Saturday, January 12, 2008

Heavy Snow Kills Dozens in Asia


Iranian Red Crescent aid workers help motorists stuck in snow on the Zanjan-Qazvin highway northwest of Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2008.

An Afghan walks through snow in the capital city of Kabol (Kabul) on January 5, 2008. At least 34 people have died due to heavy snowfall in the strife-prone country, according to the news agency AFP.

People walk through the snow in northern Istanbul, Turkey, on January 7, 2008.
The capital city of Ankara was beset by snow-caused traffic jams and accidents, according to the Associated Press

China Bans Free Plastic Bags

Declaring war on the "white pollution" choking its cities, farms, and waterways, China is banning free plastic shopping bags and calling for a return to the cloth bags of old—steps largely welcomed by merchants and shoppers on Wednesday.

The measure eliminates the flimsiest bags and forces stores to charge for others, making China the latest nation to target plastic bags in a bid to cut waste and conserve resources.

The ban takes effect June 1, barely two months before Beijing hosts the Summer Olympic Games, ahead of which it has been demolishing run-down neighborhoods and working to clear smog.

The games have added impetus to a number of policies and projects, likely boosting odds for the bag ban's implementation.

Under the new rules, businesses will be prohibited from manufacturing, selling, or using bags less than 0.025 millimeters (0.00098 inches) thick, according to the order issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet.

The council's orders constitute the highest level of administrative regulation and follow-through is carefully monitored.

More durable plastic bags still will be permitted for sale by markets and shops.

The regulation, dated December 31 and posted on a government Web site Tuesday, called for "a return to cloth bags and shopping baskets to reduce the use of plastic bags."

It also urged waste collectors to step up recycling efforts to reduce the amount of bags burned or buried. Finance authorities were told to consider tax measures to discourage plastic bag production and sale.

No significant change

For the past 10 days there's no significant change to temperatures.
Minimum is around 21 degrees and maximum around 29 degrees.
This is going to be the weather till 20-Jan-2007, after that the minimum temperature will go down a bit and the humidity will also go down.
Take a look at the past 5 day humidity chart... it shows sudden rise in humidity during the past 3 days, otherwise it's DRY.

Take a look at the latest satellite pic...
It suggests some showers OR drizzles might creep into south-south-tamilnadu during this weekend.