Dooms Day Near ? Shattered Antarctic Ice Bridge Fuels Global Warming

An ice bridge which held a vast Antarctic ice shelf in place shattered on Saturday, raising fears about global warming.

Scientists are concerned that greater collapses will now occur in the Antarctic Peninsula.

Satellite images from the European Space Agency show that a 25-mile-long strip of ice believed to pin the Wilkins Ice Shelf in place had splintered at its narrowest point, about 500 metres wide.

The Wilkins ice shelf has snapped for the first time, causing consternation at the state of the environment

This may now allow ocean currents to wash away far more of the Wilkins shelf.

David Vaughan, a glaciologist with the British Antarctic Survey, said: 'We've waited a long time to see this. My feeling is that we will lose more of the ice, but there will be a remnant to the south.'

The Wilkins, now the size of Jamaica, is one of ten shelves to have shrunk or collapsed in recent decades on the peninsula.

Cores of sediments on the seabed indicate that some of these ice shelves had been in place for at least 10,000 years

Since 1950, the ice bridge that cracked apart on Saturday had more than halved in length.

Temperatures in the Antarctic have risen by up to about 5.4f (3c) in the past 50 years, the fastest rate of warming in the Southern Hemisphere.

Antarctica's response to warming will go a long way to deciding the pace of global sea level rise.

Imaging of the ice shelf and the change seen since 2008

The loss of ice shelves does not affect sea levels - floating ice contracts as it melts and so does not raise ocean levels.

But their loss can allow glaciers on land to slide more rapidly towards the sea, adding water to the oceans.

About 175 nations have been meeting in Bonn, Germany, since March 29 as part of a push to agree by the end of 2009 a new U.N. treaty to combat climate change.

Scientists say change in the Antarctic is rarely as dramatic as it has been in recent times

The U.S. is also pushing to protect Antarctica's fragile environment by imposing mandatory limits on the size of cruise ships sailing there and the number of passengers they bring ashore, minimising the likelihood of oil spills.

At a conference starting today in Baltimore, U.S. diplomats will propose amending the 50-year-old international Antarctic Treaty.

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Jobless Could Hit 4 Million - Predicts Bank Adviser

Unemployment could double to four million unless the Government takes drastic action to boost public spending and create new jobs, a Bank of England official has warned.

In a dire outlook, Monetary Policy Committee member David Blanchflower also said the recession could be deeper and longer than the Bank previously predicted.

He added that the Government needed to tackle the soaring numbers of young people out of work by raising the school leaving age sooner and pushing more people into higher education.

Doom and gloom: The Bank of England's predictions that UK output would tumble 3.5 per cent could prove 'too optimistic'.

Speaking at a Westminster conference, Mr Blanchflower called for the Treasury to launch a near-£90billion fiscal stimulus, including tax cuts and investment in new schools and hospitals. This would help create 750,000 new jobs, he said.

'This is not about people being lazy,' he added. 'There aren't jobs. In six months this is going to be the biggest issue in every MP's constituency.'

David Blanchflower says the recession could be deeper and longer than initially expected..

Mr Blanchflower has proved one of the most prescient members of the MPC, calling for interest rate cuts a year before the rest of the committee.

Last summer he forecast unemployment would hit two million by Christmas - a prediction that was fulfilled in January.

Last month the Bank of England predicted UK output would tumble 3.5 per cent this year, before recovering 1.2 per cent in 2010.

But this is likely to prove too optimistic, Mr Blanchflower said yesterday. As a result, predictions that jobless ranks will peak at three million are also likely to be too rosy.

'(With) any forecast of unemployment and output, the likelihood in a recession is we have undercooked it,' he told MPs. A surge in unemployment to four million would mean the total surpassing the heights reached in the deep recession of the 1980s, when joblessness peaked at nearly 3.3million.

Mr Blanchflower's fiscal stimulus plan includes 'large cuts' in income taxes and national insurance contributions for the lowpaid and young people.

In a paper co-written with David Bell of the University of Stirling, he said the Treasury should plough billions into construction projects by health authorities, universities and housing associations.

The raising of the education leaving age to 18 should be brought forward to this year to prevent legions of school leavers seeking jobs when there are few available.

This summer more than 600,000 people will leave schools and universities and embark on a desperate search for work. Already 40 per cent of the unemployed are under 25.

Mr Blanchflower said young people's entire lives would be affected if they were unable to find work now.

Honda workers to get pay cut

Carmaker Honda is asking its workers to accept a pay cut for at least a year to ensure the survival of its UK factories.

The Japanese firm is sending letters to 3,600 workers at its Swindon plant stressing the dire state of car manufacturing.

The letters do not state the size of the cut, but a similar arrangement at Toyota has seen both working hours and pay cut by 10 per cent at its two UK plants.

The average wage for lineworkers is around £22,000. The Unite union said negotiations were yet to be held on the issue.

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Top 7 Forbes Rich List

The much-watched Forbes annual rich list put Microsoft founder Bill Gates back on top with a net worth of $US40 billion, although he saw his bank balance lose $US18 billion over the last 12 months.

In second place came Warren Buffett with $US37 billion, despite losing $US25 billion this year in the value of his Berkshire Hathaway shares

Carlos Slim Helú - who owns 90 per cent of Mexico's telephone landlines - is the world's third richest person. He has lost $US25 billion since the economic downturn, but is still worth $US35 billion.

Database titan Lawrence Ellison came in at fourth place with a $US22.5 billion fortune.

Ingvar Kamprad opened his first Ikea store 50 years ago. He retired in 1986 but still works on his brand's image. His $US22 billion fortune makes him the fifth richest person in the world.

Karl Albrecht, the founder of the Aldi Sud supermarket chain, moved from number 10 to 6 as he cashed in on shoppers after cheaper products. He is worth $US21.5 billion. No photo of Albrecht was available.

Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani comes in at 7th place with a $19.5 billion personal fortune. He is the chairman, managing director and the largest shareholder of Reliance Industries

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