Yemen plagued by water shortage

Yemenis waiting to collect water in the capital Sana'a on May 28, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/186547.html

Dearth of water reportedly triggered by fuel shortage and power cuts is taking its toll on the public in Yemen's capital -- already a scene of unbridled regime crackdown on protests.

Truck drivers have started refusing to supply residences in Sana'a with water, complaining of insufficient fuel, Xinhua reported on Monday.

The government, meanwhile, blames the water shortage on power cuts for which it holds alleged obstructionists responsible.

"We can live without electricity but cannot without water," said a local female named Um Mahir.

"There has been no water supply here for weeks and we used to buy water recently. The price of water is triply inflated," said Suad al-Salahi, another woman.

The capital is experiencing a brownout, while power outages there and in many other provinces has seriously damaged or shut down businesses.

In coastal areas some hospital patients have died due to the lack of electricity, reports say.

Fuel scarcity has also triggered long queues at gas stations.

The complications come amid continued popular revolution across the country in favor of an end to corruption and unemployment and the ouster of Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Saleh has been in office for nearly 33 years with opposition groups arguing that his long-promised political and economic reforms have never materialized.

The regime has given the government forces and its mercenary's leeway to use excessive violence against the demonstrators.

Heat wave puts Argentina on high alert

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157707.html


Argentina is in the grip of a sizzling heat wave that has left millions in hellish conditions, while the northern hemisphere fights freezing temperatures.

On Tuesday temperatures soared to 36 C (97 F) in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, creating scenes the total opposite of those in snowbound Europe and the United States.

This, coupled with power outages and a fuel shortage, has forced Argentina's National Meteorological Service to issue a high alert for Buenos Aires and its surrounding areas.

Authorities believe that the heat-wave poses health risk for the Argentineans.

"The city of Buenos Aires has a summer average of 90 deaths per day but, for example, during the heat wave at the beginning of 2001 it went up to 250 deaths in a single day," the weather service warned on its website.

Meanwhile, Argentine Health Minister Juan Manzur announced on Tuesday that high temperatures are expected to continue throughout the week and advised people to stay out of sun and drink lots of water.

The heat-wave has also caused concerns for the country's agriculture sector.

Farmers believe that the hot weather along with the decrease in rainfall could continue until March, endangering grain exports -- one of Argentina's main sources of income.

Adding to the crisis, the climatic phenomenon La Nina has meanwhile spread drought across large parts of Argentina's richest agricultural regions.

The heat wave has also set a "historic record" in electricity consumption across the capital.

This has led to 24-hour-long outages in numerous Buenos Aires neighborhoods and urban districts, frustrating residents and triggering bitter protests in the festive holiday season.

Critics lay the blame squarely on government policies that have deterred investment in the energy sector.