香港特區政府撥款援助山東壽光災民

香港特區政府撥款援助山東災民

紫荊雜誌2018-09-07 https://www.52hrtt.com/xg/n/w/info/A1536113875836

山東壽光8月因颱風發生水災，造成多人死亡與失蹤，多間房屋與大棚受損。香港特區政府今日（6日）從賑災基金批出53.7萬港元予愛德基金會（香港），用於賑濟山東省災民。香港特區政府發言人表示，撥款會用於為山東災民提供麵粉、大米及食油，解決他們燃眉之急。
據悉，本次撥款是按賑災基金諮詢委員會設立的快速審批撥款申請機制批出。有關機制旨在加快處理撥款申請，讓救援機構能夠在災禍發生後第一時間進行首階段的賑災工作。

大学生十多万的学费去学个蓝带甜品厨子？

上海蓝带厨艺学院怎么样？

我想学习西点。零基础。
适合去上海蓝带学习么？
学费多少？课程如何？

https://www.zhihu.com/question/23557479       https://www.cordonbleu.edu/home/zh


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Is Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai, China’s only branch of French food school, feeling the pressure?

Former students report how high demand for fine Western cuisine education has seen resources spread thinner in classes, while wealthy parents are enrolling children with few serious culinary ambitions

10 August, 2017  https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2106078/le-cordon-bleu-shanghai-chinas-only-branch-french-food-school

To get to China’s first Cordon Bleu campus, in the Pudong district of Shanghai, ask your taxi driver to stop at the address on Pudong South Road, where you’ll see a large blue sign posted near the entrance of a vacant hotel lobby. Though the sign on the wall says Le Cordon Bleu, the dusty glass doors next to it will be chained shut, nary a piece of furniture in sight. If you’re lucky, the security guard loitering inside will point you to the small side street to your left.

After walking down the street past a convenience store, a middle school campus and an athletics track, , you’ll see what’s left of another Le Cordon Bleu sign, in shreds, on a large iron gate. You may attempt to enter, but your path will be blocked by sand bags, torn planks of wood, and mounds of debris. Go past the gate and keep walking all the way to the end.

The school, when it finally emerges, is an innocuous building, the walls of its side entrance covered in immaculately pruned ivy. Inside, the lobby is suffused in a warm glow, light reflecting off yellow-painted walls, thick golden curtains, and perfectly buffed white floors.

Welcome, at last, to Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai.

This branch of the famed culinary school, established in Paris in 1895, is the first of its kind in China, and one of 21 around the world. It opened in a five-storey building just over two years ago, having enrolled its first class of students for pastry and cuisine courses in April 2015.

I spoke with several students from the first classes of graduates about what really goes on. It appears that like most new institutions, Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai is still gathering its bearings, both outside its walls and inside the kitchen.

Tang Rong, a 20-year-old student from Dehong in Yunnan province, first learned about Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai when she was 17. Growing up in her family’s restaurant business and wanting to improve her skills, she applied when she heard Le Cordon Bleu was opening a branch in China. She was accepted into the first class for the Grand Diplome, the full series of cuisine and pastry courses that is completed over 18 months. When Tang enrolled in April 2015, her class had 37 students.

Luo An, a 22-year-old from Shijiazhuang in Hebei, had his heart set on studying at Cordon Bleu since he was 13. He joined in July 2015 for the second class of the Grand Diplome, part of a cohort of 43. Today, average enrolment per class hovers around 70.

When it had just opened, students were super passionate and worked hard … [now] there are many rich kids who just come to have a try, take a look

Luo An

Tang and Luo acknowledge that many issues have arisen at the school due to excessive demand. Without much competition for rigorous, internationally recognised Western culinary training in China, the school has been overwhelmed with applications. Each year, the administration accepts an increasingly larger number of students, which has had an impact on the learning experience, quality of students and limited shared resources.

Several students I talked to complained that the amount of ingredients allotted to students has become smaller and smaller, especially with expensive items such as foie gras or truffle. The share of ingredients is sometimes so small, they said, that students can barely taste them in their concoctions.

French cuisine takes diners to giddy heights at Skye restaurant in Hong Kong

Tang remembers when she was a student and part of a small first class. She always had enough ingredients, in fact, she and her friends would sometimes not need to go out for lunch because they had eaten so much of their own dishes. However, Luo, who now works at the school as a teaching assistant, admits that the amount of ingredients has shrunk.

Students share not only ingredients, but also kitchen space and equipment. On one scorching July day during Tang’s tenure, when the class had more than 20 ovens running at the same time, the electrical system in the building overloaded and shut down. In Shanghai, summer temperatures regularly reach almost 40 degrees Celsius, and the kitchens can be hotter than outside. In an improvised administrative move, Cordon Bleu Shanghai now takes a two-week break from mid- to late-July.

The first Chinese student to enrol in a Cordon Bleu school was in 1995. Today, Chinese students have enrolled in campuses all around the world, becoming one of the best represented nations. With the Shanghai branch, access for Chinese students has become even easier, with Chinese translations offered for all French instruction.

But some believe the popularity of the school has diluted quality. “Having the school in China, it’s convenient to study and it’s good to have Chinese translation,” Luo says. “When it opened, students were super passionate and worked hard. But later, many more parents started sending their children there, even those that are not motivated. There are many rich kids who just come to have a try, take a look.”

Tuition for a nine-month course in either “Cuisine” or “Pastry & Confectionary” costs about 160,000 yuan (HK$186,000). Students are either passionate and dedicated career trainees, or wealthy hobbyists who have the time and money to learn some knife skills. While Tang and Luo’s families were able to support them through school, many other students enrol after several years of working and saving for the course. Others have to borrow money to attend.

For Chinese people looking to start a career in fine cuisine or pastry, Cordon Bleu can be a great introduction. “Shanghai is the best place for international food in China,” Luo says. “More and more want to study and there is growing demand for Western food. There are not many other options [for training] in China.” Studying at Cordon Bleu can also be an alternative to traditional university for those sure of their career goals and looking for more practical education.

The school’s full-time teaching methodology can only be described as rigorous. Tang says her 18 months at Cordon Bleu were stricter and more comprehensive than she expected. Not only did the school teach cooking, they also taught her how to clean and be organised.

“Before students break from class, they must clean everything,” Tang explains. “This should always be done by students, since they use the equipment. But once, after class, the instructor rewashed everyone’s pots, since he thought some students did not wash them cleanly enough. He wasn’t angry; he just wanted to set an example. He wanted us to cherish, love and respect our place – to take ownership of our kitchen.”

Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai is slowly adapting to its new home and has begun to integrate more Chinese ideas into its curriculum. Currently, there are no Chinese instructors on its full-time staff. Tang and Luo hope that in the future, talented Chinese chefs can be invited to teach alongside the French masters. With the school beginning to incorporate Chinese ingredients such as Sichuan peppercorns and Yunnan wild mushrooms into their menus, they feel hopeful for more integration in staff and culinary traditions.

Macau’s La Chine brings Chinese cuisine with a French twist

As well as working as a teaching assistant for Le Cordon Bleu, Luo also runs private catering projects. Tang, meanwhile, has an online store that sells high-end custom cakes and catered items. She says that the business is prompting her to think beyond what she learnt at Le Cordon Bleu.

“Not only do things need to taste good, but I need to think about shipping, reducing costs, and making sure things last and stay fresh,” she says. “At Cordon Bleu, we mostly learned techniques, but there’s a lot more to learn to actually do a job in the real world.”

I ask both Tang and Luo if they would go back to Le Cordon Bleu if they could do it all over again. They both unequivocally say yes. They loved their time there and value the skills learned.

But when I ask them about their goals for the next five to 10 years, both Luo and Tang laugh and say that ultimately they want do something a bit easier. “Maybe something like a Japanese beer bar, some simple food,” Luo says. “Sashimi, katsu. Late-night dining. Comfort food.”

中國電力建設集團有限公司籌500億美元救乍得湖

中国电建受邀参加拯救乍得湖国际大会

2018年03月23日

圖文轉載自: http://news.ifeng.com/a/20180312/56678176_0.shtml

中国电建受邀参加拯救乍得湖国际大会

中国电力新闻网讯 通讯员黄子平 潘锐报道

当地时间2月26日至28日,拯救乍得湖国际大会在尼日利亚首都阿布贾召开。此次大会由乍得湖流域委员会（LCBC）和联合国教科文组织(UNESCO)联合举办。乍得湖流域及周边国家尼日利亚、尼日尔、乍得、中非、加蓬五国总统、喀麦隆总理、各国部长，联合国秘书长、非盟主席、世界银行、非洲开发银行、伊斯兰银行的代表，联合国教科文组织主管，各国大使等政要及学者出席了大会。中国电建集团国际工程有限公司副总经理兼中西非区域总部党工委书记田海华、副总工程师兼水电与水务部总经理黄子平、中西非区域总部副总经理汪新槐等应邀参加会议。

在为期三天的会议中，联合国教科文组织官员及来自世界各地的专家学者在大会上发表讲话，充分讨论形成共识，即立即行动，拯救乍得湖，以恢复其生态系统，实现可持续生存、安全和发展目标。2月28日，各国政府首脑表达了一致应对乍得湖湖面减少的政治意愿，签署发表了《阿布贾宣言》(Abuja Declaration)，确定执行跨流域调水的解决方案。宣言呼吁乍得湖区域、非洲大陆，乃至国际社会对乍得湖的恢复加大关注力度和支持。

大会上，尼日利亚水资源部长提到了中国电建受乍湖流域委员会（LCBC）委托，开展乍得湖调水项目基础研究和可行性研究工作。中国电建作为非洲能源电力与基础设计建设龙头建造商之一，通过这项工作，表达了对非洲国家社会责任的担当，和用中国工程技术与经验建设更好非洲的良好愿望。该项工作由中国电建国际公司牵头，中国电建华东院实施，旨在调查分析乍得湖水资源量大幅度减少及水生态环境显著恶化的原因，研究作为核心解决方案的跨流域调水工程的必要性和可行性，为调水工程项目推进与发展奠定科学基础。项目组于2017年3月开展了乍得湖湖区现场考察和与LCBC及尼日利亚相关机构的沟通讨论，目前正按计划推进。

会上，黄子平应LCBC邀请作了以中国南水北调工程为主的跨流域调水工程主题介绍，受到与会代表的一致好评，并在LCBC闭门会议上做了乍得湖调水研究专题介绍。会后黄子平接受了中央电视台非洲分台、法新社等多国主流媒体采访。

此次会议吹响了“拯救乍得湖”的集结号，历经三十多年的探索，此次大会明确了以跨流域调水工程为核心的拯救乍得湖计划，多国达成共识，恢复乍得湖流域生态环境以保障上千万非洲人民生存安全，实现可持续性。中国电建作为项目的积极参与者和重要合作伙伴之一，本着“大融合”的国际业务发展理念，积极承担使命，履行社会责任，造福当地社会，服务非洲人民，为当地的可持续发展贡献力量。

Lake Chad: Can the vanishing lake be saved?

By Will Ross BBC Africa regional editor

• 31 March 2018  

圖文轉載自:  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43500314   

                               Transaqua would cost tens of billions of dollars to build


This is one reason why the delegates in Abuja decided to dust off a scheme first mooted back in 1982 by the Italian engineering company Bonifica Spa.

It came up with Transaqua - a plan to construct a 2,400km (1,500 mile) canal to transfer water from the upstream tributaries of the mighty Congo River all the way to the Chari River basin, which feeds Lake Chad.

The study into the “Transaqua” project would be carried out by Italian engineer Bonifica and PowerChina. The two companies signed an agreement to cooperate on the scheme in Hangzhou last year.

'Deafening silence'

It proposed the transfer of up to 100 billion cubic metres (約兩條黄河) of water a year and featured a series of dams along the route to generate electricity.

At the meeting, it was agreed that Bonifica and PowerChina, the company that helped build the Three Gorges dam spanning the Yangtze River, would complete a feasibility study. They announced that the effort to raise $50bn (£35bn) for the Lake Chad Fund should begin immediately.

Bonifica says its plan will use less than 8% of the water the Congo River discharges into the Atlantic and would not be a threat to the Democratic Republic of Congo's continuing Grand Inga Dam project, which would create the world's largest hydropower generator if it is completed.

                                           Map showing the Chari River drainage basin. Source: Wikipedia

Further engineering work would be needed to enable the Chari River 沙里河是非洲中部的一條河流，長949千米，發源於中非共和國，向西北流入查德，在恩賈梅納與洛貢河匯流後沿查德與喀麥隆的邊界注入查德湖。沙里河流經的主要城市有薩爾和查德首都恩賈梅納，查德人口大多聚居河畔(Wikipedia)。to handle the increased flow of water. The project can be done in a staggered 交錯,错開 way, with each completed stage immediately adding to the flow of water into the Lake Chad basin.

Other options that have been considered include one which involves pumping the water uphill from Palambo, in the Central African Republic.

As well as the funding challenge for Transaqua, there will be resistance from environmental campaigners to overcome. And even carrying out the feasibility study properly requires peace.
Chinese media has reported the transfer canal would be 100m  wide and 10m deep and would be flanked 側面 by a service road and eventually a rail line.

"It is a project which responds to the never-tackled infrastructural needs of the African continent, which maybe will give birth to a real African renaissance," says Mr Vichi, who sees all along the route of the canal vast potential for agro-processing and transforming agricultural products for African and foreign markets.
Ministers know life is likely to get ever tougher for the people who live around Lake Chad. That's why they are paying attention to the plans to bring it back to life.

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 POWERCHINA attends international conference on Lake Chad

 2018-03-20   http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201803/20/WS5aa24e0ca3106e7dcc140b3d.html

Co-sponsored by the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and UNESCO, an international conference on Lake Chad was held in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, from February 26 to 28.

Attendees included the presidents of Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Central Africa and Gabon, the premier of Cameroon, representatives of the UN Secretary-General, the chairman of the African Union, representatives from the World Bank, African Development Bank, and Islamic Bank, and Director-General of UNESCO.

Representatives from POWERCHINA were also invited to the conference, including Tian Haihua, Deputy General Manager of POWERCHINA and Secretary of the Party Working Committee at POWERCHINA Central and West Africa Headquarters, Huang Ziping, Deputy Chief Engineer and Head of the Hydropower and Water Division, and Wang Xinhuai, Deputy General Manager of the POWERCHINA Central and West Africa Headquarters.

Officials, experts and scholars from all over the world gave speeches at the conference. During the conference, a consensus was reached that said actions should be taken immediately to solve the ecological problems and reverse the contraction of Lake Chad and achieve the goals of sustainable livelihoods, security and development.

Leaders from the participating countries showed determination in dealing with the problems of the Lake Chad Basin. On February 28, the Abuja Declaration was signed and published. It establishes a project for inter-basin transfer and calls for greater concern and support for the protection and revitalization of the area.

The Minister of Water Resources in Nigeria referred to the commission of POWERCHINA under theLCBC to carry out the basic research and feasibility study of the inter-basin water transfer project to Lake Chad. As one of the leading builders in the energy and power, water and infrastructure sectors in African, POWERCHINA expressed its good willingness and commitment to the social responsibility of African countries.

Led by POWERCHINA INTL. and implemented by POWERCHINA HUADONG, the research will consider the necessity and feasibility of inter-basin water transfer and provide a scientific basis for the project. The research team surveyed the Lake Chad in March, 2017 and the study is carried out according to the plan.

Huang Ziping also introduced China's inter-basin transfer projects exemplified by the newly completed South-to-North Water Transfer Projects.

After more than two decades of exploration, with the core plan of inter-basin water transfer project to save Lake Chad, restore its basin ecological environment in order to achieve tens of millions of the African people's survival and sustainable development. The conference set a milestone to save Lake Chad with the regional, African and international efforts. The conference has also sent a strong invitation to the African continent and the international community.

As an active participant and partner, POWERCHINA, in line with the concept of greater integration with the local societies and common development, has fulfilled its social responsibilities and served the African people. POWERCHINA became a prominent business card of responsibility at the conference.

延伸閱讀:  http://www.cblt.org/en/news/power-china-came-ndjamena-after-signing-memorandum-understanding-water-transfer

国际社会承诺为缓解非洲乍得湖盆地人道危机提供近22亿美元    https://news.un.org/zh/story/2018/09/1016822

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德国外长宣布为非洲乍得湖地区提供1亿欧元人道主义援助

轉載自:      https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1610659630963163260&wfr=spider&for=pc

【环球网报道 记者 朱梦颖】据德国《明镜》周刊3日消息，德国外交部长海科·马斯当天在乍得湖国际会议上宣布，德国计划在2020年前，为非洲乍得湖地区的非洲人民提供1亿欧元的人道主义援助。

报道称，马斯表示，在乍得湖地区，正在上演着一场“我们这个时代最大的人道主义戏剧”。根据联合国统计数据，该地区共有1100万人需要救援。而在乍得湖近撒哈拉沙漠南部地区，有240万人正在逃亡。贫穷和气候变化也使情况更加恶化。

在会议开始前，马斯向媒体表示，乍得湖区域已经变成如博科圣地或“伊斯兰国”等组织随意践踏的操场，而这些组织已经为欧洲安全造成威胁，“欧洲不可能视而不见”。

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国际社会承诺为缓解非洲乍得湖盆地人道危机提供近22亿美元

2018 年 9 月 4 日  轉載自:     https://news.un.org/zh/story/2018/09/1016822

由于受到极端主义团体博科哈拉姆武装暴力的影响以及气候变化导致的干旱，乍得湖盆地的喀麦隆、乍得、尼日尔和尼日利亚四个国家面临严重的人道主义危机。
2017年2月，在联合国的支持下，国际社会在挪威奥斯陆举行了一次捐助大会，承诺为乍得湖区域国家提供6亿5000万美元的紧急援助资金，这比资金扩大了当地开展人道主义援助行动的规模，并使得600多万人得到了援助，而且扭转了尼日利亚东北部地区的饥荒。
但是，联合国负责人道主义援助事务的副秘书长洛科克在这次柏林会议上指出，在乍得湖的四个国家，现在还有大约1000万人需要援助；人道主义援助机构在2018年开展行动所需的15亿8000万美元资金当中，仅有6亿得到落实，仅相当于所需资金的38%。
在本次由联合国支持，由德国、尼日利亚和挪威联合举行的国际会议上，捐助方承诺为乍得湖盆地四国提供21亿7000万美元的赠款，赠款来自17个联合国会员国、欧盟、联合国中央应急基金、联合国建设和平基金、世界银行和非洲发展银行。
负责人道主义事务的副秘书长洛科克对捐助方的慷慨表示感谢。他指出：“暴力、饥饿、流离失所和恐惧仍然是乍得湖盆地人们面临的严峻现实。但与一年前相比，我们现在可以更好地接触许多社区。”
联合国开发计划署署长施泰纳在会议结束时也表示，捐助方所做的21亿7000美元赠款以及4亿6700万优惠贷款的承诺是对乍得湖盆地区域的强有力的支持，以便各方能够以新的方式一道协作，解决当地的人道主义需求和造成危机的长期根源性问题。这样，国际社会的应对就能够减少该区域出现危机的可能，同时区域各国将具有更强的复原力。
这些援助资金和赠款将用于不同领域，包括粮食保障与营养、庇护所与非食品援助、安全与保护、保健、教育、水和卫生，以及早期恢复。
在教育问题上，联合国儿童基金会不无担忧地指出，由于持续的冲突、流离失所和对会学校遭到袭击的恐惧，乍得湖盆地有350万儿童没有上学，有上千所学校关闭或没有运作。
儿基会去年曾呼吁各方捐助4170万美元改善教育状况，但在今年上半年，仅有8%的资金得到落实。

水战争？埃塞在尼罗河修建非洲最大水坝 埃及或武力回应

2018年05月07日 参考消息  http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2018-05-07/doc-ihacuuvu1896225.shtml

参考消息网5月7日报道 法国《费加罗报》4月23日发表唐吉·贝尔特梅的文章《尼罗河之战将会发生吗？》称，埃塞俄比亚在尼罗河上修建巨大的复兴大坝引发了与埃及的紧张关系。两国都声称对该河拥有主权。
尼罗河上的这一工程今年有可能落成，它是埃塞俄比亚地区野心的征兆。
什么是复兴大坝？
埃塞俄比亚复兴大坝目前正在尼罗河上修建，距离与苏丹接壤的边境不远。在这个美国人50年代发现的地方，水坝工程堪称庞大，长约1800米，高175米，蓄水能力为740亿立方米，成就了一个面积超过1500平方公里的湖泊。这将成为非洲最大的水电大坝，将提供6400兆瓦的电量来支持国家的经济增长和快速工业化。据估计，如今埃塞的电力需求每年增长30%。这个已经拥有一亿居民的国家预计的人口激增，预示着该国对电力的需求不会减少。然而，对于埃塞俄比亚来说，或至少对于其执政者来说，这项计划远大于普通的结构性投资。大力提倡民族主义且拥有绝对权力的执政党、埃塞俄比亚人民革命民主阵线使得上述计划成为一种象征，并因此选定了目前的名字。在2011年3月宣布修建大坝时，当时的总理梅莱斯·泽纳维把大坝当成了几近存在的行动。例如他声称，建设的巨额费用（28亿美元）因为一些独立问题可能将由国家出资。因此，所有埃塞俄比亚人，从公务员开始，都应邀为这一伟大工程作出贡献，无可奈何地接受减少工资，有时候要减少很多。中国各家银行提供16亿美元贷款以支付设备。总额超过45亿美元的合同交付给了一家意大利公司。事实上，缺乏对环境影响的研究，埃塞俄比亚在这个问题上表现得不透明，导致围绕要建大坝的牢固性出现种种问题，许多非政府组织的批评，都促使各大国际金融机构和许多国家不参与或拒绝贷款请求。除了为大自然合乎情理的担心，由建设该大坝滋生出的地区冲突促使贷款人对该工程保持距离。今天已经建成70%的复兴大坝有可能从2018年起灌水。从主权方面来看，它让埃及不高兴了。
为什么埃及反对？
说这个国家依附于尼罗河是一种客气的委婉措辞。古希腊作家希罗多德说过，“埃及是尼罗河的馈赠”。一个普通数字足以让人了解：埃及人97%的水需求靠的是这条河的保障。在这种情况下，河流稍有变化都有可能造成极为严重的后果。在开罗看来，复兴大坝有可能引发的种种改变威胁其经济发展和已经很困难的食品供应。今年2月，埃及水利灌溉部长在苏丹的一次会晤中恼怒地重申了这一看法。他说，“如果抵达埃及的水流量下降2%，我们就有可能损失大约10万公顷的可耕地。而半公顷的土地就可养活一家人。且如果我们认为一家有5口人，这就意味着百万人有可能面临没有了生活来源的问题”。埃及研究人员认为，这样的冲击有可能导致政治不稳定。

如果说埃塞俄比亚把大坝变成独立问题，那么埃及则从中看到了国家安全问题，甚至国家自豪感问题。埃及一直以来都把尼罗河看成是“私有”财产，尽管另外有7个国家都声称这长达6700公里的世界第一长河流的一部分拥有主权。出人意料的是，开罗确实没有对埃塞宣布建立大坝做出反应。当时陷入动荡中的埃及政府担心的是政治局势，对此没有表示反对，也没有表示支持。它现在要指望1959年协议，后者使得埃及每年享有555亿立方米的尼罗河水，并且拥有对上游建设的监督权。经过多年之后，开罗现在面对的是一种既成事实，除了进行艰难的谈判或展开重大军事行动，别无其他解决办法。
冲突的风险确实存在吗？
专家们认为，这种假设今天看来是不太可能的。萨达特确实在1978年因威胁当时考虑在塔纳湖修建水坝的埃塞总统门格斯图而表示，“只有水能够让埃及进入战争”。而今天，没有任何事情让人害怕军事冲突。然而，局势依然十分紧张。2013年6月，埃及总统穆尔西召集了有关这个大坝的会议。被认为是秘密的会议事实上在电视上直播了，人们听到一些政界人士将这个工程说成是“美国和犹太复国主义的阴谋”且主张派特种部队或支持当地反叛分子。丑闻闹得沸沸扬扬，促使开罗连声道歉。
几天后，阿卜杜勒—法塔赫·塞西上台执政避免了最坏的情况出现。在这个问题上，新总统首先要进行安抚。2015年，与苏丹和埃塞签署了一项三方协议。但这一协议文本没有促成任何具体成果，因为埃及政府最终将其视为一个错误。因此，对话继续进行，却没有取得重要的进展。2018年4月的最新谈判最终得到的只是失败的证明。谈判应该重新开始，但此间，混凝土墙始终在加高。实际上，埃及好像在进行最后的斗争，旨在争取水库蓄水的最长期限。埃塞由于一直都对自己的意愿模棱两可，现在当然指望让湖水的水位快速上升，需要4年，或许更少。埃及提出8年的时间，甚至10年。开罗称，速度过快有可能对上游国家造成危险，并因此寻求盟友。
该地区其他国家的立场是怎样的？
埃及非常孤立。它的传统伙伴国、相邻的苏丹改变了主意，转而与埃塞为伍。苏丹及其企业希望，水坝将帮助调节河水的流量，进而让灌溉变得更简单有效。它还希望受益于亚的埃塞许诺的提供电力。之前的1959年协议的方法，尽管也提供给苏丹丰富的水量（18%），但差距还是很大的。更何况尼罗河流域倡议组织的其他国家都支持埃塞。这个1999年创办的机构包括9个国家，如埃及、苏丹、埃塞俄比亚、肯尼亚、乌干达、卢旺达、布隆迪、坦桑尼亚和刚果民主共和国，从2004年起遭到了埃及的抵制。其成员国强调指出，对埃及非常有利的1959年文本基于1929年的第一个协议。而该协议是经过与英国谈判的，后者当时是被认为已经签署协议的大多数国家的宗主国。这些国家后来独立了，它们丝毫感受不到与英国的许诺有关联，尤其是乌干达和肯尼亚。这两个国家当然知道，在人口快速增长的情况下，水的问题对它们来说也是至关重要的。尼罗河流域在2000年有人口大约3亿，到2030年将增加一倍。当埃及单方面发展其自己的基础设施，尤其是在1970年建成阿斯旺水坝，尼罗河流域倡议组织也并不掩饰其恼怒。处于有力地位的埃塞呼吁“理性”治水，并强调指出尼罗河80%的水来自埃塞俄比亚。这种间接声称自己对尼罗河有领导作用的方法属于有野心。人口已经多于埃及且经济更加充满活力的埃塞梦想成为新的地区大国。这种态势或有可能令开罗发怒。

对环境的影响得到控制了吗？
这是复兴大坝的真正弱点。政府不太开放的埃塞围绕水坝工程对环境的影响这个问题始终都三缄其口。埃塞称已经进行了多项研究，但这些研究在很大程度上依然秘而不宣。此外，关于工程的安全性、还有规模存在一些纯技术性的问题。一些专家认为，复兴大坝过于庞大。然而，那些最令人不舒服的抗议涉及水坝有可能对已然缺水的地区脆弱的水文系统造成影响。2012年，非政府组织国际河流组织在一份有争议的报告中担心水坝对气候的影响。相反，水坝的拥护者强调指出，它将会把损失减到最小，尤其是阿斯旺大坝水库的损失，它每年蒸发的水占10%。他们间接地强调埃及的过错。在这个国家里，85%的水资源被用于农业，导致极大的浪费。一外交官质疑说，“可能正是这种不假思索的无节制用水才是最大的问题。如果在这方面不尽快有所作为，地区将无法躲过非常严峻的紧张局势”。（编译/卢央央）

ニ年建成引剛果河的水至尼羅河的大運河

South Sudan: Congo-Nile Canal Will Save Egypt, Avert War, Make Juba Hub of Africa

By Joe Odaby   http://southsudannews.org/south-sudan-congo-nile-canal-will-save-egypt-avert-war-make-juba-a-hub-of-african-north-south-hook-up112713

Juba, South Sudan — November 27, 2013 (SSN) …The leading South Sudanese think-tank, The Fashoda Institute of Strategic and Regional Studies, has published a strategic analysis of why and how the Egyptian Government is reviving a three-decade-old old idea — one going back to the Anwar as-Sadat Administration — to resolve the country’s acute water crisis.

Egypt is reconsidering the idea of a canal diverting waters from the Congo River into the White Nile near Juba, South Sudan, and thus markedly increasing the quantities of water which would eventually reach Lake Nasser behind the Aswan Dam. According to the Egyptian calculations, the quantities of water required to revolutionize the state of the Nile water reaching Egypt would be a minuscule 微小的 amount of the Congo’s flow.

Ultimately, the country which would be most affected by the Congo-Nile Canal project — if it could ever be implemented — would be the Republic of South Sudan.

Fashoda Institute states that Egypt’s Nile water crisis has been markedly aggravated, politically, in recent years as Ethiopia continues building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, which many Egyptians have claimed would reduce the flow of Blue Nile waters to Egypt: “The Ethiopian Government has said that all studies point to the reality that the impact on water flow would be minimal. The former Egyptian Government of Mohammed Morsi, however, used the charge against Ethiopia as a political distraction from the turmoil in the months leading to Morsi’s removal”.

Think-tank asserts that from Egypt’s standpoint, Ethiopia’s concurrent Nile policy goes beyond potentially affecting the quantities of Nile water available for Egypt. In 2010, Ethiopia launched the Nile Basin States Initiative and challenged Egypt’s long-held posture as the dominant authority over the use and distribution of the Nile waters. Presently, the Nile Basin Upstream States have a decisive say over the use of water in their territories. This is a national trauma for Egypt; both the Government and the people.

Initially, Cairo started preparing for a major confrontation and even war with Ethiopia over the GERD project. Both the Hosni Mubarak and Morsi administrations pursued the crisis and war options very seriously despite the domestic upheavals since 2010. Still, Cairo could not alter the profound change in the correlation of forces along the Nile. The outcome of the initial phase of the Egyptian-Ethiopian crisis demonstrated to all, in the words of French-Tunisian geographer Habib Ayeb, that “Egypt no longer owns the Nile”.

“The Congo-Nile Canal designs are being undusted as perhaps the only viable solution to Egypt’s impending plight”, writes the Fashoda Institute. “By conservative calculations, the Canal could provide Egypt with 95-billion cubic meters of water annually, almost doubling the current share of 55.5-billion cubic meters. While such a diversion of water would be dramatic for Egypt, it would represent a minuscule 微小的 quantity for the Congo River because about 1,000-billion cubic meters of Congo waters pour into the Atlantic Ocean every year.”

Most intriguing is the study, conducted by Professor Gamal al-Kalyouby of the American University of Cairo, completed in September 2013. Although Professor Kalyouby insists that his study is a pure academic endeavor, senior Egyptian defense officials suggest otherwise. Indeed, the Government’s Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority conducted the comprehensive geological, geographic, and hydrological studies which provided the data used by Professor Kalyouby in his study. Formally, however, senior officials, including Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Muhammad Abdel Matlab, distance Cairo from the project on the basis of a myriad 大量  of legal and financial reasons. But numerous experts concur 同意 that these excuses are quite irrelevant if not factually wrong.

According to Professor Kalyouby’s study, the best solution for delivering water from the Congo River to the Nile River is a 600km canal which would feed into the White Nile to the south of Juba, South Sudan. The water would then converge into the Nile Basin to northern Sudan and then to Lake Nasser, behind the Aswan High Dam. The Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority’s data focuses on the 600km route because there is an altitude differential of only 200 meters between the Congo and the White Nile. The technical challenge of lifting the huge quantities of water could be implemented via four consecutive water-pumping stations. Moreover, the downstream flow of the added White Nile water could be harnessed to generate 300-trillion watts of electricity per hour: the equivalent of the entire lighting needs of Africa.

The Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority’s data also points out that the road and rail infrastructure which would have to be built to facilitate and support the Congo-Nile Canal would effectively fill the gap which currently exists between the transportation infrastructure of northern Africa and that of southern Africa. Consequently, there would emerge a unified road and railway network connecting the entire Africa from Alexandria to Cape Town.

The Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority estimates that the 600km long Congo-Nile Canal could be completed within 24 months, at a price of 8-billion Egyptian Pounds: roughly $1.16-billion. This estimate includes the digging of the canal, building the four pumping stations, and all transportation and support infrastructure for the project. If correct, this cost estimate is minuscule compared, for example, to the Chinese price-tag of $25.5-billion for the Lamu mega-port complex in Kenya.

Little wonder that Cairo is quietly testing the water in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Egyptian businessman Ibrahim al-Fayoumi is known to be tacitly pursuing initial steps under the cover of his extensive infrastructure and mining projects in the DRC. Fayoumi is one of the most prominent investors in the country and also has the reputation of being extremely close to the defense and intelligence establishment in Cairo. Congolese senior officials confirmed Fayoumi’s assertion that official Kinshasa was most interested in the Congo-Nile Canal idea, given the anticipated flow of cash, as well as in return for international recognition and legitimization.

The Congolese officials added that both President Joseph Kabila and Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo “support in principle the [Congo-Nile Canal] initiative”.

While Egypt and the DRC would be the prime beneficiaries of the Congo-Nile Canal project, South Sudan would be the country most affected because of the dramatic increase in the quantities of water carried by the White Nile. South Sudan has the unique Sudd wetlands eco-system which a dramatic increase in the flow of the White Nile would destroy. Therefore, South Sudan would need, at the very least, to complete and expand the Jonglei Canal in order to avoid major damage to the Sudd wetlands. The digging of the 360km long Jonglei Canal started in 1981 but was brought to a halt in 1984 by the escalating liberation war. By that time, 240km of the canal’s total of 360km had already been excavated. Presently, the thick vegetation and land erosion reclaimed much of the completed canal work. As well, South Sudan would require the construction of extensive power and transportation infrastructure in order to sustain the building of the Jonglei Canal.

Significantly, time is uniquely suitable from a security point of view.

In early October 2013, David Yau Yau, the main rebel leader in Jonglei State, responded positively to President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s recent initiative to invigorate and press for national reconciliation. For the first time, Yau Yau expressed interest in talks with official Juba and did not rule out cessation of hostilities. Yau Yau’s revolt was the primary source of the debilitating violence in Jonglei State which made any major projects impossible.

“Juba is active in the various Nile Basin organizations and groups”, points out the Juba-based think-tank. “In May 2010, Addis Ababa initiated the formation of the Nile River Basin Commission of the, then, five states of the Nile sources. The states signed the New Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement reorganizing water-management and construction projects. The treaty formed a commission to approve or reject all large-scale hydraulic projects, dams, canals, and anything else which would have an impact on the course, volume, or quality of the Nile’s waters. South Sudan was admitted as the member on July 5, 2012. On June 19, 2013, South Sudan took over the rotating leadership for 2013-14. The NILE-COM agenda for the year includes providing strategic guidance for improved efficiency and effectiveness, as well as formulate long-term work plans and complete a number of strategy and policy documents”.

South Sudan also assumed membership in the traditional Nile Basin Initiative which is comprised of all the nations along the Nile River from the Equator to the shores of the Mediterranean. On August 16, 2013, South Sudan’s Council of Ministers unanimously passed a resolution endorsing Juba’s bid to join the Nile Basin Initiative. This was the first act of the new Cabinet appointed by Pres. Salva Kiir on July 31, 2013. The Cabinet discussed and approved the framework document regarding the Nile Basin Initiative. The mere focusing on the Nile Basin Initiative in the first meeting of the new Government is a manifestation of the great importance of Nile Basin policy for Kiir’s Juba.

“Ultimately, geography plays the winning hand for Juba”, concludes the Fashoda Institute.

South Sudan could become Africa’s continental hub, a juncture of the emerging trans-African west-east route between Cameroon on the Gulf of Guinea and Kenya on the Indian Ocean which is expected to emerge in the wake of the new energy and minerals export routes, and between the possible trans-African north-south route between Egypt on the Mediterranean and South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope which would emerge should the Congo-Nile Canal become a reality.

Thus, as the current leader of the NILE-COM, President Kiir’s Juba has a unique opportunity to play an historic role in moving Africa’s water, energy, and transportation basin to the future era.

 延伸閱讀: 中國電力建設集團有限公司籌500億美元救乍得湖    http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_b96391280102ycce.html

Shows the height above sea level of the Nile at different points. 
Source:  http://www.mbarron.net/Nile/newbigmap.jpg

Shows the flowrate of the Nile at different times at the year.
Source:  http://www.mbarron.net/Nile/newbigmap.jpg

阿特巴拉河（羅馬化：Nahr 'Atbarah）發源於非洲東北部的埃塞俄比亞西北，塔納湖以北約50公里和貢德爾以西30公里，流經805公里，在蘇丹中北部的阿特巴拉（17.677°N 33.970°E）跟尼羅河匯合，支流特克澤河可能是阿特巴拉河的真正上游部分，因為特克澤河在匯合前的河道較長。 在尼羅河流入地中海前，阿特巴拉河是最後一條流入尼羅河的支流。阿特巴拉河在全年大部分時間與小溪無異，只在夏天雨季有大的流量。
Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atbarah_River

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The Nile, its tributaries, and the countries of the region

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_politics_in_the_Nile_Basin#/media/File:River_Nile_route.jpg

 延伸閱讀: 南水北調之十三級提水, 總揚程 65 公尺 http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_b96391280102xs6u.html

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22 reasons for rejecting project to connect the Nile and the Congo rivers    Al-Masry Al-Youm January 20, 2015  https://www.egyptindependent.com/22-reasons-rejecting-project-connect-nile-and-congo-rivers

The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has officially turned down a project to connect the Nile and the Congo rivers.

The ministry sent a technical report to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb stating 22 reasons for refusing the project as follows:

1. The proposed project to transfer 110 billion cubic meters of water per year did not pass through the globally known cycle of projects from the feasibility study stage to the final report.

2. It did not specify how the water would be directed from the Congo River to the stream that will be created. Instead, it only referred to a dam that would be built on the Congo River. Also, it did not provide any hydrological information about the flow of the water at the point of transfer for a sufficient period of time.

3. It did not specify the number and longitudinal and lateral sections of the pipelines, which should be 550 pipes of a 2.0-meter diameter over a length of 600 km.

4. It would need several pumping stations to pump more than 800 cubic meters, including the waste, which would cost a lot.

5. It did not specify the number of pumping stations and their locations.

6. It did not specify the source and amount of electrical power needed for the stations, which would be more than 30,000 MW. This would be a difficult challenge because the electrical power available in Egypt is 24,000 MW.

7. It did not specify the annual cost of the energy needed to run the stations.

8. It did not specify the locations of the 18 proposed dams that would generate the hydroelectric power, their heights or their specifications.

9. It did not provide the longitudinal and lateral sections of the stream in southern Sudan, which should be 1,000 to 1,500 meters with a depth of 5.0 meters over a length of more than 1,600 kilometers until the Egyptian border. 

10. It did not provide any information about the intersections of the proposed long waterway with the numerous natural waterways in the area or specify the type of facilities required at those intersections.

11. The proposed route of the waterway in southern Sudan passes through swamps where huge amounts of water are lost. Consequently, any new surface water in this area will be lost too.

12. It did not specify the path of the waterway and its dimensions within the Egyptian border. And as the Nile River cannot absorb any additional quantities of water at the moment, a new river would be created in the Egyptian desert at a huge cost, in addition to pumping stations and many other water facilities.

13. The initial estimated cost of the major works is exorbitant. 

14. It did not provide any cadastral studies or tests for the soil to determine the path of the pipelines.

15. It did not compare the cost per cubic meter for transferring water from the Congo River to Egypt with the cost per cubic meter for a desalination of the sea water.

16. It did not specify the source of funding for the project, its financing conditions and its payment method.

17. It did not specify the risk for such a long waterway passing through geographically disparate regions and security unstable tribal areas, which was the case during the implementation of the Jonglei Canal in southern Sudan.

18. It discarded the legal dimension of the proposal, as the Congo River Basin includes several states. And it did not mention that the Congo agrees to withdraw water from its river, or that Sudan and South Sudan approve of the project, especially that the project would not benefit any of these countries.

19. There were proposals to transfer the Congo River water to Lake Chad and to Libya that the Congo had rejected because its Constitution prohibits the transfer of water out of the country without the consent of the people through a referendum.

20. Other countries may request to transfer to them part of the Nile water from Egypt by the same token if the Nile Basin countries agree.

21. We should remember that Egypt and Sudan have for 40 years failed to build the Jonglei Canal over 360 km to pass 4 billion cubic meters of water before we start thinking about transferring 110 billion cubic meters for a distance of more than 3,000 km.

22. It would be more useful to take advantage of the tremendous amount of water that is currently lost by evaporation and transpiration in the swamp area of southern Sudan, especially that there are studies about this since the 1940s that we can benefit from.

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延伸閱讀:

Egypts Lost Dream of Linking Congo, Nile Rivers   http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_b96391280102ycwl.html

撒哈拉沙漠电能满足整个欧洲的用电需求

撒哈拉沙漠电能之梦

尽管听起来有点天方夜谭，但这个愿景完全有可能实现，即在撒哈拉沙漠建太阳能热电厂，其发电量将足以满足整个欧洲的用电需求。

圖文轉載自:  https://www.dw.com/zh/撒哈拉沙漠电能之梦/a-3407517?&zhongwen=simp

 理论上说，只要太阳照耀大地，世界上就不会出现能源问题。在整个沙漠地区六个小时光照产生的能量能满足地球一年的能源需求。20多年来，科学家一直梦想利用沙漠地区取之不尽，用之不竭的太阳能。
2003年罗马俱乐部第一次公布"Desertec"计划。按照计划，中东和北非国家通过利用太阳能热电厂和风能发电场等洁净能源发电，所产电能首先供本国使用，从2020年起，电能出口到欧洲。

                                                西班牙南部的太阳能热电厂
基本无电能损耗 
根据德国航空航天中心（DLR）预算，如果欧洲消耗电能15%通过太阳能热电厂供给，那么到2050年需要投资4000亿美元。德国航空航天中心下属的斯图加特技术热力所的汉斯·米勒-斯坦哈根说："这个数字听起来很吓人。但是如果算出每度电的费用，您会发现，太阳能热电厂比化石类燃料发电厂更省钱。"
同时专家告知，将电能传输给欧洲在技术上不成问题。太阳电能不是以交流电而是以直流电的形势跨越地中海传输到欧洲。和传统的高压输电方式相比，这种方法在传输途中损耗的电能很少。
夜间亦发电
不像太阳能光伏发电系统直接可以将太阳能转换成电能，太阳能热电厂要先将太阳能转换成热能。工作原理是抛物线槽形集光技术，按照该技术，首先利用大面积的抛物线槽形集光镜收集光线，并将之聚集成束，聚焦照射到灌满特种热油吸收管上，待油温达到400摄氏度，便可以利用热油加热水，而后利用水蒸气发电。
和太阳能光伏发电技术相比，这项技术的优点在于，太阳电热设备可以借助特殊储热体在晚间发电。该设备的电能产量惊人，40千米X40千米面积大的集光镜所产电能足以满足整个德国的需求。

                                                  太阳能行业领头羊，肖特太阳能公司

西班牙第一
太阳热能现在发展蓬勃。肖特太阳能公司发言人拉尔斯·瓦尔德曼说，世界范围内，共有80个太阳热电厂的建设项目。这家来自下弗兰肯地区阿尔岑瑙的公司是太阳能吸收管制造大户。产品主要销往美国和西班牙。现在西班牙共有此类项目近30个。
肖特公司也是世界最大此类项目的供货商。在西班牙南部的格拉纳达建设了三个太阳能热电厂。 其中第一家将在今年启用，为20万人供电。瓦尔德曼说："在西班牙拥有建造太阳热电厂超好条件。" 该行业的发展要归功于一项法律规定，即发电商向总电网每馈入一度太阳能产生的电即可获得20欧分。
北非第一批计划
北非可惜没有这么丰厚的条件。但是瓦尔德曼认为，太阳能电热厂方面，北非在未来有很大的发展潜力。现在触角已经伸到摩洛哥。瓦尔德曼称："尽管还没有破土动工，不过现在已经展开对话并且已经有相对具体的计划。"

摩洛哥，阿尔及利亚，利比亚和埃及都对太阳热能这项技术很感兴趣。德国航空航天中心专家米勒·斯坦哈根说，第一批发电厂已经在建设中了。他说："对这些国家来说，这是他们未来的发展市场，发电厂不仅可以为他们本国供电，还可以出口。同时可以将太阳能热电设备和海水淡化技术结合起来。"
但是还存在巨大阻碍。建设太阳能热电厂需要巨额的前期投资。 米勒·斯坦哈根说："差不多要相当于建座火电厂，再买上够25年用的煤那么多钱。"这笔投资这些国家无法单独承担。

   吉森大学的非洲专家同时也是非洲太阳能伙伴关系跨学科工作组的组织人维恩弗雷德·施派特卡姆普认为，除此之外还需要进行政策和经济方面的解释工作。他认为首先计划的地中海联盟有义务在这个话题上统一立场。也还要考虑社会和文化层面。他说："如果人们产生太阳能可以挣钱的印象，那么就会有冲突产生。"从这个意义上，太阳和石油就没有区别了。