Summary of newsmakers from the previous days 1. - 3. 4. 2005

World sugar market in figures

More than 70 per cent from 148 million tons of world production of sugar is made from sugar cane. At present, the European Union produces roughly 20 million tons and consumes 18 million tons of sugar annually. The total world consumption of sugar increased from 118 million tons to 145 million tons between 1995 and 2004. Only 16 per cent of the total world production of sugar is sold at the free world market. The European Union contributes with its 15 per cent to the world export and 5 per cent to the world import. The largest world exporter of sugar is Brasil. Since 1996 Brasil´s share on the world export climbed from 7.1 per cent to 35 per cent.

Ianet Ark: Global warming will endanger fish in the Atlantic

Disturbed circulation of the Atlantic sea currents, which could have been caused by the global warming, will have a crucial impact on many species of fish in this area, reported scientists. Oceanographers predicted that the sea current which takes warm water from the South to the North could weaken or even stop. Arctic icebergs are melting down and the sea water salinity is reducing as a result of the global warming. Disturbed circualtion of sea currents in the Atlantic could lead to a drop in the amount of plankton by more than a half,“ wrote Andreas Schmittner from the Oregon university in the Nature magazine.

The act on renewable resources passed

„I take it as a definite success,“ Libor Ambrozek, the minister of environment, evaluates the act on the support of renewable resources that was passed by the Senate on Thursday. The act will bring modernisation of power engineering, reduce the production of greenhouse gases, lessen the dependence on import of fuels, increase the effective use of agricultural land, which is now lying fallow, and create new jobs. Its key objectives are to form stable and attractive environment for a balanced development of renewable energy resources in the Czech Republic. The act was elaborated by the Ministry of Environment together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Emergency measures due to rabbit fever

A gamekeeper from Bělotínsko district has fallen ill with tularaemia so called rabbit fever. „The gamekeeper, aged over 50 years, got infected during the manipulation with a hunted hare. At the moment, the patient is already receiving out-patient care after the treatment itself. Such a disease has to be treated with antibiothics for two to three weeks,“ said Mirela Vařeková, the head surgeon of the Infectious Diseases department in the hospital in Hranice na Moravě.