Satellite data may help further clarify Oder River disaster

ANKARA  Experts detected unusually high concentrations of algae Monday in the Oder River in western Poland in the wake of an ecological disaster there that killed tons of fish and animals. Brockmann Consult GmbH, a Hamburg-based company that develops software and services for the exploitation of environmental data, has processed satellite data at the river calculating chlorophyll concentrations, which serve as indicators of algal blooms. In a statement, it said the satellite carries an optical sensor that can be used to determine water color and infer which color-giving substances are in the water. "In this initial analysis, three selected time periods were examined. The graph shows three profiles of chlorophyll concentrations in the Oder River in late July, early August and mid-August. The yellowish colors indicate the particularly high chlorophyll concentrations," the statement said. It further said that towards the end of July, the concentration of the entire river course was around a medium level, with a minor increase in the southern section of the river around the town of Opode. It emphasized that a spike in chlorophyll concentration was observed near Wroclaw, a city on the river, and that 10-12 days later, the algal bloom had traveled downstream like a wave and expanded over a greater section of the river in early August. "The new results will help to better understand the ongoing toxic prymnesium algal bloom and to narrow down its origin in space and time. For this purpose, aquatic ecological monitoring data and water samples are combined with satellite data, which are also available from the time of the onset of the environmental disaster," the statement said. It is still unknown what tainted Oder, Poland's second-largest river, despite multiple tests on fish and water samples performed by Polish and foreign laboratories. Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.

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China's consumer and factory data miss expectations in July

Employees working on an air-conditioner production line at a Midea factory in Guangzhou, China.

Jade Gao | AFP | Getty Images

BEIJING — China reported data for July that came in well below expectations.

Retail sales grew by 2.7% in July from a year ago, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday. That's well below the 5% growth forecast by a Reuters poll, and down from growth of 3.1% in  June. Within retail sales, catering, furniture and construction-related categories saw declines.

Sales of autos, one of the largest categories by value, rose by 9.7%. The gold, silver and jewelry category saw sales rise the most, up by 22.1%.

Industrial production rose by 3.8%, also missing expectations for 4.6% growth and a drop from the prior month's 3.9% increase.

Fixed asset investment for the first seven months of the year rose by 5.7% from a year ago, missing expectations for 6.2% growth.

Investment into real estate fell at a faster pace in July than June, while investment into manufacturing slowed its pace of growth. Investment into infrastructure rose at a slightly faster pace in July than in June. Fixed asset investment data is only released on a year-to-date basis.

The unemployment rate among China's youth, ages 16 to 24, was a high 19.9%. The unemployment rate across all ages in cities was 5.4%.

"The national economy maintained the momentum of recovery," the statistics bureau said in a statement. But it warned of rising "stagflation risks" globally and said "the foundation for the recovery of the domestic economy is yet to be consolidated."

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Analyst forecasts for July were projected to show a pickup in economic activity from June, as China put the worst of this year's Covid-related lockdowns behind it, especially in the metropolis of Shanghai.

Exports remained robust last month, surging by 18% year-on-year in U.S. dollar terms despite growing concerns of falling global demand. Imports lagged, climbing by just 2.3% in July from a year earlier.

However, China's massive real estate sector has come under renewed pressure this summer. Many homebuyers halted their mortgage payments to protest developer delays in constructing homes, which are typically sold ahead of completion in China.

The deterioration in confidence puts developers' future sales — and an important source of cash flow — at risk.

The potential for a Covid outbreak has remained another drag on sentiment. A surge of infections in tourist destinations, especially the island province of Hainan, stranded tens of thousands of tourists this month.

The local situation reflects the large gap between goals set at the beginning of the year and the ensuing reality. Hainan had set a GDP target of 9%, but was only able to grow by 1.6% in the first six months.

Similarly, at a national level, China's GDP grew by just 2.5% in the first half of the year, running well below the full-year target of around 5.5% set in March.

China's top leaders indicated at a meeting in late July the country might miss its GDP goal for the year. The meeting did not signal any forthcoming large-scale stimulus, while noting the importance of stabilizing prices.

The country's consumer price index hit a two-year high in July as pork prices rebounded.

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/chinas-consumer-and-factory-data-miss-expectations-in-july/?feed_id=10993&_unique_id=62f9b4a8b8cd5