Latest news with #quarrying
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Saudi industrial production index up 7.9% in June
The Saudi industrial production index increased by 7.9% in June compared to the same month the previous year, according to the Industrial Production Index bulletin issued by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). The GASTAT issues the index on a monthly basis. This economic indicator reflects relative changes in the volume of industrial production based on data from the Industrial Production Survey, conducted on a sample of industrial establishments operating in targeted industrial activities. These are mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply, as well as water supply, sewerage, waste management, and remediation activities. As per the GASTAT bulletin, the mining and quarrying sub-index rose 6% year-on-year, while the manufacturing sub-index climbed by 11.1%. The results also showed that the sub-index for electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply grew by 5.6%, while the water supply, sewerage, waste management, and remediation activities sub-index recorded an increase of 6.9% compared to June of the previous year, reported SPA. Based on main economic activities, the results indicated that the oil activities index rose by 7.7% in June 2025, while the non-oil activities index increased 8.6%.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
False Philippine landslide posts misuse old clip from Taiwan
"VIDEO WATCH: LANDSLIDE IN PAGADIAN CITY," reads the caption to a Facebook reel shared on July 5. Pagadian city is located in the southern island of Mindanao (archived link). Viewed over 1.8 million times, the clip shows a mudslide rolling down the side of a mountain onto a road. Backhoes can be seen operating near the site. The sound of people shouting in the Visayan language can be heard. The clip spread on Facebook and elsewhere on TikTok with people seemingly worried about the disaster. "Where is this in Pagadian, why is it not in the news?" one asked. "That's what happens when there's a quarrying site," another said. Although geological hazard map data of the city issued by the country's environment agency shows numerous areas are "highly susceptible" to landslides, the video in fact shows an incident in Taiwan (archived link). Pagadian city Mayor Samuel Co issued a statement on his Facebook page on July 5, where he identified posts carrying the footage of the landslide as "entirely false" (archived link). "We respectfully request the Pagadianon to maintain composure and exercise discretion by refraining from disseminating such unsubstantiated claims, as they may cause unnecessary public concern," he added, addressing the city's residents. A reverse video search on Google found the clip has been circulating online since October 2022 on social media sites Weibo, Douyin and YouTube (archived here, here, here). The sound of someone shouting "the whole slice of mountain is falling down" in Chinese -- not Visayan -- can be heard in the video clip. The Chinese-language caption of the Douyin post shared on October 17, 2022 reads "Landslide in the mountainous areas of Yilan in Taiwan". Further keyword searches found news reports from Taiwan's Public Television Service and local broadcaster Formosa TV about landslides in Yilan County's Datong Township on October 16, 2022 (archived here, here, here, and here). According to the reports, hundreds of residents were evacuated from the area after Typhoon Nesat caused massive landslides, particularly along Highway 7. A check on Google and Bing maps shows a cavity on the side of a mountain along the old and new roads of Highway 7. It also shows rice paddies similar to the one seen on the circulating clip's foreground. AFP has previously debunked misinformation about disasters here.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Worcestershire quarry gets green light amid air pollution fears
Close to half a million tonnes of sand and gravel will be quarried from land next to two Worcestershire villages, despite residents' fears of a risk to health from airborne firm Cemex plans to carry out three years of excavation on farmland close to Ripple and Uckinghall, to supply what it called "critical construction supplies" for the local works, which would extract materials to a depth of up to 5.5m, were approved by Worcestershire County Council's planning committee on the quarrying is complete, it is proposed that the site be restored to a mixture of farmland and wetland. Operator Cemex already has a number of quarries in south Ripple East site sits next to a previous quarry, which since 2015 has been restored as a local residents said the new dig was too close to homes, with the nearest property approximately 40m from the proposed excavation."Cemex have gone one step too far," said Ripple resident Nick Harknett, who spoke at the planning committee hearing on Tuesday morning. While he said he appreciated the benefits of operations at the first site, Mr Harknett stressed residents' fears of the dangers of dust pollution, particularly from silica found within the of the very fine particles has been linked to lung diseases such as silicosis and cancer."Silica is the new asbestos… you're playing with people's lives here," he told the meeting. "This site is too close to the villages."He urged county councillors to reject the plans, despite them being recommended for approval by officers."Airborne silica can be taken directly into the lungs," said Green councillor Martin Allen, who represents the local division and who proposed the application's refusal. Allen argued the project's impact on the local community would fail to meet the objectives of the county's mineral extraction plan."Other countries warn about residents living near quarries' exposure to risk," he said."We used to have a 200-metre exclusion zone under the old mineral extraction plan."In a vote, Allen's motion was defeated. In a subsequent vote, councillors then approved the application. "There's no basis for talking about silicosis in the way that's been put forward today," said Rich Marsden, Cemex's development said no cases of the disease had been associated with the sand and gravel industry and that it was not a risk for the general population."We are the most heavily regulated industry in the country," added Mark Kelly, Cemex's UK planning stressed the site's importance in supplying the local construction sector with building an written submission, the county's public health team raised no objections to the an officer stated they did have some concerns regarding the cumulative effect on air quality of two quarries operating simultaneously, they highlighted a mitigation plan would be put in place to protect residents' health."Silica is one of the most common materials on the planet… this proposed extraction is not considered to represent a high risk," said Steve Aldridge, the county council's development manager. Sand and gravel excavated from the Ripple East site would be transported by barge about two miles up the River Severn to Cemex's Ryall concrete plant, also close to where the firm has submitted another application for on the Ripple East site is also expected to take place at the same time as another firm, Cullimore, begins quarrying on the other side of the M50 motorway."We already have at least seven quarries in our small parish, either completed, active or in the planning stage," said resident Jessica Wardle before the meeting."Our villages may soon be islands in a sea of quarries," she said. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Arab News
10-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Manufacturing, mining sectors drive Saudi industrial growth to 3.1%: GASTAT
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Industrial Production Index expanded by 3.1 percent year on year in April, driven by strong growth in the manufacturing, mining, and quarrying industries, official data showed. According to preliminary data from the General Authority for Statistics, the Kingdom's IPI advanced to 108.6 in April, representing a 0.6 percent rise compared to the previous month. The latest IPI figures reinforce the progress of Saudi Arabia's economic diversification journey, which aims to reduce the Kingdom's decades-long dependence on crude revenues. 'Preliminary results indicated a 3.1 percent increase in the IPI in April 2025 compared to the same month of the previous year, supported by the rise in mining and quarrying activity, manufacturing activity and water supply, sewerage and waste management and remediation activities,' the analysis stated. GASTAT revealed that the sub-index of manufacturing activities advanced by 7.4 percent in April compared to the same month in 2024. The authority added that the index of oil activities saw an annual rise of 4.3 percent in the fourth month of the year, while non-oil activities edged up by 0.1 percent. Compared with March, oil activities rose by 1.6 percent, whereas non-oil activities declined by 2 percent. GASTAT added that the growth in the manufacturing sector was driven by an increase in the production of coke and refined petroleum products, which grew by 22.6 percent year on year in April. The chemical manufacturing sector also contributed to the rise, increasing 9.1 percent annually. On a monthly basis, the sub-index of manufacturing activity witnessed a rise of 0.5 percent, driven by a 5.8 percent increase in the production of coke and refined petroleum products. The expansion of the manufacturing sector highlights the evolving structural transformation of the Saudi economy, with the Kingdom positioning itself as a key player in the global industrial landscape. In April, the sub-index of mining and quarrying activities increased by 0.2 percent compared to the same month in 2024. 'Saudi Arabia increased its oil production to 9.01 million barrels per day in April 2025 compared to 8.99 million barrels per day in April 2024,' said GASTAT. On a monthly basis, the sub-index of mining and quarrying activity increased by 0.5 percent in April. According to the report, the electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply sector registered an annual decrease of 0.2 percent but saw a monthly rise of 4.3 percent. GASTAT further said that water supply, sewerage, and waste management activities increased by 8.8 percent year on year in April, while it declined by 0.7 percent compared to the previous month. Compared to March, the index for oil activities increased by 1.6 percent in April, while non-oil activities dropped by 2 percent. The Industrial Production Index measures changes in industrial output based on the International Standard Industrial Classification framework, covering mining, manufacturing, utilities, and waste management sectors.
