The Stream, July 24: Beijing Under Water

Floods
Almost two weeks after the devastating floods in southern Russia that claimed the lives of 171 people, three Russian officials have been detained on charges of negligence in their official duties, according to The New York Times.

Beijing officials are also facing criticism from citizens and the media over their handling of the heavy floods that killed 37 people in the city over the past weekend, according to the BBC.

U.S. Drought
The worst U.S. drought in half a century is hitting farmers across America’s corn belt harder than government projections, the Guardian reported. Could farmers abandon their entire crop?

Perhaps it’s unsurprising then that more and more U.S. buyers are turning to Brazil for cheaper corn.

The drought is also putting pressure on natural-gas drillers to conserve the millions of gallons of water they use for hydraulic fracturing, according to Bloomberg.

Water Pollution
More than 120,000 people in eastern Colombia could suffer from water shortages after an unidentified group blasted an oil pipeline, triggering a leak into two regional rivers, the Malaysian National News Agency reported.

Climate Change
Inter Press Service looks at the climate change effects in Sri Lanka.

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