The Stream, June 13: Drought in England

England experienced its driest spring in a century last month, leaving fields parched and many rivers at record low levels, the Guardian reported, citing the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Meanwhile, Scotland had its wettest spring on record for the period of March, April and May.

Downpours in two of China’s drought-hit provinces have caused landslides and brought down houses, killing at least 50 people and leaving 40 missing as of last Friday, according to Reuters. Forbes reports, however, that at least 40 percent of China’s corn growing areas are out of harm’s way.

The Canadian province of Manitoba has banned water bottles from all of its offices to encourage drinking of tap water, the AFP reports.

Exxon Mobil Corp. has paid $1.69 billion for two energy explorers to gain shale-gas reserves in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and neighboring states, Bloomberg reports.

Italians will participate this weekend in referendums that seek to block Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s plans to revive nuclear energy and privatize the water supply, the Associated Press reports.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.