First freight train service from China to London takes off

China has started its first freight train service to London from Yiwu - this is a famous wholesale market town in the eastern province of Zhejiang. The train will travel for 18 days and cover more than 7,500 miles (12,000km) to reach Britain from China.
It will pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before arriving in London.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 4 January 2017.

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron had wanted to open up trade with China and had pitched for Britain as the pre-eminent gateway to the West for investment from China. He had proposed to make London the main international trading centre for offshore yuan.
The present Prime Minister Theresa May has continued with that trend and has said that the relationship with China remains "golden". She seeks to bring in billions of dollars in Chinese investment as Britain prepares to leave the European Union.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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EU imposes ban on water hyacinth which is Britain's best-loved pond plant

The European Union has imposed ban on water hyacinth which is Britain’s best-loved pond plant because it is hated in Spain and Portugal. This plant has been added to the EU’s Invasive Alien Species Regulations which means it cannot be grown or sold anywhere within the EU.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 31 July 2016.

In Britain, the water hyacinth is a favorite of pond owners because it protects fish from predators like herons and kingfishers, it oxygenates water, and prevents algae from clogging ponds. Moreover, it does not seed. It cannot escape into waterways and dies off completely after the first winter frost.
However, in warm climates like that in Spain, Portugal and South Africa, it grows rapidly creating thick floating mats on lakes and affecting water sports, boating and irrigation. Spain and Portugal have already halted sales because lakes are being swamped. They have lobbied for the EU-wide ban because they claim that Britons who own holiday homes might smuggle it in their luggage or cars to plant in their ponds.
Britain has opted for Brexit and while the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs spokesman said it would police the ban, it added that Britain remains subject to EU legislation until it leaves the EU which is still some distance away.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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The influx of migrants from Syria and other countries is creating a major problem for the EU as it tries to cope with this problem. This refugee crisis seems to be rivalling the Balkan wars of the 1990s and is seen as Europe`s worst since World War Two. The European Union appears helpless and unable to cope with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of poor and desperate people.
Hundreds of angry migrants demonstrated outside Budapest`s Eastern Railway Terminus demanding they be allowed to travel on to Germany and the biggest ever influx of migrants into the EU has apparently left its asylum policies in tatters.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 2 September 2015.

In all probability, Germany could accept the largest share.
In the case of people who are fleeing the Syrian civil war, the EU has put on hold the rule that asylum seekers must apply in the first EU country they reach. However, with migrants arriving in trainloads into Munich and Rosenheim from Austria and Hungary, it urged other EU countries to abide by it.
As per the terms of European laws, known as the "Dublin rules", the asylum seekers should apply in the country where they enter the EU and remain there till such time their applications are processed. Unfortunately, 26 members of the bloc do not have any border controls between them. Hence, enforcing the law is difficult.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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#migrants #EuropeanUnion #Frontex #IFRC Elhadj As Sy, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has blamed the indifference of leaders for Europe's biggest migrant crisis since World War II. He has requested the world to "wake up" to the real extent of the problem.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 22 August 2015.

There has been a dramatic rise in the number of migrants and refugees who are pouring into the European Union in recent months and it was predictable and expected. He has said that apathy in Europe was to blame because everyone saw such a situation this coming.
As per statistics of EU border agency Frontex, a record of 107,500 migrants reached the European Union's borders last month. Half of them landed in crisis-hit Greece - nearly 21,000 landed on the overstretched Greek islands last week itself.
Germany expects to receive a record 800,000 asylum seekers this year – this is far in excess of 202,000 requests received last year. Unless checked immediately, this migrant crisis could spiral into chaos because the migrants are fleeing from war in their countries.
The Red Cross chief has also remarked that European countries were among the richest on the planet and were well equipped to deal with the numbers arriving. With checks on known entry points to heck illegal migration, the human traffickers were looking for alternate routes and other entry points.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Tragedy off Libyan coast as migrant boat capsizes, more than 400 presumed dead

#migrantboat #ItalianCoastGuard #SaveTheChildren #EuropeanUnion It was a major tragedy as a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Libya and, as per the survivors of the boat, nearly 400 persons are believed to have met a watery grave. This is what they have told the aid group Save the Children.
It has been reported also in nzherald.co.nz dated 15 April 2015.

The fears have also been expressed by Italy's Coast Guard who have said that given the size of the ship, the number of dead might increase. So far, nine bodies had been found and the coast guard helped to rescue some 144 people. They have also launched an air and sea search operation in the hope of finding others.
These unfortunate deaths would add to the toll on the numbers of migrants lost at sea. As per estimates of the International Organization of Migration, up to 3072 migrants are believed to have died in the Mediterranean in 2014 – in comparison, in 2013, the figure was around 700.
European Union is also worried and as a top migration official has remarked, EU must quickly adapt to the growing numbers of migrants trying to reach its shores. Latest figures indicate that more than 7000 migrants have been plucked from the Mediterranean in the last four days.
These deaths are due to people fleeing from trouble stricken Middle East and mostly belonging to Syria, Iraq, Somalia and neighboring countries.
However, in the opinion of the IOM those estimates could be low because, since the year 2000, more than 22,000 migrants have lost their lives in trying to reach Europe.

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