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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaJavier Milei: Argentine leader’s insults trigger diplomats’ expulsionPublished40 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, President Milei is famous for his abrasive styleBy Vanessa BuschschlüterBBC NewsColombia is expelling a number of Argentine diplomats in response to insults levelled by the Argentine president against his Colombian counterpart. In a CNN interview, the Argentine leader, Javier Milei, called Colombian President Gustavo Petro a “murdering terrorist”.He also said the Mexican president was “ignorant”.Mr Milei is infamous for his colourful language and abrasive rhetoric.While personal attacks are not uncommon in Latin American politics, Mr Milei surprised many when he attacked Pope Francis last year, calling the pontiff “an imbecile who defends social justice”.While the Pope dismissed the remarks and the two men embraced during a meeting at the Vatican, Latin American politicians have not been as forgiving.Image source, ReutersImage caption, Pope Francis laughed off Mr Milei’s commentsThe CNN interview which has caused the latest stir will be broadcast on Sunday, but the channel has released some clips ahead of transmission. In one of them, Mr Milei suggests that Colombia under left-wing President Petro could deteriorate and come to resemble Venezuela and Cuba.”In Venezuela, there’s carnage, it’s truly unprecedented, same as on that prison island, Cuba,” he tells CNN’s Andrés Oppenheimer. “And there are others who’re going down that road, such as Colombia with Mr Petro,” he adds. “Well, you can’t expect much from someone who was a murdering terrorist, right?” he asks in an apparent reference to Mr Petro’s past as a former rebel fighter. Mr Petro was a member of the now disbanded M-19 guerrilla group in the 1980s. As part of its war against the Colombian state, the group stormed the Palace of Justice in the Colombian capital, Bogotá, in 1985, and held more than 300 people hostage.The security forces lay siege to the building and more than 100 people died in the ensuing battle to retake it from the M-19. The incident is known as “28 hours of terror” in Colombia. But while Mr Petro was a member of the M-19 guerrilla group, he did not take part in the attack on the Palace of Justice. He was in jail at the time for his involvement with the group. Image source, ReutersImage caption, President Petro and his Argentine counterpart are poles apart politically and have clashed in the pastMr Petro has never made a secret out of his past inside the M-19, which demobilised more than 30 years ago. As Colombia’s first left-wing president, he has come in for plenty of criticism at home, but there has been widespread outrage in the Andean country over the comments made by Mr Milei. The foreign ministry said Mr Milei had offended President Petro’s “dignity” and said it would expel a number of Argentine diplomats, without specifying how many.In Mexico, the two candidates vying to replace President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as president in the election in June also came to his defence.They demanded that the Argentine leader treat Mr López Obrador with respect after Mr Milei said in the CNN interview that the fact that the “ignorant” Mexican president had spoken badly of him only flattered him.Mr López Obrador has in the past labelled Mr Milei “a fascist ultra-conservative”. Related TopicsArgentinaAndres Manuel Lopez ObradorDiplomacyMexicoColombiaMore on this storyPope and Milei meet as Argentina gains first female saintPublished11 FebruaryArgentina pulls out of plans to join Brics blocPublished29 December 2023New leader tells Argentina ‘shock treatment’ loomsPublished11 December 2023Top StoriesGaza starvation could amount to war crime, UN human rights chief tells BBCPublished5 hours agoKing tells of ‘great sadness’ at missing Maundy servicePublished1 hour agoDivers recover bodies from Baltimore bridgePublished2 hours agoFeaturesHow do I renew my UK passport and what is the 10-year rule?I’m not ashamed of who I am any more, says LionessCars, coal and gas… key cargo at Baltimore portFather of two among Baltimore bridge victimsWhat are assisted dying, assisted suicide and euthanasia?Tackling deepfakes ‘has turned into an arms race’‘We crowdfunded to help pay our son’s care costs’Why is Thames Water in so much trouble?Bill Nighy on playing an England manager with a differenceElsewhere on the BBCDid The Terminator predict the future correctly?!Beth Singler explores the creation and enduring influence of the film, 40 years after its releaseAttributionSoundsBlowing the lid on a baffling online scamPolly Weston’s determined to get to the bottom of the con involving a £138 dehumidifierAttributionSoundsCan you sort these monarchs into the correct order?Test your memory and reorder ten royal faces, from the earliest to the most recentAttributionBitesizeThe dressing room killing that shook wrestling’Villain of the ring’ Bruiser Brody’s extraordinary life, legacy and deathAttributionSoundsMost Read1Man held over stabbing in front of train passengers2Actress Helen Flanagan reveals psychosis episode3Tributes paid to Gogglebox star after fall death4Harvard removes human skin binding from book5King’s ‘great sadness’ at missing Maundy service6I’m not ashamed of who I am any more, says Lioness7Thames Water boss says bills need to rise by 40%8Divers recover bodies from Baltimore bridge9Angela Rayner insists she has done nothing wrong10Gaza starvation could amount to war crime, UN human rights chief tells BBC
[ad_1] President Javier Milei calls his Colombian counterpart a “murdering terrorist”, triggering diplomatic expulsions.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaExtreme heat at work can double stillbirth risk, India study findsPublished3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsClimateImage caption, Cucumber picker Sumathy lost a baby 12 weeks into her pregnancyBy Tulip MazumdarGlobal health correspondentWorking in extreme heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage for pregnant women, according to new research from India. The study found that the risks to mothers-to-be are significantly higher than previously thought. Researchers say hotter summers can affect not only women in tropical climates, but also in countries such as the UK.They want specific health advice for working pregnant women globally.Eight hundred pregnant women in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu took part in the study, which was started in 2017 by the Faculty of Public Health at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) in Chennai. About half of those who took part worked in jobs where they were exposed to high levels of heat, such as agriculture, brick kilns and salt flats. The others worked in cooler environments, such as schools and hospitals, although some workers were also exposed to very high levels of heat in those jobs too.There is no universal threshold for what level of heat is considered to be too hot for the human body.”[The impact of heat] is relative to what you’re used to and what your body’s used to,” says Prof Jane Hirst, one of the scientists who contributed to the study.In the lush green fields of Tiruvannamalai, I meet Sumathy, one of the pregnant women who took part.She removes her thick gloves and stretches out her fingers. She has been picking cucumbers for the past two hours.”My hands burn in this heat,” she tells me, gently caressing her fingertips.Summer hasn’t even started yet, but already it is about 30 degrees here today and feeling hotter with the humidity.Sumathy has to protect her hands from the constant stabbing of the tiny spikes on the cucumbers, but the gloves make her sweat profusely.”My face burns too,” she says.She comes to the cucumber farm before and after her main job, working as a cook in a school, and is paid about 200 rupees or just under £2 for her efforts.India’s Mothers: Bearing the HeatThe BBC’s global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar reports from southern India on new research suggesting heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage.Watch on BBC iPlayer (UK only)Sumathy was one of the first recruits. Her baby was also one of the first in the study to die.”I used to feel so exhausted being pregnant and working in the heat,” she says.One day, as Sumathy was dropping off her husband’s lunch, she suddenly started feeling very unwell. That evening, she went to see a doctor who told her she had suffered a miscarriage 12 weeks into her pregnancy. “My husband would lay me down on his lap and console me. I don’t know what I would have done without him,” she says.Sumathy talks about her husband with so much love but has had to learn to live without him. He recently died, and she is now the main breadwinner for the family.Sumathy will never know for sure if working in the heat during her pregnancy had anything to do with her losing her first child. But overall, the study found that women who worked in similar conditions as her were twice as likely to suffer a stillbirth or miscarriage than those working in cooler environments.Important for women all over the worldThe pregnant women in the study in India really are “at the forefront of experiencing climate change,” says Prof Hirst, who is a UK-based consultant obstetrician, and Professor of Global Women’s Health at medical research organisation The George Institute.Earth’s average temperature is projected to rise by nearly three degrees by the end of the century, compared with pre-industrial times, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning of “an existential threat to all of us” with pregnant women facing “some of the gravest consequences”.Image caption, Rekha Shanmugam measures the daytime heat in sugar cane fields in TiruvannamalaiPrevious studies have shown about a 15% rise in the risk of premature birth and stillbirth during heatwaves, but these have generally been conducted in high-income countries such as the US and Australia. The latest findings from India are particularly stark and worrying, says Prof Hirst, and have wider implications. “The UK is getting hotter summers, and while it’s not as hot as India, these adverse effects [on pregnancies] can be seen at much lower temperatures in more temperate climates, such as the UK.” However, she adds, they do need to be “kept in perspective”. Even with a doubling of risk, experiencing baby loss is still going to be a “rare event for most women”.How does extreme heat affect pregnant women? Listen to The Climate Question podcast on BBC Sounds nowThere is currently no official international advice for pregnant working women in the heat. The main guidance that does exist for hot-weather working, is based on studies involving a man in the US military in the 1960s and 70s, weighing 70-75kg and with 20% body fat. Prof Hirst hopes this study, and further research, will change that. In the meantime, Prof Hirst and Prof Vidhya Venugopal, from the Faculty of Public Health at SRIHER, who led the research on India, say pregnant women working in the heat can protect themselves by:Avoiding prolonged periods in the heatTaking regular shade breaks if working outdoors on hot daysAvoiding exercising or sunbathing for long periods in the hottest part of the dayKeeping hydrated with waterFor the study in India, the researchers used what is called the wet-bulb-globe-temperature (WBGT), which measures the effects of temperature, humidity, wind speed and radiant heat on human bodies.WBGT readings are often lower than the temperatures you might see forecast on the TV or a weather app.The safe heat threshold for people doing heavy work is 27.5C WBGT, according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. ‘No choice but to work out in the sun’ India is predicted to become one of the first countries in the world where temperatures will top the safe limit for healthy people who are simply resting in the shade, according to a recent study from the University of Cambridge.The number of hot days and hot nights (when the body struggles to recover from daytime heat) is also projected to double or even quadruple in India by 2050.In the sugarcane fields of Tiruvannamalai, Rekha Shanmugam, a former nurse and one of the SRIHER study’s researchers, is measuring the daytime heat.Around us, a couple of dozen workers – about half of them women – hack down thick stems of cane with small machetes. “These women often have no choice but to work out in the sun – they need the money,” says Ms Shanmugam.She pours water into a gauge and presses various buttons. It shows a WBGT temperature of 29.5C – that’s above the safe threshold for doing this type of physically demanding work in the heat.”If the workers continue for prolonged periods in this level of heat, they are more prone to heat-related illnesses, and it’s especially concerning for pregnant women,” she tells me. Image caption, Women like Sandhiya make up the backbone of India’s informal workforceSandhiya, 28, tells me she has no choice but to do this type of back-breaking work for which she gets paid about 600 rupees, just under £6 a day. She has two young children and an extended family to feed. Sandhiya also took part in the study – and lost her first child six months into her pregnancy.She had to take several months off work to recover and says she is still paying off the debts she racked up during that time.”All my desires centre around my children,” Sandhiya tells me. “I want them to study well and get good jobs. They shouldn’t end up toiling here in the fields like me.”The problem of peeingThe mechanisms around how and why heat impacts pregnant women and their growing babies in this troubling way are not well understood.A previous study in The Gambia found high temperatures could raise foetal heart rate and slow blood flow through the umbilical cord.One theory is that when the mother gets too hot, blood could be diverted away from the foetus, to help cool the mother down.Ms Shanmugam thinks a lack of toilets may also be playing a part.She says a previous study found many women didn’t want to squat in an open field to relieve themselves and so would avoid drinking water, developing urinary problems as a result. “They worry about insects and snakes in the bushes, or men peeping to look at them,” she says.”They often don’t feel safe, so they’ll just hold it in for the whole day and then finally go to the toilet when they get home.”Finding solutions India has made huge improvements to maternal and baby health in recent years, but the stillbirth rate is still 12.2 per 1,000 births, according to data from the World Bank Group. In the UK the rate is 2.7. The findings of the study in Tamil Nadu are being taken very seriously, says Dr TS Selbavinayagam, the state’s director for public health.”We already offer financial compensation to pregnant women, but maybe we need to look at options for giving alternative employment too,” he says. The state government offers poorer women 18,000 rupees (£170) when they reach 12 weeks of pregnancy, to try to ease some of their financial pressures. However, much of the power to protect these low-paid workers rests with workplace bosses.Image caption, Thillai Bhasker has erected steel roofs to provide much-needed shade for his brick kiln workersOn the outskirts of Chennai, Thillai Bhasker – a brick-kiln owner – has erected giant steel roofs with special heat-protective coatings on them, to provide his workers with much-needed shade. He’s been taking advice on better protecting workers from researchers at SRIHER.”Business owners should be smart enough to know how to retain the employees,” he says. “If you take care of them, they will take care of you.”He also told us he was planning to build women-only toilets. Some organisations are also offering education sessions on the simple steps women can take to better protect themselves in the heat. Insulated bottles are also being made available to keep drinking water cool.Sumathy had no choice but to continue to work in extreme heat when she became pregnant again within a couple of years of her miscarriage. But she got specific advice from doctors and the SRIHER researchers on how to better protect herself. Sumathy gave birth to a healthy daughter and son. Tonight – after her long shift – she will return home to them. Exhausted, anxious, but so grateful they are there.Follow @TulipMazumdar on XIf you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice isavailable via the BBC Action Line.What questions do you have about this story? We’ll be answering them later today. In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.Use this form to ask your question:
If you are reading this page and can’t see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in. Related TopicsMiscarriageTamil NaduClimateIndiaPregnancyTop StoriesLive. US accuses Apple of monopolising smartphone marketLive. Which women might get state pension compensation? Your questions answeredInterest rate cuts ‘on the way’, says Bank bossPublished37 minutes agoFeaturesUK sees biggest increase in poverty for 30 yearsNew hope for sisters trapped in their bodies’I go to bed with an empty stomach’ – Haiti hunger spreadsA museum tried reverse misogyny. Now a man is suingThe new 28-year-old peer who wants to scrap the LordsThe boy killed by his ‘sadistic’ motherHow climate change made Easter eggs pricier’Our school has been crumbling for 20 years’Poland’s ‘Heart of the Garden’ named tree of 2024Elsewhere on the BBCWhat’s the key to literary success for Phillip Pullman?The author of His Dark Materials shares the advice he would give his younger selfAttributionSoundsGlobal glamazons start your engines!Catch up on all the the jaw-dropping looks and unforgettable performances before the grand finale…AttributioniPlayerThe fresh face of FerrariJennie Gow and the team look back on the Saudi Arabian Grand PrixAttributionSoundsFestivals, flamenco and old friendsStrictly’s dancing duo Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice take to the streets of sunny SpainAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Harry Kane statue revealed before going on display2Bank boss says UK interest rate cut ‘on the way’3Mum guilty of murdering scalded and caned son4Toddler steals the show during Queen’s NI visit5Terminally ill grandad scoops £1m lottery prize6More than 500 migrants arrive in small boats7TV’s Julie Goodyear slowly fading away, says husband8Cows turn heads as they bring town to a standstill9Knives Out director pays tribute to acting ‘legend’10Kermit the Frog honoured in new fossil find](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/5E90/production/_132980242_3img_1014.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityCultureNeil Young to put his music back on Spotify after boycott over Joe RoganPublished52 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Neil Young’s back catalogue includes classic rock albums like After The Goldrush, Harvest and Rust Never SleepsBy Mark SavageMusic correspondent, BBC NewsNeil Young has said his music will return to Spotify, ending a two-year boycott over Joe Rogan’s podcast.In 2022, Young told the streaming giant to remove hits like Harvest Moon and Heart of Gold, complaining that Rogan was spreading vaccine misinformation.However, the singer said his return did not reflect a reversal of his stance.Instead, the decision came after Rogan signed a $250m deal to make his podcast available on multiple platforms, rather than remaining a Spotify exclusive.”Other music services [including] Apple, Amazon, Qobuz, Tidal… have started serving the same disinformation podcast I had opposed at Spotify,” Young wrote on his website.”Because I cannot leave all those services like I did Spotify, because my music would have no streaming outlet to music lovers at all, I have returned.”Joe Rogan pledges to try harder after Spotify rowSpotify removes Neil Young songs in Joe Rogan spatJoni Mitchell wants songs off Spotify in Covid rowYoung said in January 2022 that Spotify represented 60% of his streaming revenue globally, which amounted to “a huge loss for [his] record company to absorb”, but that he removed his music because he “could not continue to support Spotify’s life-threatening misinformation to the music loving public”.Other artists, including Joni Mitchell and India Arie, also removed their songs in solidarity.At the time of writing, Young’s back catalogue has yet to be reinstated on Spotify. Mitchell’s Spotify page only contains live recordings, while Arie’s music returned last year.The Joe Rogan Experience is consistently the most-played podcast on Spotify. The long-form shows, which often run for several hours, feature wide-ranging interviews with a variety of guests, including comedians, athletes, scientists and conspiracy theorists.It has frequently been a source of controversy for Spotify. In 2022, the host was forced to apologise for using racist language in early episodes of the podcast, which launched in 2009.He signed a new deal with Spotify last month, under which the programme will become available on rival services including YouTube and Apple Music.He previously expressed his disappointment with Young’s decision to withdraw from Spotify, and said he was not intentionally giving a platform to Covid-19 vaccine misinformation.”I’m not trying to promote misinformation,” he said at the time. “I’m not trying to be controversial. I’ve never tried to do anything with this podcast other than to just talk to people.”I do not know if they’re right. I don’t know because I’m not a doctor; I’m not a scientist. I’m just a person who sits down and talks to people and has conversations with them.”However, Neil Young’s squabble with Spotify is not entirely over. In his statement, the star criticised the platform for not offering hi-fi quality, lossless audio to its users.”[I have] sincere hopes that Spotify sound quality will improve and people will be able to hear and feel all the music as we made it,” he wrote. “Hopefully Spotify will return to Hi Res[olution] as the answer and serve all the music to everyone. Spotify, you can do it!”Most of Spotify’s biggest rivals – including Apple, Tidal, Amazon Music and Qobuz – offer lossless audio, which is closer to CD quality than the compressed files served by Spotify.Related TopicsSpotifyStreamingNeil YoungMusicMore on this storyJoe Rogan pledges to try harder after Spotify rowPublished31 January 2022Joni Mitchell wants songs off Spotify in Covid rowPublished29 January 2022Spotify removes Neil Young songs in Joe Rogan spatPublished27 January 2022Top StoriesLive. 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![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityBusinessMarket DataEconomyYour MoneyCompaniesTechnology of BusinessCEO SecretsArtificial IntelligenceCan the Panama Canal save itself?Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Panama Canal AuthorityImage caption, Water levels of the Panama Canal are the second lowest they have been in 110 yearsBy Michelle FleuryNorth America Business correspondent, PanamaThe most famous waterway in the Americas is running dry.Unlike the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal is fed by a freshwater lake, Lake Gatún, and its water level is falling critically low. After a choppy boat ride across Lake Gatún, Nelson Guerra, the Panama Canal Authority’s hydrologist, points toward a rusted ruler beneath a tower on the western end of the water.”The level, as you see on the rulers, is 81.20ft,” he says. “The level should be five feet more than now.” On the return journey, the boat passes old tree stumps sticking out of the water. They were never fully cut down during the original construction of the lake. Normally, only a few would be visible at this time of year. But half way through the dry season, there’s a forest of them.Image caption, Nelson Guerra keeps a close eye on water levels in Lake GatúnThe Panama Canal is reliant on rainwater, which is in short supply.A lack of rain and the El Nino weather phenomenon have contributed to the second driest year in the canal’s 110-year history. Last October was the driest month since records began. The canal region saw 41% less rainfall than normal, and the drought threatens to continue disrupting the $270bn (£213bn) worth of cargo that flows through the Atlantic-Pacific shortcut annually. They’ve had to introduce water-saving measures, which has meant fewer ships can pass through the canal each day. This is because water from the lake is required to operate the canal’s locks. The number of vessels has been slashed from an average of 36 to 24. Each ship is also carrying less cargo now because of weight restrictions.The slowdown spells trouble for global trade. In normal times about 5% of global maritime trade uses the Atlantic-Pacific shortcut, and 40% of US container traffic. If the route runs dry, shippers will be forced to find alternatives – lengthening journey times and pushing up costs. And the lack of water is not just a problem for global trade. The Panama Canal Authority also supplies drinking water for half of the country’s population, including the residents of the capital, Panama City.But those who run the canal are taking steps to ensure it remains viable for another century, and beyond. The Panama Canal Authority’s first ever chief sustainability officer, Ilya Espino de Marotta, says they are working on finding solutions to ensure the canal does not run out of water.Image caption, Ilya Espino de Marotta is leading efforts to ensure the canal has enough water to operate”We don’t want this to be a recurrent issue. We don’t want to drop transits or tonnage,” she says.The authority has been busy developing a plan to invest $8.5bn in sustainability projects over the next five years that it hopes can help the vaunted waterway survive, even as changes rock the planet. Addressing the changing climate, Ilya Espino de Marotta says: “Panama is a very rainy country… but we see there’s a [reduced rainfall] pattern coming that is impacting everywhere. So we definitely need to prepare for the future.”One obvious measure involves water conservation.The Panama Canal works by transiting boats through a series of above-sea-level locks fed by Lake Gatún and the smaller Lake Alajuela.Each ship that passes through the locks uses around 50 million gallons of water, and a handful of new locks built in 2016 – the larger Neo-Panamax locks – save 60% of that water.However, the older Panamax locks remain in operation, and overhauling them would be a major project. In the meantime, the canal authority has found ways to reuse water from one lock chamber to another, so called cross-filling, saving the equivalent of six daily crossings.The authority is also considering building reservoirs, its first major project since it completed the new set of locks in 2016. To save more water in rainy months and increase supply in drier times, it wants to dam up the nearby Indio River, and pipe the fresh water into Lake Gatún, the canal’s main reservoir. The plan would increase vessel traffic by 12 to 15 a day. Moving forward won’t be easy though. The project doesn’t have congressional approval yet, and construction will take several years to complete.Another option is to build desalination plants. The lack of rain has increased the salinity of the lakes and rivers, a challenge that has to be managed given it’s the country’s biggest source of potable water. But that option is costly and removing salt from seawater requires a huge amount of energy. Even seeding clouds in the hopes of creating more rain isn’t off the table. The process of implanting large salt particles into clouds to boost rainfall sounds futuristic, but has been around since the 1940s.A solution needs to be found lest global trade, which has become more unstable this year, gets even more so. Trade volumes through the Panama Canal have fallen 49% compared to its peak. José Cervantes, a general manager at the Panama branch of shipping company Agunsa, says their daily operations have been hit. Shipments of two million tons of goods from textiles to food have been delayed because of the disruptions at the Panama Canal.He says the problem is that there are no other good shortcuts. Image caption, José Cervantes’ company had to switch cargo to road and rail alternativesSome ships carrying cargo from Asia were rerouted through the Suez Canal, before the current Red Sea crisis. With that option less secure, there’s been an increase in demand for rail and road transport across Panama.But José Cervantes says all that unloading and reloading of cargo from ships onto trains and trucks is pushing up costs. “And those costs are usually passed onto the consumer,” he says.If rains arrive in May as expected, the canal plans to increase the number of ships that can pass through its locks, but that is only a short term solution.Changing rainfall patterns, serve as a reminder of the major impact climate change could have on global trade and on the long term future of the Panama Canal.For more on this topic, listen to Business Daily: Disruption and drought in the Panama Canal on BBC Sounds.Related TopicsPanamaPanama canalTop StoriesHunt expected to cut National Insurance tax by 2pPublished2 hours agoLive. 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