Oil prices rise today

From five grams of toothpaste to 10 millilitres of cooking oil, many Nigerians struggling with soaring prices now buy their basic necessities in small quantities packed in tiny plastic bags to be consumed on the same day. Consumer brands behind this "sachetisation of the economy" see it as a creative innovation, allowing consumption for all Nigerians, the majority of whom live on less than $2 a day. But critics see the development as an economic and ecological aberration, even as Africa's largest economy struggles with the inflationary fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine. In the streets of Lagos, the vibrant economic capital of Africa's most populous country, small sachets are now part of the decor: they colour its streets, packing the wood and tin shops found on the corner of most streets. Sitting on a stool, Ibrahim Atahire has been running his small grocery store for 30 years in a busy area of Obalende, a popular district of the megalopolis. "At my place, you can buy … [Read more...] about From coffee to toothpaste, Nigerians buy small as hardships bite

Jumping from rock to rock to rock over a creek formed off Austria's Jamtal glacier, scientist Andrea Fischer worries that precious scientific data will be irreversibly lost as the snow and ice melt faster than ever. "I couldn't have imagined that it would ever melt as dramatically as this summer... Our 'archive' is melting away," says the glaciologist. Fischer -- vice director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences -- has spent more than 20 years surveying Jamtal and four other Alpine glaciers across Austria's highest peaks for the oldest areas of ice. For scientists looking to reconstruct the Earth's climate in the distant past, such ice formations are a unique time capsule stretching back thousands of years. The glaciers contain an invaluable treasure trove of data -- as they grew, the ice encapsulated twigs and leaves, which can now be carbon-dated, Fischer explains. And based on the age of such material and the depth … [Read more...] about Austrian scientists race to reveal melting glaciers’ secrets

The work so far has advanced by 75%, whose elevated section (Nhon – Cau Giay) has been completed by 95%. The Nhon - Hanoi Station metro line is expected to be completed by December 31, 2022, and contractors are requested to halve the construction time of the underground section, originally scheduled for 2027. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and leaders of Hanoi during the visit. Source: VGP Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged to accelerate the metro line construction during a site visit today [August 7]. The Nhon – Hanoi station metro project with financial backing from the French Government, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the European Investment Bank (EIB) has a total length of 12.5 kilometers, running through eight elevated and four underground stations. Prime Minister Chinh and delegations on board a train. A report from the Hanoi Project Management Board of Urban Railway noted the metro line project was launched in … [Read more...] about PM expects Nhon – Hanoi station metro line to be completed by late 2022