Søndag, 1. januar 2011 kl. 01:07 / icenews

Record breaking December snow in Iceland

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Those in Iceland who say they cannot remember such a snowy December have been proven right by the Icelandic Met Office, which has released details of two records which have been broken in Reykjavík this month.

Yesterday morning the depth of snow was 33 centimetres in Reykjavík and neighbouring municipalities; which is a record. Since records began being kept in 1921 there has never been a 24 hour period in December with more snowfall over the Icelandic capital.

Winter in Reykjavik. Photo by Hlynur Jon Michelsen

Intermittent snow showers continued throughout yesterday, but the Met Office predicts a change in the weather today; with initial snow, followed by sleet and eventually rain.

The forecast is for a warming trend and temperatures above zero in all lowland areas of Iceland on New Year’s Day.

Another record has also been set in the capital region, where snow has laid on the ground uninterrupted since the 26th November — the longest period of early winter snow cover since records began. It is by no means certain yet that the rise in temperatures will last long enough to stop the uninterrupted snow cover record carrying on into January.

In addition to municipal workers being busy ploughing the streets, rescue teams across Iceland have also been busy helping stuck motorists. It was snowing so hard in Reykjavík yesterday morning that some car hire companies were turning potential customers away, advising them to come back when road conditions were better.

Things are no different elsewhere in Iceland; for example in the town of Ólafsvík, on the Snæfellsnes peninsular, where snow ploughers say they have not seen snow like it for many years. Three machines worked for three hours to open the small town’s main streets to traffic, where snow had been laying on the tarmac from 40 centimetres to fully two metres deep.

ICENEWS, 30 December 2011.

Read more: http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2011/12/30/record-breaking-december-snow-in-iceland/#ixzz1iA0S8L2C

Tirsdag, 27. december 2011 kl. 18:10 / syrien og propaganda

Syrien og propagandaen om 'folkedrab'

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Sagen om Mistashar Mahjoub som angiveligt i mandags blev 'skudt' af syriske regeringsstyrker i byen Homs, blev måske ikke skudt ligesom han måske slet ikke eksisterer.

Vestlige medier slugte det råt og spredte det vidt og bredt da Mahjoub fortalte at han var blevet 'skudt', og at Syriens Assad var i gang med et regulært 'folkedrab'.

Mahjoub skulle angiveligt være en udsending fra Den Arabiske Liga, men det benægtes af flere kilder.

Den Arabiske Liga sendte mandag aften en delegation til Syrien for at prøve at mægle imellem de stridende parter, men herfra benægter man at nogen af deres udsendinge skulle være blevet såret.

Søger man på dementier af nyheden, ender man på en del 404-sider som betyder at de er blevet censurerede.

Tirsdag, 20. december 2011 kl. 17:59 / iran, iraq

Iran tjener penge på elektricitet

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Irakiske regeringskilder siger at de netop har indgået kontrakt med det iranske firma Sanir om levering af to gasdrevne elværker til ialt $72m.

De skal når de står færdige inden 14 måneder forøge den nordlige by Kirkuk's elproduktion med 320 megawatt.

Kilderne siger yderligere at der også er indgået kontrakter for $69.8m med Farab og andre iranske firmaer omkring en fordobling af Bagdad's Sadr-elværks kapacitet inden 12 måneder.