been remedied / fixed, but the damage is a reality as water ran down into the field.

 

TEPCO, the operator of the crippled nuclear power plant, has stored almost 100,000 ton water in the plant.

 

From text-TV on Swedish SVT

 

 

MORE THAN 10 MILLION PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE WORST DROUGHT IN EAST AFRICA IN 60 YEARS

 

The countries affected by the drought are: Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti.

 

2 bad successive rainy seasons have caused one of the driest years since 1950-51 in several areas - according to the UN organization Ocha (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs).

 

The food prices in the region have risen considerably, and many families have been forced to leave their home region - not least in Somalia where fighting makes the situation even worse.

 

From text-TV on Swedish SVT

UPDATE of article about latest development around the Los Alamos nuclear lab

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13937781

 

28 June 2011 Last updated at 23:00 GMT

 

 

Los Alamos nuclear lab: New Mexico fire forces closure

 

One of the top nuclear weapons research facilities in the US will remain closed until Thursday as fire fighters battle a wildfire raging at its boundary.

 

Only "essential-duties" staff at Los Alamos National Laboratory will be permitted on site on Wednesday.

 

Officials at the New Mexico facility have said they detected "no off-site releases of contamination".

 

The town outside the laboratory in the state of New Mexico was evacuated on Monday as the fire raged nearby.

 

Officials said the nuclear facilities faced "no immediate threat" but warned of damage to houses.

 

The lab, opened during World War II, led the development of the atomic bomb.

 

NEW part:

 

Possible toxic plume

 

By midday on Tuesday, the Las Conchas fire had grown to 93 sq miles (241 sq km), burning through forests, canyons, and mesas, fuelled by dry timber and powered by strong winds.

 

The blaze was said to be as close as 50ft (15m) away from the grounds of the lab on Tuesday afternoon, raising fears it could reach a cache of 30,000 drums, each containing 55 gallons (208 litres) of plutonium-contaminated waste.

 

The fire had reached the lab's southwestern boundary and leapt a state road onto the land, burning roughly an acre, state fire officials said.

 

"The concern is that these drums will get so hot that they'll burst," Joni Arends, executive director of the Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, told the Associated Press news agency.

 

"That would put this toxic material into the plume," she added.

 

But officials said there was very little risk of the fire actually reaching the lab's facilities and that workers were standing near the waste drums to coat them with fire-resistant foam if the blaze got too close.

 

Authorities said the fire could triple in size in the coming days, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

 

The fire blew enormous plumes of black smoke over the town of Los Alamos and forced the evacuation of the entire community, which has a population of roughly 12,000.

 

"We are throwing absolutely everything at this that we got," Democratic Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico said.

 

The south-western US has been stricken by giant wildfires this year, with millions of acres scorched in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.

 

To the west of New Mexico, the largest wildfire in the history of the state of Arizona has been burning for nearly a month.

^ i need this for my assignment. Thanks for the news!

^ You are welcome. :)

 

 

News from German text-TV / ZDFtext:

 

Wildfire approaching US nuclear laboratory - thousands fleeing

 

The nuclear research centre remained closed as the fire came closer and was only 1.5 km away. In one area, the fire was only 15 m away.

 

"All radioactive / contaminated and hazardous material is safe". The broadcaster ABC is citing a former security official for saying that radioactive waste was stored only about 5 km from the flames.

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS (29 + 30 June 2011)

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13957968

 

29 June 2011 Last updated at 17:01 GMT

 

Uganda lightning strike kills school children

 

Lightning has struck a junior school in western Uganda, killing 18 children and their teacher, officials say.

 

Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba told AFP news agency 15 girls and three boys had died at Runyanya Primary School in the Masindi area on Tuesday.

 

The local district commissioner told Uganda's Daily Monitor paper 36 pupils had been admitted to hospital.

 

Concern about the number of recent deadly lightning strikes has prompted MPs to raise the matter in parliament.

 

Up to 28 people have been killed by lightning and scores injured in the past week, the private Daily Monitor reports.

 

Uganda's National Forestry Authority

 

Uganda's Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness Musa Ecweru said the deaths occurred because buildings had not been installed with lightning rods.

 

"There are very many schools and brand new health centres which are lacking lightning arrestors," Mr Ecweru said.

 

He said it was "negligent" of construction engineers to certify the buildings as safe.

 

"I can assure you we are going to work with the relevant sectors to make sure that this is addressed.

 

"It is unfortunate that this is going to happen after we lost people," Mr Ecweru said.

 

Kiryandongo police commander Patrick Byaruhanga told Uganda's state-owned New Vision paper that the lightning struck at about 1630 local time (1330 GMT) as pupils were in their classrooms waiting for a downpour to subside before going home.

 

Ms Nabakooba said some of the more seriously injured pupils had been taken to Mulago Hospital in the capital, Kampala, more than 200km (125 miles) to the south-east.

 

A natural resource management specialist at Uganda's National Forestry Authority (UNFA), Marx Kabi, said the felling of trees was another major cause of lightning strikes.

 

"People have cut down trees, which used to absorb or provide a channel for the transmission of lightning. Most areas are now just covered with shrubs," he said.

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13963361

 

30 June 2011 Last updated at 01:07 GMT

 

Los Alamos fire: More firefighters deployed in New Mexico

 

Hundreds more firefighters have been deployed to battle a wildfire near a top US nuclear weapons research lab in New Mexico amid concerns the blaze could reach radioactive waste.

 

Nearby residents have expressed concern about potential contamination if flames reach barrels stored outside.

 

But officials are confident the fire will not reach the drums and they say dangerous materials are safely stored.

 

The town outside Los Alamos National Laboratory was evacuated on Monday.

 

The laboratory has been closed since then and is not expected to open until Friday at the earliest, officials said.

 

The Las Conchas fire has now burned 110 sq miles (284.9 sq km), fuelled by dry timber and powered by strong winds. Smoke from the blaze can be seen as far away as Albuquerque 60 miles (100km) away.

 

"Everything is just so dry and ready to burn," Los Alamos County Fire Chief Doug Tucker told the Associated Press news agency.

 

"We need some rain. Snow would be nice," added Mr Tucker, whose department is responsible for protecting the lab.

 

On Wednesday, there were expected to be between 600 to 800 firefighters tackling the blaze, an official told the Albuquerque Journal, adding that the number could climb as high as 1,000.

 

Air National Guard members from Colorado, California and North Carolina have also flown in to help local crews battle the fire near the lab, which remains closed to all but essential staff.

 

The Environmental Protection Agency has deployed air monitors and aircraft that can monitor radiation levels, amid fears the blaze could reach a cache of 30,000 drums, each containing 55 gallons (208 litres) of plutonium-contaminated waste.

 

Fire managers said foam could be sprayed on the barrels containing the radioactive materials to ensure they were not damaged by fire, a procedure which would only be carried out as a last resort.

 

Nearing the lab

 

On Monday, the fire saw the evacuation of the town of Los Alamos, which has a population of roughly 12,000.

 

The facility, which opened during World War II, led the development of the atomic bomb.

 

On Tuesday evening, the wildfire was just across the road from the southern edge of the Los Alamos lab, roughly 50ft (15m) from the site's grounds.

 

The laboratory employs about 15,000 people, sprawls more than 36 square miles (93 sq km) and includes about 2,000 buildings over about four dozen sites.

 

The wildfire has destroyed 30 structures south and west of Los Alamos.

 

The south-western US has been stricken by giant wildfires this year, with millions of acres scorched in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.

 

To the west of New Mexico, the largest wildfire in the history of the state of Arizona has been burning for nearly a month.

 

 

German ZDFtext: A magnitude 5.5 earthquake in Japan on 30.6. No reports of casualties of substantial damage.

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 2 JULY 2011

 

From Danish text-TV on channel DR1:

 

DENMARK SENDS AID TO HUNGER VICTIMS IN AFRICA

 

So far, 2011 is the year with the smallest amount of rain on Africa's Horn since 1995. In particular DJIBOUTI, northern KENYA, the southern and south-eastern ETIOPIA and large parts of SOMALIA are affected. Therefore, Denmark has decided to send the equivalent of 63 million Danish kroner in emergency aid / relief to victims of drought and hunger.

 

The drought has affected almost 9 million people, and a new hunger disaster is feared if we do not help with massive humanitarian aid. The total need for emergency relief in the region is 1.3 billion dollar.

 

 

From text-TV on German channel 2 / ZDFtext:

 

WILDFIRES IN US NUCLEAR LABORATORY MAINLY UNDER CONTROL

 

About 1,200 firefighters have been deployed in the fight against wildfires near the US nuclear laboratory Los Alamos in New Mexico.

 

Despite further spreading of the fire the situation is under control. 6 days after the closure of the US laboratory and the evacuation of Los Alamos, the authorities prepare the return of 12,000 inhabitants to their houses.

 

The fire has so far devastated an area of 420 km2 and is thus the most devastating fire ever in New Mexico.

 

The first atomic bomb was developed in that nuclear laboratory.

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

From Swedish text-TV / SVT and from German text-TV / ZDFtext:

 

AT LEAST 11 PEOPLE DIED IN MEXICO DUE TO BAD WEATHER IN CONNECTION WITH TROPICAL STORM "ARLENE"

 

At least 11 died after the tropical storm ARLENE visited Mexico making landfall along the Mexican Gulf last Thursday bringing lots of rain. The affected area had not recovered from last year's bad weather. The storm was accompanied by MASSIVE CLOUDBURSTS that submerged parts of the country in MASSIVE CLOUDBURSTS.

 

FLOODS and LANDSLIDES were triggered by Arlene in many parts of Mexico.

 

278,000 people have become homeless or are otherwise affected. - In the central state of HIDALGO 5 people died.

 

In the capital - Mexico City - a child was killed by a fatal surge (electricity) in a flooded area.

 

Arlene is the first named storm in the Atlantic hurricane season which is normally from June to November.

 

 

From German text-TV / ZDFtext: HUNDRED BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL RUNNING INTO YELLOWSTONE RIVER IN MONTANA, USA

 

This situation has been caused by a leak in a pipeline in Montana. The pipeline has been closed in order to fix the damage. It is unclear how much crude oil ran into the river. The damage was discovered Friday according to the operator - ExxonMobil.

 

Yellowstone River is one of the most beautiful rivers in western USA, and it floats through Yellowstone National Park which is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage.

 

 

All Danish media plus Swedish text-TV / SVT: DENMARK'S CAPITAL COPENHAGEN DROWNED IN GIGANTIC CLOUDBURST SATURDAY EVENING

 

2,000 strokes of lightning in the Copenhagen & suburb area. A total of 5,000 strokes of lightning in all of Denmark Saturday.

 

Many roadways, viaducts, tunnels and cellars under water.

 

Telephone network was down in some areas as an exchange was struck by lightning. The emergency phones for the elderly didn't function - the normal emergency number to the police (114, if not very critical / urgent) was not working.

 

Luckily service number 112 for urgent / very critical emergencies worked.

 

Many trains were cancelled - rerouting of busses to avoid flooded areas - but here Sunday afternoon things are getting back to normal - BUT new cloudburst has been forecast.

 

Problems for those at the ROSKILDE FESTIVAL. The special trains intended to bring the festival participants from the festival to Roskilde station have been cancelled. So chaos is to be expected.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14007181

 

3 July 2011 Last updated at 14:53 GMT

 

Ethiopia drought: UK pledges £38m in food aid

 

The UK has pledged £38m ($61m) in food aid to drought-hit Ethiopia - enough to feed 1.3m people for three months.

 

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said the World Food Programme cash would also treat 329,000 malnourished children and mothers.

 

The African country faces its worst drought for a decade with an estimated 3.2m people in need of emergency aid.

 

The UN has called for international aid across the Horn of Africa where 10 million people are affected.

 

Some areas have suffered the worst drought in 60 years and the UN now classifies large areas of Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya as in a crisis or an emergency.

 

Mr Mitchell warned that other countries across the world must give money if a full-scale disaster was to be avoided.

 

Failed crops

 

"Through no fault of its own, the Horn of Africa is experiencing a severe drought caused by the failed rains," he said.

 

"Britain is acting quickly and decisively in Ethiopia to stop this crisis becoming a catastrophe. We will provide vital food to help 1.3 million people through the next three months.

 

"This situation needs an international response and Britain is calling on the international community to provide fast, effective relief."

 

Oxfam welcomed the announcement and said the money could not come soon enough.

 

Humanitarian director Jane Cocking said: "There are already critical and life-threatening food shortages in Ethiopia and across the Horn of Africa region.

 

"Two successive poor rains have left millions of people struggling to get food as hundreds of thousands of livestock have died and crops have failed.

 

"Other donors now need to follow suit and increase funding before it is too late."

 

'Emergency situation'

 

UN humanitarian affairs chief, Baroness Amos, urged the world's nations to channel aid to the Horn of Africa where she said agencies were seeing more and more malnourished children and adults.

 

"In the drought-affected areas we now have 10 million people who are affected," she told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme.

 

"In Somalia the numbers have now gone up to 2.5 million people. So we are talking about an extremely serious situation.

 

"I think as a world community we have recognised that when people are in this kind of desperate emergency situation that you have to be neutral and you have to be impartial in the way that you help people."

 

Mr Mitchell urged the Ethiopian government to provide the latest estimates of those affected - particularly in the south - so that aid agencies could target their relief.

 

"For the response to be effective, we need the most up-to-date, accurate information on the level of need in Ethiopia," he said.

 

"The country has made great strides in many areas over the past 30 years and this emergency relief will help to ensure that these gains are not eroded."

 

-----

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14006571

 

3 July 2011 Last updated at 11:45 GMT

 

Floods at China mines trap '40'

 

Rescuers in southern China are trying to reach more than 40 workers in two coal mines after one pit was flooded and the other caved in.

 

They are venting explosive gas and pumping water from a mine in Guangxi region, where three miners died.

 

Flooding has continued to hamper rescue work at the other mine in the neighbouring province of Guizhou.

 

China's mines are the world's deadliest; more than 2,600 miners died in accidents in 2009 alone.

 

Heavy rain was said to have caused the latest accidents.

 

Slow progress

 

Emergency workers said water continued to rise inside the Niupeng mine in Pingtang County in Guizhou, Xinhua news agency reported.

 

The accident there happened on Saturday morning, after which the coal mine officials confirmed 21 workers had been trapped. However, two more were declared missing a day later, Xinhua said.

 

At the other mine in Guangxi, rescuers are digging into the shaft to reach 19 miners believed to be 390m (1,200 feet) under the ground.

 

Xinhua said progress appeared to be slow, due to the build-up of explosive gas and flooding.

 

China Central Television broadcast an interview with a miner who said he heard a loud explosion before the cave-in, which was believed to have killed the three miners.

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

 

German text-TV / ZDFtext: EU: FAMINE IN NORTH KOREA IS DRAMATIC - FOOD AID PLEDGES

 

The EU Commission has pledged FOOD AID at 10 million Euro for North Korea as this country experiences a dramatic famine. In June, the state's food rations were reduced to 150g per person per day - and that is less than one fifth - 1/5 - of a person's needs for calories per day. 2/3 - two thirds - of the population is dependent on the state's rations.

 

The EU aid is aimed at about 650,000 people who are at risk of dying due to the serious / grave shortage / lack of food.

 

 

Swedish text-TV / SVT Text: POISONOUS GASES AFTER MINING ACCIDENT IN CHINA

 

A mine collapsed in South China following a gigantic cloudburst. 49 miners managed to get out, but 19 miners are trapped inside the mine. Attempts to save the trapped miners in Heshan in the Guangxi region had to stop due to a too high CO level. This was reported by state-run media in China. 3 dead bodies have been recovered. Early Monday morning, poisonous gases were measured at the mine.

 

Last year, more than 2,400 miners died in mine accidents in China.

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

 

German text-TV / ZDFtext: FLOODING HAMPERS THE FIGHT AGAINST THE OIL POLLUTION IN YELLOWSTONE RIVER

 

The fight against oil pollution in the popular Yellowstone River in Montana has been hampered due to high water / flood.

 

The "very strong current" makes it partly impossible for the helpers to work at some stretches of the river, ExxonMobil - the operator of the damaged pipeline - reported.

 

Up to 1,000 barrels of crude oil ran out of the pipeline / leaked into Yellowstone River which rises in the US state of Wyoming and floats through the Yellowstone National Park into Montana in the North.

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 6.7.11

 

OXFAM sends aid to East Africa / Somalia and Coldplay asks via Flitter their fans to do the same.

 

 

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam_in_action/emergencies/east-africa-drought-2011.html?intcmp=hp_hero_eastafrica-noscript_040711

 

Large parts of East Africa are facing the world's worst food crisis. Oxfam is appealing for £50 million – our largest ever appeal for Africa.

 

Oxfam has launched a £50m appeal in response to the terrible food crisis in East Africa - please donate if you can at http://t.co/O2TXluL

 

 

From Danish text-TV: The EU CONSIDERS SENDING ADDITIONAL 175 MILLION EURO IN AID TO SOMALIA.

 

The EU has already earmarked 212 million Euro to Somalia covering the periode from 2008 to 2013.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/

 

Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab lifts a ban on foreign food aid to help curb the worst drought in 60 years - a move welcomed by the UN.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14046267

 

6 July 2011 Last updated at 14:26 GMT

 

Somalia Islamists lift aid ban to help drought victims

 

Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab has lifted a ban on foreign aid agencies, as the region is hit by its worst drought in 60 years.

 

Al-Shabab imposed the ban in 2009, accusing them of being anti-Muslim.

 

It now says all charities, whether "Muslims or non-Muslims", can give emergency aid as long as they have "no hidden agenda".

 

The UN told the BBC it welcomed al-Shabab's announcement, but it would need security guarantees for its staff.

 

"I welcome all efforts to ensure the people of Somalia can access the assistance which they have a right to," the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

 

About a quarter of Somalis have been displaced by the drought, with many fleeing to neighbouring countries.

 

Embarrassed

 

An al-Shabab spokesman, Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, said the group had formed a committee to deal with the drought and aid agencies would have to liaise with it.

 

UN official

 

"Whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims, [if] their intention is only to assist those suffering, they can contact the committee which will give them access to the drought-hit areas," Mr Rage said at a press conference in the capital, Mogadishu.

 

"Anyone with no hidden agenda will be assisted... and those who intend to harm our people will be prevented to do so," he said.

 

Analysts say the move may have been prompted by the embarrassment al-Shabab feels about the exodus of Somalis leaving areas they control in search of food.

 

An estimated 12 million people in the Horn of Africa have been hit by this year's drought.

 

Its effects have been compounded by the violence in Somalia, which has been racked by constant war for more than 20 years - its last functioning national government was toppled in 1991.

 

'Tax worries'

 

In north-east Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp, some 1,400 refugees from Somalia are arriving every day. Aid agencies fear numbers could rise to half a million.

 

UN officials say more than 50% of Somali children arriving in neighbouring Ethiopia are malnourished - with some of them dying on their way to or within a day of arrival at refugee camps.

 

Mr Bowden said al-Shabab's decision to lift the ban could stem the flow of refugees, and reduce deaths.

 

"When people decide to move they suffer even higher rates of mortality," he said.

 

"If we can stop that situation and give people the food security they need to stay in Somalia we are going save more lives."

 

He said that he hoped al-Shabab would not demand payment in the form of a tax from aid agencies to operate in territory under its control.

 

"In the past, they honoured commitments and provided security for the agencies working there," Mr Bowden said.

 

"I hope they recognise that humanitarian agencies are going in only to meet the needs of the population."

 

Al-Shabab rules over large swathes of south and central Somalia.

 

It is fighting for Islamic rule in Somalia, and warned aid agencies in 2009 not to work with the weak central government, which only controls parts of the capital.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/exxon-mobil-yellowstone-oil-spreads-15-miles.html

 

Exxon Mobil Yellowstone Oil Spreads 15 Miles

 

posted by Jake Richardson Jul 6, 2011 7:01 am

 

Exxon Mobil has admitted the Yellowstone oil spill they said had been contained to just ten miles, has now spread to at least fifteen miles from the source of the leak. Cleanup efforts of the estimated 42,000 gallons of oil have been ongoing. Such an outpouring of crude oil is not at all sitting well in Montana, where residents are known for having a deep, if not fierce, love of the land. (In Texas where oil derricks are common, perhaps the reaction would be different.) Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said, “We’ll make the decision over the next couple of days whether to shut off some pipelines. The last thing I want is for another pipeline to break.” (Source: LATimes.com)

 

Governor Schweitzer is trying to lead on energy issues in his state, and actually said this about Big Oil, “There’s enough money in big oil to buy Congress for years into the future.” (Source: theoildrum.com)

 

Exxon Mobil Pipeline Co. President Gary Pruessing seemed to actually partly blame the Yellowstone River for the spill effects, “The river is well over its banks, very turbulent. I’ve never seen the river like this in my life.” Official word from Exxon Mobil doesn’t appear to be the most credible source of information, considering the huge oil company has been a consistent funder of research saying climate change is not happening due to human activities. Also, Exxon Mobil was just ordered to pay $1.5 billion dollars for a 2006 gasoline leak in Maryland.

 

It has been speculated that the leak was caused by debris from the extra river water damaging the pipeline, but why is the pipeline even located in a place where such damage could take place? The pipeline was buried below the river six to thirteen feet deep. How about not building oil pipelines in rivers, so they don’t release toxic crude oil into aquatic habitats and threaten the lives of many species of animals and plants? Exxon Mobil turned off one of the pipelines, but still doesn’t know where the leak began.

 

“I think regulators really need to be evaluating areas where we can’t afford to have spills and creating, you know, a level of oversight and safety in those areas,” explained Anthony Swift from the Natural Resources Defense Council. (Source: LATimes.com)

 

The current oil leak started near Laurel, Montana where there is an oil refinery. About 6,700 people live in the small town that also has a large rail yard.

From the Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende on 7.7.11 / Ritzau / Reuters

 

POWERFUL MAGNITUDE 7.9 EARTHQUAKE OFF NEW ZEALAND

 

A powerful magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck off the Kermadec islands north-east of New Zealand - so USGS, The US Geological Survey. The quake occurred at 9pm central European time and triggered a tsunami warning for the Kermadec islands, New Zealand and Tonga.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/huge-dust-storm-hits-phoenix-videos.html

 

 

Huge Dust Storm Hits Phoenix (Videos)

 

posted by Jake Richardson Jul 7, 2011 2:07 pm

 

 

An enormous wall of dust covered parts of Phoenix, AZ causing some loss of power and delayed flights. The dust wall was reported to be sixty miles wide. Visibility in such conditions is sometimes so poor it might be dangerous to drive.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W4Cx44XKZ4&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - ‪Phoenix Dust Storm: Video of Doomsday Scenes in Arizona‬‏[/ame]

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdDr8l3n1H0&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - ‪Dust Storm Phoenix 2011‬‏[/ame]

 

 

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/huge-dust-storm-hits-phoenix-videos.html#ixzz1RYP6fhAa

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 8+9 JULY 2011

 

Friday, Mimi Jakobsen - the secretary-general of Save the Children, Denmark - visited the largest refugee camp in the world - Dadaab - in northern Kenya on the border to Somalia.

 

"One year ago, 30-40 children came to this refugee camp each month. Now 800 children come here EACH DAY. This illustrates how desperate the situation has become. The consequences of the drought in East Africa are overwhelming.

 

It is estimated that more than 380,000 people are in this area - mainly women with children from SOMALIA. The number of children alone amounts to 200,000".

 

(Danish text-TV on DR1 and TV2 News)

 

 

EVACUATION AT THE BOTTOM OF ICELANDIC GLACIER MYRDALSJÖKULL

 

The volcano Katla in south Island might be erupting very soon: Enormous amounts of melting water ran out of Myrdalsjökull.

 

Experts do not expect a major eruption, but RED CROSS has evacuated around 200 of those living in the area as well as the tourists.

 

A bridge was carried away by the melting water, and parts of a ring road / circular road were destroyed.

 

According to volcanologists the floods may be triggered by geothermal warmth, and the water has been underneath the glacier for a longer period of time before it ran out.

 

(Text-TV on Swedish SVT)

 

 

RADIOACTIVE CESIUM IN JAPANESE COWS

 

More than 6 times the allowed levels of radioactive cesium has been discovered in meat from cattle close to the nuclear power plant Fukushima when the plant was partially destroyed by the natural disasters on 11 March 2011. This was reported by the Japanese authorities today.

 

The examined meat originates from 1 of 11 cows transported to Tokyo from the town Minamisoma which is situated in the same region as the nuclear power plant.

 

All the cows contain high levels of from 1,530 to 3,200 becquerel radioactive cesium per kilo.

 

That is way above the limit set by the authorities which is 500 becquerel per kilo.

 

Text-TV on TV2 News plus DR1

NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

NEW POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN - MAGNITUDE 7.1 - OFF HONSHU

 

Early Sunday morning, a new powerful earthquake measured at magnitude 7.1 struck the north-eastern Japan. So the US Geological Survey / USGS reports. Initially, the earthquake was measured at 7.3.

 

The quake occurred in the same area that was hit in March by the powerful, magnitude 9.0 quake and ensuing devastating tsunami. So Japan's Meteorological Institute reports. The quake occurred at 3am in the sea at 10 km depth off Japan's main island HONSHU.

 

The workers at the quake-hit Fukushima plant were evacuated after the issue of a tsunami alert following the quake. The alert was later lifted again.

 

According to the Japanese TV broadcaster, NHK, there were no reports - early Sunday morning - of any damage or casualties in connection with the latest quake.

 

Sources: Text-TVs - Swedish SVT, Danish DR1 + TV2 News

 

 

 

10 July 2011 Last updated at 03:25 GMT

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14096707

 

Earthquake off Japan triggers tsunami alert

 

A strong earthquake has jolted north-east Japan, the same area that was devastated four months ago.

 

It triggered a small tsunami in Iwate prefecture, measuring 10cm (4in).

 

Workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plant were evacuated as a precaution, after a tsunami alert was issued, and residents were warned to head for high ground.

 

But there are no reports of damage or injury so far, and the alert now has been lifted.

 

The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale, and hit at 0957 local time (0057 GMT).

 

The US Geological Survey estimated its depth at 10km (6.2 miles), with the epicentre in the same general area as the massive quake on 11 March. That was the strongest in Japanese history, with a 9.0-magnitude, and killed more than 14,000 people in combination with an overwhelming tsunami.

 

Initially the Japanese Meteorological Agency warned of a 50cm (20in) tsunami across Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures in the latest quake.

 

It turned out to be barely perceptible along most of the coast.

 

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company, reported no fresh problems there.

 

Airports in the area are reported to be functioning normally.

 

Japan is one of the world's most seismically active countries. Dozens of strong aftershocks have been felt since the disaster in March.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14096163

 

9 July 2011 Last updated at 21:38 GMT

 

UN refugee chief calls for drought aid inside Somalia

 

The head of the United Nations refugee agency, Antonio Guterres, says he wants aid agencies to go into Somalia to help drought victims.

 

In a BBC interview, Mr Guterres said the UN was negotiating to overcome security obstacles.

 

Delivering aid would involve deals with local groups including al-Shabab, which is listed by the US as "terrorist".

 

Somalia is worst hit in a drought affecting around 10 million people in four countries of the Horn of Africa.

 

Thousands of Somalis have trekked to neighbouring Ethiopia or Kenya to reach help, but many others are trapped inside the country by conflict, said Mr Guterres.

 

"We are absolutely sure that the level of suffering of the Somali people at the present moment is absolutely appalling, and that is why we have been insisting that we should do everything at the level of international community with all the actors involved in the conflict, to make it possible to deliver massive humanitarian assistance inside Somalia," Mr Guterres told the BBC World Service Newshour programme.

 

"There are very severe obstacles and links to security that need to be removed, but I think it is essential to move in that direction."

 

Mr Guterres said that the UN was negotiating the delivery of aid in areas of Somalia controlled by militant Islamist group al-Shabab.

 

"The UN mission in Somalia is dealing with that, and trying to find a clear answer to the conditions that are necessary for assistance to be delivered in the areas controlled by the group.

 

'Desperate and vulnerable'

 

"There are other areas in Somalia controlled by other actors, and so I think it is perfectly possible - at least in part of the territory - to extend assistance inside the country."

 

Some de facto camps have already started forming inside Somalia, according to the aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres. One camp holds around 5,000 people.

 

The aid agency can provide medical help, but has no food to give them.

 

Joe Belliveau of MSF told the BBC the development of camps inside Somalia was a "most desperate and vulnerable moment".

 

MSF is one of a few aid agencies still managing to operate in those areas of Somalia controlled by al-Shabab.

 

Mr Belliveau said the recent statement by the militant group lifting its ban on aid agencies working in areas it controls was welcome, but so far it had made no difference on the ground.

 

American law prohibits agencies in its jurisdiction from providing aid that might help sustain what it defines as terrorist groups, such as al-Shabab.

HUMANITARIAN DISASTER IN EAST AFRICA

 

The United Nations describes the extreme drought in East Africa as a humanitarian disaster the proportions of which cannot be estimated / foreseen.

 

Hundred thousands of people have fled their region in SOMALIA, ETHIOPIA, DJIBOUTI and KENYA. Each day about 1,500 more people arrive to the refugee camps in mainly north-east KENYA.

 

A camp designed for 90,000 refugees are currently housing 380,000 refugees - according to UN's refugee organization - and more refugees are waiting outside the camp.

 

Relief organizations try to transport as much food and watter as they can, but the aid is insufficient.

 

 

From Swedish text-TV - SVT text

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14060545

 

8 July 2011 Last updated at 13:09 GMT

 

East Africa drought: DEC appeals for funds Advertisement

 

A group of UK aid agencies has launched a joint fund-raising appeal to help more than 10 million people affected by severe drought in the Horn of Africa.

 

Thousands of families in desperate need of food and water have trekked for days from Somalia to the Dadaab refugee camp in eastern Kenya.

 

The drought is the worst in East Africa for 60 years and the UN described it as a "humanitarian emergency".

 

A Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal will be broadcast by the BBC.

 

Comedian Lenny Henry will front the BBC TV appeal while broadcaster Kate Adie will voice the radio version.

 

The British public donated more than £1m to individual charities even before the DEC appeal was launched.

 

Save the Children had received £560,000, Oxfam £277,000 and the Red Cross £150,000.

 

DEC chief executive Brendan Gormley said thousands of destitute people were on the move into Kenya and Ethiopia.

 

More than 1,300 people a day were arriving in the Dadaab camp, already thought to be the world's largest with a population of 350,000.

 

A similar number are crossing into ETHIOPIA.

 

Many of those reaching the camps are severely malnourished children, some of whom have died soon after arriving.

 

'Preventing tragedy'

 

Mr Gormley said: "Slowly but surely, these people have seen their lives fall apart - crops, livestock and now their homes have been taken by the drought," .

 

"They've been left with no alternative but to seek shelter and life-saving help elsewhere.

 

"We have a duty to help quickly before the situation spirals out of control."

 

The UK has pledged £38m ($61m) in food aid to drought-hit Ethiopia - enough to feed 1.3 million people for three months.

 

The DEC appeal will help people in KENYA, SOMALIA, ETHIOPIA and SOUTH SUDAN, which will officially separate from the Republic of Sudan on 9 July.

 

Mr Gormley said: "Of course these people need a long-term solution with investment and political will - but right now it's about preventing a tragedy."

 

Aid agencies, including the Kenyan Red Cross, the Somali Red Crescent and Action Aid, are being helped by local groups to access remote areas with food, water and medical treatment.

 

UK International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell welcomed the appeal launch.

 

He said: "Through no fault of its own, the Horn of Africa is experiencing a severe drought caused by the failed rains.

 

"The British government is already providing vital food to help 1.3 million people - but more needs to be done and we are lobbying other governments to do their bit.

 

"We welcome the DEC appeal to help the 10 million men, women and children caught up in the crisis.

 

"British charities and organisations are on the ground and ready to help, but need this additional support to get emergency supplies to those in desperate need."

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14098646

 

10 July 2011 Last updated at 12:05 GMT

 

Somalis escaping the drought flee to the capital By Martin Plaut

 

Africa editor, BBC World Service

 

Somalis are fleeing the region's worsening drought by going to the capital, Mogadishu, even though it is severely damaged by years of fighting.

 

The government says around 1,500 people arrive in the city every day, but they have little aid to offer them.

 

Ordinary people are providing what help they can, for families sheltered in the ruins of former government buildings.

 

SOMALIA is at the centre of a drought affecting around 10 million people in four countries in the Horn of Africa.

 

There are daily deaths in Mogadishu, with eight people dying overnight in just one area.

 

The rains have begun and with temperature dropping, children and the elderly are becoming ill.

 

Islamist militants of al-Shabab, who control much of the country except for the capital, have established a camp outside Mogadishu for drought victims. But they are discouraging people from crossing into government held areas, or leaving for camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.

 

There, international organisations have set up tents, food stores and clinics.

 

It is not clear why al-Shabab are doing this, but local leaders of civic organisations coping with the drought say the militants are using radio broadcasts to restrict people's movements.

 

Abdullahi Shirwa told the BBC: "They [al-Shabab] are saying over the radio that you cannot go to either Kenya nor to Mogadishu.

 

The head of the United Nations refugee agency, Antonio Guterres, says he wants aid agencies to go into Somalia to help drought victims, if obstacles of security can be overcome.

 

Delivering aid to many areas would involve deals with al-Shabab, which is listed by the US as "terrorist".

 

"There are very severe obstacles and links to security that need to be removed, but I think it is essential to move in that direction," Mr Guterres said.

KENYA PRESSED TO HELP HUNGER REFUGEES

 

More and more desperate cries for help come from refugees and relief organizations in East Africa which is hit by the worst drought in 60 years.

 

Many of the weakest come from worst-hit South Somalia.

 

The drought has forced ten thousands of people to flee their homes. Refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia have been overcrowded for a long time.

 

Relief organizations warn that soon they cannot handle the situation unless they receive more help from the international community.

 

DADAAB in Kenya is the world's largest refugee camp with more than 370,000 people gathered in the camp which was designed for 90,000!!

 

UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - and several other players try to make KENYA finish part II of the refugee camp which is to house 40,000 people.

 

KENYA has been reluctant to open it because Kenya fears that the refugees would not leave Kenya again - according to BBC.

 

KENYA is also hard hit by the drought.

 

Source: Swedish text-TV: SVT text

 

 

GERMANY SENDS 1 MILLION EURO FOR REFUGEES

 

Inspired by the catastrophic drought and famine in the HORN of AFRICA, Germany spends one million EURO on the largest refugee camp in the world - DADAAB in Kenya.

 

Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that after having had a meeting with Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki in Nairobi.

 

Source: Text-TV on German ZDF / ZDFtext

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14144893

 

Horn of Africa drought: Kenya row over Somali refugees

 

A row has broken out in Kenya's government over the huge influx of Somalis fleeing the region's worst drought in 60 years.

 

About 370,000 Somalis are at an over-crowded camp and the government is divided over opening a second camp.

 

One minister said a new camp would encourage more Somalis to cross the border.

 

Another minister, however, said he was "embarrassed" that Kenya was refusing to give more help to refugees.

 

On Monday, UN refugee agency chief Antonio Guterres held talks with Kenya's Internal Security Minister George Saitoti to appeal to him to open the Ifo II camp, which is near completion.

 

It has room for up to 40,000 people and would ease over-crowding at the Dadaab camp, near the Somalia border, Mr Guterres said.

 

Aid workers say conditions at the Dadaab camp - which is made up of three settlements - are desperate, as about 370,000 people are crammed into an area set up for 90,000 people.

 

'Security threat'

 

On Wednesday, Kenya's Assistant Internal Security Minister Orwah Ojodeh told the BBC a new camp would not be a solution to the hunger crisis.

 

Instead, food relief should be provided inside Somalia as hunger not insecurity was the reason most refugees were heading for Kenya, he said.

 

But Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang said he was embarrassed that the government was refusing to open the Ifo II camp.

 

This was despite the fact that the UN had given Kenya tens of thousands of dollars for the camp, he said.

 

Mr Kajwang blamed the failure to open the camp on security chiefs and officials in President Mwai Kibaki's office.

 

"The problem is that our provincial administration [officials based in Mr Kibaki's office] and our security officers look at the huge influx as a threat to national security," he said.

 

"On the other hand, we see it as a crisis that must be managed. It is our responsibility under international law and our own law."

 

Mark Bowden, the UN humanitarian affairs co-ordinator for Somalia, told the BBC that Somalia was not yet facing a famine, but was "close" to one.

 

"The next few months are critical," he said.

 

'Breadbasket'

 

The BBC's Will Ross in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, says the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is exploring every possibility to increasing its presence in Somalia.

 

However, the WFP says it will not be able to return to areas controlled by the militant Islamist group al-Shabab unless it receives security guarantees.

 

Last week al-Shabab said it was lifting its ban on foreign aid agencies, provided they did not show a "hidden agenda".

 

Our reporter says there is clearly a desperate need for more food distribution in Somalia.

 

The International Committee of the RED CROSS is reporting a dramatic rise in malnutrition rates even in the part of Somalia normally considered to be the breadbasket of the country, our reporter says.

 

Somalia's Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali told the BBC a refugee camp has opened in the capital, Mogadishu.

 

The government had set aside money to help drought victims, but it had "meagre" resources.

 

"We are appealing to the international community to take the matter seriously and to act quickly to save as many lives as we can," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

 

Some 10 million people are said to be affected by the Horn of Africa's worst drought in 60 years.

 

SOMALIA, wracked by 20 years of conflict, is worst affected and some 3,000 people flee each day for neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya which are struggling to cope.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14159182

 

14 July 2011 Last updated at 19:14 GMT

 

Horn of Africa drought: Kenya to open Ifo II camp

 

Kenya has agreed to open a new refugee camp near its border with Somalia, as thousands of people flee the region's worst drought in 60 years.

 

Prime Minister Raila Odinga said the Ifo II camp, which can fit up to 80,000 people, would open within 10 days.

 

Some government ministers had feared opening the camp would encourage more Somalis to cross the border.

 

Announcing the move, Mr Odinga said: "Although we consider our own security, we can't turn away the refugees."

 

Mr Odinga had earlier visited the nearby Dadaab refugee camp, where he said the situation was unacceptable.

 

Aid workers say conditions at the camp - which is made up of three settlements - are desperate. About 370,000 people are crammed into an area set up for 90,000 people, they say.

 

Government 'victim not accused'

 

But the prime minister rejected criticism that Kenya should have opened Ifo II earlier. He said Kenya had lived with the refugee crisis for 20 years and had been asking the international community for help all that time.

 

"They are only now responding when they see people are dying. The international community is always very later in acting. So the Kenyan government is a victim, not the accused."

 

Mr Odinga said Kenya would not take responsibility for the logistics of opening the Ifo II camp.

 

"It's up to the UNHCR [united Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] to work on the modalities and how they can move into Ifo II," Mr Odinga said.

 

The UNHCR had been urging Kenya to open the camp for the past two years but the government stopped work on it earlier this year, citing security concerns as one of the reasons.

 

UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres on Monday held talks with Kenya's Internal Security Minister George Saitoti to appeal to him to open the camp.

 

The BBC's Kevin Mwachiro says the announcement the camp will open could not come at a better time. He says more than 1,300 refugees are crossing into Kenya from war-torn Somalia every day.

 

'Security threat'

 

On Wednesday, Kenya's Assistant Internal Security Minister Orwah Ojodeh told the BBC a new camp would not be a solution to the hunger crisis.

 

Instead, food relief should be provided inside Somalia as hunger, not insecurity, was the reason most refugees were heading for Kenya, he said.

 

But Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang said he was embarrassed that the government was refusing open the Ifo II camp.

 

This was despite the fact that the UN had given Kenya tens of thousands of dollars for the camp, he said.

 

Mr Kajwang blamed the failure to open the camp on security chiefs and officials in President Mwai Kibaki's office.

 

"The problem is that our provincial administration [officials based in Mr Kibaki's office] and our security officers look at the huge influx as a threat to national security," he said.

 

"On the other hand, we see it as a crisis that must be managed. It is our responsibility under international law and our own law."

 

Mark Bowden, the UN humanitarian affairs co-ordinator for Somalia, told the BBC that Somalia was not yet facing a famine, but was "close" to one. "The next few months are critical," he said.

 

'Breadbasket'

 

The BBC's Will Ross in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, says the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is exploring every possibility to increasing its presence in Somalia.

 

However, the WFP says it will not be able to return to areas controlled by the militant Islamist group al-Shabab unless it receives security guarantees.

 

Last week al-Shabab said it was lifting its ban on foreign aid agencies, provided they did not show a "hidden agenda".

 

Our reporter says there is clearly a desperate need for more food distribution in Somalia.

 

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is reporting a dramatic rise in malnutrition rates even in the part of Somalia normally considered to be the breadbasket of the country, our reporter says.

 

Somalia's Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali told the BBC a refugee camp has opened in the capital, Mogadishu. The government had set aside money to help drought victims, but it had "meagre" resources.

 

"We are appealing to the international community to take the matter seriously and to act quickly to save as many lives as we can," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

 

Some 10 million people are said to be affected by the Horn of Africa's worst drought in 60 years.

 

Somalia, wracked by 20 years of conflict, is worst affected. Some 3,000 people flee each day for neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya which are struggling to cope.