 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
 By Jonathan BROWN Moscow (AFP) July 14, 2020
Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel faced pressure from a key shareholder on Tuesday to overhaul its management after disasters including a massive Arctic fuel spill that sparked a state of emergency. Aluminium producer Rusal, which owns 28 percent of Norilsk Nickel, said it was "seriously concerned" over recent accidents that damaged the environment in the Russian Arctic. "What is currently happening at Nornickel invites to seriously question the competence of the company's management as well as their suitability to be in charge of running the business," Rusal said in a statement in English. It also criticised the management's "collective inertia" that it said was likely to lead to "damaging criticism from the environmental and investment communities". President Vladimir Putin declared a state of emergency after 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked from a fuel storage tank at one of Norilsk Nickel's plants in the Arctic in May. A massive clean-up effort involved trapping floating diesel with booms on crucial waterways to prevent it flowing into freshwater lakes. The metals giant said the accident could have been caused by global warming thawing the permafrost under the fuel reservoir leading it to collapse. Environmentalists described the leak as the first large-scale spill in the region above the Arctic Circle and Putin has said he expected Norilsk Nickel to fully restore the environment. Russia's environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor has said that a Norilsk Nickel subsidiary should pay an unprecedented $2 billion in punitive damages, but the company is contesting the sum. - 'Flagrant violation' - Greenpeace Russia on Tuesday accused the company and the Russian authorities of limiting access to information about the spill. "The biggest problem is that there is no information," said Ivan Blokov, campaign director at Greenpeace Russia, adding that he would not believe official updates "until there is complete and comprehensive information". On Sunday, Norilsk Nickel reported a new leak, saying that nearly 45 tonnes of aviation fuel spilt from a pipeline belonging to one of its subsidiaries near the Arctic port of Dudinka. It said the leak, which lasted around 15 minutes during an oil transfer, posed no threat to people living in the area. Last month, the company announced it was suspending employees at an enrichment plant near Norilsk after they pumped wastewater from a dangerously full reservoir into nearby tundra in a "flagrant violation" of protocol. Rusal called on Norilsk Nickel to move its headquarters from Moscow to Norilsk and said the company controlled by billionaire Vladimir Potanin should overhaul "corporate policies towards environmental and safety issues". In response to the spate of high-profile environmental accidents, Putin this week signed legislation aimed at preventing future spills. The law obliges energy companies to set aside funds to pay for possible spills and to develop response plans in the case of an accident. jbr/as/txw
Maduro shuffles military high command Caracas (AFP) July 8, 2020 Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has shuffled his military high command but Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, a general, kept his post. Maduro's political dominance in Venezuela is widely attributed to support from the military high command, which has allowed the socialist leader to resist sanctions pressure from the United States and a challenge to his authority from opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is backed by Washington. "I decided, as always, on a partial ratification and a par ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
