* Japan - Warns of Quake’s Impact on Trade. Trade surplus in February preceded earthquake
Tokyo,Japan -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Hisane Masaki -Mar 24, 2011: -- Japan's trade balance swung back into the black in February as exports regained momentum, led by shipments to China, according to preliminary figures released by the Finance Ministry on Thursday... However, the ministry warned of possible significant impacts on exports and imports from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeastern part of the country on March 11... Many factories in a wide range of industries have been forced to stop production in the wake of the twin natural disasters... Japan posted a trade surplus of $8.07 billion with the rest of the world in February, up 2.5 percent from the same month of last year and the first surplus in two months... In January, Japan had incurred a trade deficit of $5.87 billion as imports rose at a much faster pace than exports. It was the first time in 22 months that Japan, now the world's third-largest economy after the United States and China, had purchased more from abroad than it had sold abroad... The rise in Japan's overall exports was led by autos, steel and metal processing machinery...
* UK - Cost of chaos should be laid at BAA’s door. It is unlikely that thousands of angry passengers who camped out at Heathrow for days feel dispassionate
London,EN,UK -Daily Mail -March 24, 2011: -- It is thought provoking to consider just how hollow apologies for travel chaos at Heathrow over Christmas would ring if terrorism, rather than snowfall, was to blame. Would the muddled response of BAA – sharply criticised in a report by independent director David Begg – be excusable because bomb attacks are relatively rare and, besides, the bomb was a particularly big one? ... One suspects not. As it is, the airports operator can massage away some of the criticism by pointing out that the snowfall was exceptionally fast.
The occurrence of blizzards in winter in a country just 550 miles from the Arctic Circle was only seen as unusual by Professor Begg when viewed through a statistician’s prism... (SEE VIDEO)
* USA - Fire Delays Flights at Miami International Airport. Fuel tank blaze extinguished with no loss of life
(Video from YouTube, by jbpnw - 24 March 2011)
Miami,FL,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Thomas L. Gallagher -Mar 24, 2011: -- A fuel tank at Miami International Airport caught fire late Wednesday night, erupting into a large blaze... Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said its firefighters extinguished the fire at 1:20 a.m. after nearly two and a half hours... The fuel tank was among others in a fuel depot on the airport perimeter. Losses were not fully known Thursday morning, but no one was injured and fuel availability was reduced approximately 40 percent, according to local reports... Planes were taking off and landing Thursday morning, but some delays were expected...
No comments:
Post a Comment