HO CHI MINH CITY, 1 March 2011 (IRIN) - Vietnam’s inflation rate is among Southeast Asia’s highest and its population is struggling to keep up with sharp increases in food, fuel and electricity prices.
On 1 March the government increased electricity prices by a record 15 percent to an average 1,242 dong (US 6 cents) per kilowatt per hour. The week before, petrol prices were raised by 18 percent to 19,300 dong (93 cents) per litre.
In Vietnam, inflation has increased every month since August 2010, reaching 12.2 percent in January.
“Things are getting really uncertain,” said Nguyen Bich
Likelihood of extreme rainfall may have been doubled by rising greenhouse-gas levels. NATURE N°470
Climate change may be hitting home. Rises in global average temperature are remote from most people’s experience, but two studies in this week’s Nature1,2 conclude that climate warming is already causing extreme weather events that affect the lives of millions. The research directly links rising greenhouse-gas levels with the growing intensity of rain and snow in the Northern Hemisphere, and the increased risk of flooding in the United Kingdom.
