The catastrophe which started already a week ago, has revealed the worst floods in the history of Pakistan since 1929. More than 3 million people are affected by the flooding, over 1400 people died and the authorities believe that the death toll will still be rising.

According to the United Nations the floods in northwestern Pakistan, the probably worst affected region, are going to take on more disastrous proportions as more heavy rainfalls are expected for the coming days and conditions are ripe for the outbreak of diseases. Rising water levels at Warsak Dam, the country's third biggest dam, prompted disaster officials to ask residents in the northern outskirts of Peshawar city to leave their homes. If needed, forced evacuation will be started.

Usually the monsoon starts in South Asia, in early June and lasts until September. During this period, the rain area moves from the south of the Indian subcontinent to the north. Storms and floods cause heavy damage and cost many lives every year.>>> read latest reports here

Graubuenden TV features an overview about the Global Risk Forum Davos and the association of the GRF within the Academia Raetica.

 The Academia Raetica acts as an umbrella organisation for the most highly qualified research institutes and the different clinics within the Canton of Grisons and its closer geographical regions. Its goals are to support and coach postgraduate education and teaching and to enhance interdisciplinary research and networking within the associated institutions and clinics.

Please find the video report here (in german only).

The hottest July in Russia since 130 years caused a period of drought.In the southern Voronezh on Monday 44 degrees were measured. Trees and peat marshes dried out and caught fire recently.The wild fires spread out very fast.Houses, fields and forests are burning.Daily new wild fires are reported.
Dmitry Medvedev has declared in seven regions of the country state of emergency. Medvedev signed a decree giving the local authorities in combating the disaster, more powers.Moreover, Medvedev ordered the closure of forest areas for "unauthorized". This gives priority access to the affected regions to emergency personnel .  The Kremlin head ordered other soldiers to the affected forests. About 2000 soldiers and 240,000 civilian rescue teams were deployed.Medvedev urged the government to improve the fire fighting measures and to provide assistance for reconstruction. >>> read latest reports here

By CARA ANNA (AP)   

BEIJING — China's largest reported oil spill more than doubled in size to 165 sq. miles (430 sq. kilometers) by Wednesday, forcing nearby beaches to close and prompting one official to warn of a "severe threat" to sea life and water quality.
The oil slick started spreading five days ago when a pipeline at a busy northeastern port exploded, sparking a massive fire that took more than 15 hours to contain. Hundreds of boats have been deployed to help with the cleanup.

At least one person has been killed in those efforts, a 25-year-old firefighter, Zhang Liang, who drowned Tuesday after a wave threw him from a vessel and pushed him out to sea, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. Another man who also fell in was rescued.
Beaches near Dalian, once named China's most livable city, were closing as oil started reaching their shores, Xinhua reported.
"The oil spill will pose a severe threat to marine animals, and water quality, and the sea birds," Huang Yong, deputy bureau chief for Dalian, China Maritime Safety Administration, told Dragon TV.

The environmental group Greenpeace China released several photographs this week showing oil-slicked rocky beaches, a man covered in thick black sludge up to his cheekbones. One worker, covered in oil, was being carried away by a colleague, but he was not identified.
The amount of oil spilled in the explosion was still not clear Wednesday, though China Central Television earlier reported an estimate of 1,500 tons. That would amount roughly to 400,000 gallons (1,500,000 liters) — as compared with 94 million to 184 million gallons in the BP oil spill off the U.S. coast.

State Oceanic Administration released the latest size of the contaminated area in a statement Tuesday.
Though the slick has continued to expand — it covered a 70-sq.-mile (180-sq.-kilometer) stretch earlier this week — officials maintain no more oil was leaking into the Yellow Sea.

The cause of the blast was still not clear. The pipeline is owned by China National Petroleum Corp., Asia's biggest oil and gas producer by volume.

Images of 100-foot-high (30-meter-high) flames shooting up near part of China's strategic oil reserves late Friday drew the immediate attention of President Hu Jintao and other top leaders. Now the challenge is cleaning up the greasy brown plume.
"Our priority is to collect the spilled oil within five days to reduce the possibility of contaminating international waters," Dalian's vice mayor, Dai Yulin, told Xinhua on Tuesday.
But an official with the State Oceanic Administration has warned the spill will be difficult to clean up even in twice that amount of time.
The Dalian port is China's second largest for crude oil imports, and last week's spill appears to be the country's largest in recent memory.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

(AFP) - UNITED NATIONS — The British High Commissioner to Australia, Valerie Amos, has been appointed the new head of the UN Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs, officials said Friday.

She will take over the New York-based post from another Briton, John Holmes, who is leaving at the end of August, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said.

Amos, 56, who was born in Guyana, was the first black woman to hold a British cabinet post when she was appointed secretary for international development in 2003. In that role, she took part in negotiations about African conflicts.

In 1997, she was made a Labour Party life peer, and sat in the House of Lords, where she became leader of the House in 2003.

© AFP

01 to 31 July 2010 in New York, USA

A British Council exhibition highlighting the human face of climate change in partnership with the World Bank Group and the Global Risk Forum GRF Davos.

Date: 1–31 July 2010 (Official Opening: 14 July 2010)

United Nations Headquarters New York, Main Gallery, Visitors Lobby

The exhibition Climate Faces highlights the human face of climate change. It illustrates the way in which young people around the world are reacting to the drastic changes in our environment, and show the passion and engagement with which they campaign in their own communities to raise awareness for climate change. >>> read more

GRF’s latest book “Microinsurance – An Innovative Tool for Risk and Disaster Management” contains fifteen papers which all focus – from different perspectives – on an integrated approach in risk and disaster management through Microinsurance. Case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America involving a broad variety of stakeholders, institutions, risks, methods, and business models, reveal the enormous potential of microinsurance in particular in disaster management. >>> read more

GRF Davos, 28 June 2010/ JP

After the G-20 summits in Washington in 2008 and in London and Pittsburgh in 2009, the fourth G-20 summit took place from 26 to 27 June 2010 in Toronto, Canada. Prime Ministers, Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union met to follow through on commitments made at previous summits and to continue the work of building a healthier, stronger and more sustainable and stable global economy.

The first world economic summit, after the G-20 took over the leadership from the exclusive circle of the G8 in September 2009, very much focused on recovery from the global economic and financial crisis and the implementation of commitments from previous G-20 summits to lay the foundation for sustainable and balanced growth.

GRF Davos followed the G-20 summit with attention, in particular the handling of risks, social and environmental impacts of the financial crisis and the concerns of developing countries. Also the progress regarding the MDG's and the building of a sustainable, more resilient financial system are of GRF Davos’ interest. >>>read more

During the 3rd International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC Davos 2010, taken place in Davos, Switzerland  from 30 May to 03 June 2010, UN-ISDR launched the campaign "Making cities resilient - My city is getting ready".

With Baofeng County (China), Davos(Switzerland), Tehran and Mashad (both I.R.Iran) 4 cities have signed-up during the conference. >>>read more

Within the 3rd International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC Davos GRF Davos offered two education courses. Prior to the conference from 29 May to 30 June the 2-day continuous education course on Disaster Risk Reduction enjoyed great popularity. 77 participants completed the two-day course successfully with a certificate of the GRF Davos Risk Academy.
In cooperation with Europa Media, Hungary,  GRF Davos conducted from the 4 to 5 June, the EU-Project Development course. The course gave a specific insight in the professional and successful writing of EU-project offers and in particular in how to gain partners over for prosperous collaborations in EU-projects.
GRF Davos can thus look back on two more succesful education courses within the Riskacademy and is already looking forward to further courses and  workshops with numeberous participants from all over the world. >>>read more