Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.8 Earthquake hits the Azores Islands.
5.6 Earthquake hits Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia.
5.6 Earthquake hits Antigua and Barbuda region.
5.5 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.4 Earthquake hits Antigua and Barbuda region.
5.3 Earthquake hits southwestern Siberia, Russia.
5.1 Earthquake hits Atacama, Chile.
5.1 Earthquake hits northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Metropolitata region, Chile.
Cyclone Zane forms off Australia's north Queensland coast
Tropical cyclone Zane, packing 100km/h winds, has formed off far north Queensland on the last day of the official cyclone season. The category-one system is predicted to hit the Queensland coast near Lockhart River on Cape York sometime tomorrow.
Massive landslip in Dorset, England
Landslip occurred at St Oswald's Bay, east of Durdle Door, on the Dorset coast. Several landslides occurred earlier this month at nearby White Nothe.
Floods in Oman
Heavy rainfall caused flooding in Wadis. At least 30 people were rescued from Ibri, Oman. At least 320 people have had to be rescued in the last seven days.
Lightning strikes have claimed two lives. At least three others were injured.
Power outages have also been reported in Ghubra and Al Khuwayr, Muscat.
Landslide in North Carolina, USA
Heavy rainfall has caused a landslide in North Carolina near the Tennessee border. The landslide also hit homes on Robert's Hill Road just outside Marshall.
Interesting Images:
Lightning over the Eiffel Tower.
Giant storms on Saturn: Nasa's Cassini spacecraft captures incredible view of 'rose' hurricane 20 times bigger than any on Earth!
China Bird Flu - Update
The reach and number of H7N9 infections in China continued to expand over the past 3 days, with Hunan province reporting its first case and four others reporting six more, lifting the outbreak's total to 126.
Valley Fever Outbreak in San Francisco's Prisons
The federal receiver who controls medical care in California’s prisons is ordering thousands of high-risk inmates out of two Central Valley prisons in response to hundreds of hospitalizations and dozens of deaths due to valley fever.
The state corrections department has been ordered to exclude black, Filipino and other medically risky inmates from the two prisons because they are more susceptible to the airborne fungal infection, which originates in the region’s soil.
The receiver’s office says the order will affect about 40 percent of the more than 8,200 inmates in Avenal and Pleasant Valley state prisons.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Mount Etna Erupts again with spectacular fireworks:
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Spattering and lava effusion have increased from the NE hornito, feeding a new relatively large sustained lava flow on the Sciara del Fuoco. Activity has decreased a bit yesterday, but strong explosions and small lava overflows from the NE crater rim and a vent at the outer flank continued, accompanied by frequent rockfalls on the Sciara. At the moment, activity seems to be increasing again.
Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): New explosions have produced ash plumes rising to 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude this morning.
Paluweh (off Flores Island, Indonesia): Activity from the lava dome continues. A larger event (explosion and/or dome collapse) produced a fairly large ash plume rising to 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude that drifted 60 nautical miles NW this morning (VAAC Darwin).
Gaua (Vanuatu): The Wellington VAAC reported on 29 April that a Qantas Airline pilot noticed a possible ash plume from Gaua volcano.
The Vanuatu Geohazards keeps the alert at 1 (on a scale of 0-4)
White Island (New Zealand): Geonet has lowered the alert level of the volcano back to green (normal), following a gradual decline in seismic activity over the past weeks. Degassing remains intense, and after heavy rainfall during the recent past, a lake has been re-established at the main crater.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity at the volcano has picked up in the past 48 hours. Following an earthquake swarm on Saturday with volcanic-tectonic quakes of magnitudes up to 2.3, which was probably the result of a new magma batch rising, an increase in small emissions occurred yesterday with 71 events registered during 24 hours. The largest emission yesterday (at 10:33 local time) produced a steam and ash plume rising 1.2 km above the crater and drifted NE.
Fuego (Guatemala): Effusive activity has increased on the expense of weaker explosive activity. The two lava flows on the SW flank towards the Taniluyà and Ash canyon have reached 900 and 700 m length, respectively, and cause frequent avalanches (visible on the seismograph) that reach the vegetation.
Telica (Nicaragua): Seismic activity has decreased a bit in energy recently. Although the frequency of earthquakes has slowed down, the quakes, still above background levels, are now of higher magnitude.
Tungurahua (Ecuador): Following the initial explosions and ash emissions on Saturday, a significant new eruptive phase has started at the volcano. From 05h30 yesterday morning (local time), an explosion created a steam-ash column rising 4 km initially, then decreased and remained more or less sustained at 2.5 km height above the crater for 30 minutes. The plume drifted W and SW to more than 100 km and caused light ash falls in areas near and around the volcano, such as Banos, Chacauco, Bilbao, Cusúa, Juive Grande, Pondoa and Pillate.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.5 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.3 Earthquake hits the east central Pacific Ocean.
5.0 Earthquake hits eastern Sichuan, China.
NewsBytes:
Heavy rainfalls have caused flash floods in Singapore.
Avalanche on Mount Shirouma in Japan over the weekend claimed three lives. A fourth person has also been recovered from Mt Fuji in Japan. Two other climbers are still reported to be missing in the avalanche in Nagano prefecture.
"Nor’wester" claims five lives including two children in Tangail, Sirajganj and Gaibandha area of Bangladesh. Severe local storms during the pre-monsoon season in March, April and May in Bangladesh is called "Nor'wester" locally.
Bee deaths: EU to ban neonicotinoid pesticides
There is great concern across Europe about the collapse of bee populations.
Wild species such as honey bees are said by researchers to be responsible for pollinating around one-third of the world's crop production.
There is heated debate about what has triggered the widespread decline in bee populations. Besides chemicals, many experts point to the parasitic varroa mite, viruses that attack bees and neglect of hives.
Neonicotinoid chemicals in pesticides are believed to harm bees and the European Commission says they should be restricted to crops not attractive to bees and other pollinators.
But many farmers and crop experts argue that there is insufficient data.
Fifteen countries voted in favour of a ban - not enough to form a qualified majority. According to EU rules the Commission will now impose a two-year restriction on neonicotinoids.
The UK did not support a ban - it argues that the science behind the proposal is inconclusive. It was among eight countries that voted against, while four abstained.
Wildfires in Southwestern Serbia, Kosovo
Firefighters are still struggling to put out three fires near the southwestern Serbian town of Priboj. Strong wind is hindering efforts to put out the flames.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Etna (Sicily, Italy): The 13th New SE crater paroxysm is occurring this evening. Tall lava fountains rise from the central vent of the cone, and a lava flow has rapidly descended the slope into Valle del Bove. A dense tephra plume is rising several kilometers above the volcano and drifting to the NE where ash- and lapilli fall is occurring. Judging from the webcam images, lava fountains have now started, i.e. the main phase of the paroxysm has begun. A denser plume is rising from the New SE crater. Tremor continues to climb steeply.
Tungurahua (Ecuador): After a brief pause of just over a month, new eruptive activity has started in the form of gas and ash emissions, accompanied by many small earthquakes and weak tremor pulses. The activity caused light ash fall in areas near the volcano, in particular Juive Grande. IGPEN scientists sampled some of the ash, which is dark in color, which in turn suggests that it is from juvenile (fresh) magma that has started to rise and arrive at the summit and not the result of phreatic activity (pulverizing older rock). A new stronger eruptive phase in the coming days or weeks is therefore likely.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.1 Earthquake hits Tarapaca, Chile.
5.0 Earthquake hits eastern Honshu, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Volcano Islands off Japan.
Landslide in Kiambu County, Kenya
A landslide in Kenya's Kiambu county has killed three girls. The landslide occurred after heavy rainfall and has also blocked access to Kijabe Mission Hospital in Kiambu district.
Flash flooding in Houston, Texas, USA
Recent floods in Houston, TX has caused huge power outages. Several roads are closed in Harris County and Fort Bent County.
Other USA News:
An emergency declaration for flooding in North Dakota has been approved by President Obama.
A disaster has been declared for Kansas following a recent snowstorm.
Sea surface temperatures on the Northeast USA Unusually Warm
Sea surface temperatures in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem, which extends from Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of Maine and outward to the boundary of the continental shelf, increased dramatically to reach a record 57.2 degrees Fahrenheit, beating a previous record high in 1951. The average temperature over the past three decades has been typically lower than 54.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
The warmer ocean temperatures might be good news for beachgoers in the Northeast, but they could also disrupt ecosystems, along with the livelihoods that depend on them. Black sea bass, summer flounder, longfin squid, and butterfish have been migrating northeastward. Lobsters are migrating too, but at a slower rate.
Forest Fire in Israel
A new forest fire has broke out near Kfar Uriya located near Beit Shemesh, Israel, Jerusalem Post mentions. Around 200 people have been evacuated. About twenty firefighting crews are struggling to control the blaze.
At least two hikers were injured in the forest fire in Ben Shemen, near Modiin yesterday. They were immediately dispatched to Asaf Harofeh Hospital with minor burns.
A heat wave has caused several forest fire incidents across Israel.
China Bird Flu - Update
Fujian province reported its first H7N9 influenza case; the ninth area of eastern China to be affected by the virus; as other provinces reported six more infections, raising the outbreak total to 119.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): An increase in activity occurred yesterday. Lava started to effuse from one or two vents at the base of and on the outer flank below the NE hornito. It is currently extending on the upper part of the Sciara and produces strong rockfalls that reach the sea. The seismic signal shows increased tremor and continuous rockfalls on the Sciara, as well as large explosion signals at intervals of approx 15-30 minutes.
Etna (Sicily, Italy): Activity has continued to increase with near continuous strong strombolian explosions from the New SE crater, but it seems that the climax of the paroxysm with sustained lava fountains is yet to come, possibly very soon. The tremor has reached higher levels than during most of the previous paroxysms, but still rises. Strong strombolian-type explosions, probably accompanied by effusion of small lava flows continued all night from the New SE crater and produced strong glow visible through the fog around the summit. Rumblings were heard in nearby villages, but fog and clouds have been preventing detailed observations. The tremor has risen to high levels comparable with those during previous paroxysms, then decreased a bit and seems now to increase again. This pattern looks very similar to the 12 April paroxysm, one which was preceded by a long phase of very strong explosions, that culminated in lava fountaining only after the tremor had reached its peak.
Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): Ash plumes rising to 7,000 ft (2.1) km elevation from relatively strong strombolian activity were reported both yesterday and today. (VAAC Darwin)
Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): The rate and size of explosions from the lava dome has risen a bit when compared to the previous week. Some of the explosions, about 1-2 per hour, produce plumes almost 1 km high.
Pacaya (Guatemala): Weak strombolian activity from the Mackenney crater, well visible at night, continues and has been showing a gradual increase over the past days. This is also evident from the seismic recording. Some explosions can be heard in up to 3 km distance.
Fuego (Guatemala): The effusive eruptive activity continues to increase slowly. Two branches of the lava flow advanced to 500 m length towards the Ceniza and 400 m length to the Taniluyá canyon. Rockfalls from the flow fronts produce incandescent avalanches that reach the vegetation line. At the summit, strombolian activity has been weaker today, but continues with infrequent small explosion that eject bombs to 100 m height and produce small ash plumes. Activity has been increasing. Continuous stronger tremor today suggests an increase in effusion rate today. In INSIVUMEH's report from yesterday, the new lava flow was 400 m long and produced small avalanches towards the Ash Canyon. The number of explosions rose to 17, producing gray ash plumes rising 600 m above the crater and drifting 8-10 km to the west and SW. They were accompanied by weak rumblings and locomotive-like degassing sounds. Incandescent material was seen rising 100-200 m at night.
Sangay (Ecuador): Brief ash emissions were reported observed through satellite yesterday around noon. Ash plumes rose to about 25,000 ft (7.6 km) altitude or about 2 km above the volcano. There is no ground monitoring, and only rarely direct observations become available from the very remote and difficult-to-access volcano. It is likely that usually small strombolian-type activity has been going on in the summit crater for some time. This activity usually goes unnoticed, unless explosions occasionally increase and produce more significant ash plumes such as yesterday.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
No 5+ Earthquakes to Report Today.
Tsunami Debris Reaches California
Japanese fishing boat washed by 2011 tsunami has been confirmed as the first piece of debris to reach the coast of California. The 20-foot boat is the first remnant from the disaster zone to reach the state.
Tsunami boat belonging to the Takata High School in Rikuzentakata, in Iwate Prefecture of Japan reached Crescent City of California on April 7, 2013. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, and the Japanese Consulate in San Francisco confirmed this news.
NewsBytes:
Seasonal flooding in Afghanistan's Baghlan province kills a child and damages more than 50 houses.
A landslide in Mawo Village near Bijie City of China has claimed the lives of at least three villagers. Eight villagers were buried in the landslide. Five people are still reported to be missing.
Tornado in Bulacan region of Philippines has badly damaged several houses. No injury has been reported.
Mudslide in Zojila, Kashmir along the Srinagar-Kargil Road has claimed the life of one person. The mudslide swept a Tata-Mobile vehicle carrying three people into a gorge. Zoji La is a high mountain pass in India.
Floods in Trinidad & Tobago. Farmers in Plum Mitan are facing a period of hardship after losing their crops to floods following two days of heavy rain.
Drought in Marshall Islands
The Government in the Marshall Islands has declared a drought emergency following a severe drought in the northern Marshall Islands. Wotje Atoll, the northern Marshall Islands region has experienced zero rainfall on several of the previous months.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Etna (Sicily, Italy): Relatively intense strombolian activity and ash emissions continue at the New SE crater. INGV tremor data seems currently not to be available to see whether this is rising or not, and might be the beginning of another paroxysm. A steam and ash plume is rising about 1 km above the volcano.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity is on the increase again at the volcano, which currently is producing a strong steam plume illuminated by the glowing lava in the summit crater. This rise in activity was preceded by a moderate explosion late on 24 April (which could not be observed due to cloud cover) and during yesterday, the rate of small to moderate emissions of gas-steam-ash rose to about two per hour.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.2 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Andreanof Islands in the Aleutian Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Mariana Islands.
A 78-year-old man has been rescued five days after an earthquake hit southwestern China, killing 196 and making thousands homeless.
Storm and Drought in Thailand
A tropical storm damaged over 50 houses in Phitsanulok province while a severe drought continues to grip provinces across the country. The storm blew off roofs and destroyed rice fields and fruit orchards in many districts of Phitsanulok.
Hailstorm at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan
Hailstorm with rock-sized hailstones have claimed lives of three Afghans.
Up to 50 U.S. and Coalition military helicopters have been badly damaged.
Global Hottest and Coldest Temperatures
The week's hottest temperature was 114.8 degrees Fahrenheit (46.0 degrees Celsius) at Matam, Senegal.
The week's coldest temperature was minus 91.8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 68.8 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Vostok Antarctic research station.
Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.
Measles Virus Kills 100 Dolphins off Italian Coast
A viral strain that causes measles in humans has killed more than 100 striped dolphins that have washed up along Italy’s western coast from Tuscany to Calabria, as well as the island of Sicily so far this year.
The country’s National Institute of Marine Sciences said that the death rate among the striped dolphins has dropped abruptly this month, possibly indicating the outbreak has run its course.
The epidemic mostly affected young dolphins under the ages of 15 to 20 years.
Taiwan reports first H7N9 Bird Flu case
Taiwan health officials announced that a 53-year-old man who had recently traveled to China is hospitalized in critical condition with a novel H7N9 infection, the first such case to be detected outside of China.
China reports three more H7N9 cases; total to 112 - Two of China's provinces Thursday reported three more H7N9 influenza infections, while another province awaits test results for what may be its first case.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Activity remains elevated, with magma filling the NE crater to the rim and sometimes relatively strong explosions. No significant new overflows have occurred since the last update.
Etna (Sicily, Italy): Ash emissions and strombolian activity has continued since the last paroxysm and increased in frequency yesterday and today. The tremor signal has remained low, not suggesting that the volcano is in for another paroxysm at the moment, something quite different (so far) from the activity preceding the past paroxysms.
Kizimen (Kamchatka): The slow growth of the lava dome continues with no changes reported by KVERT: Moderate seismic activity, incandescence of the volcano summit, hot avalanches on the western and eastern volcanic flanks, and strong gas-steam activity accompany this process.
Tolbachik (Kamchatka): The eruption continues to produce lava flows from the Southern fissure on Tolbachinsky Dol. KVERT reports strong tremor at a very gradually decreasing rate over the past weeks.
Colima (Western Mexico): Activity consisting of rockfalls, small pyroclastic flows and weak explosions continue with little changes during the past days.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): A moderate-sized explosion occurred yesterday, producing an ash plume rising 1.2 km and throwing incandescent bombs to 500 m distance on the outer flanks of the volcano. Small explosions occur at an average rate of one per hour and a large steam plume is often rising to about 1 km above the crater. Incandescence continues to be visible at night at the crater. Small volcano-tectonic earthquakes have been relatively frequent during the past days as well.
Fuego (Guatemala): This morning, a new lava flow emerged from the crater and started to flow down the southern flank towards the Trinidad canyon, reaching a length of 300 meters. Explosions continue and produce ash plumes rising to 4-4.2 km altitude (300-500 m above the crater), generating weak to moderate rumbling avalanches. INSIVUMEH warns that this activity could increase towards a more intense eruptive phase in the coming days, with larger explosions, and possibly pyroclastic flows. The other active volcanoes in Guatemala have not changed in their activity: Pacaya has weak strombolian activity, while the lava dome of Santiaguito, relatively calm these days, produces occasional weak explosions and weak avalanches from the active flows descending the flanks of the dome.
Telica (Nicaragua): The earthquake swarm shows no sign of weakening. The frequency of quakes remains high, although most are very small in magnitudes.
San Cristobal (Nicaragua): Weak continuous volcanic tremor has slightly increased during the past days at the volcano.
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): Earthquakes and tremor have decreased to low levels again. Probably, the latest magmatic intrusion has come to an end (with no significant eruption).
Reventador (Ecuador): Activity has decreased lately, with only occasional small explosions and weak steaming observed. The MODIS data show no longer a hot spot, suggesting that lava effusion has more or less stopped.
Tungurahua (Ecuador): Activity (both internal and external) has remained low.
Wildfire near Moriarty, New Mexico, USA
A wildfire near Moriarty, New Mexico has burned one building.
At least 28 fire fighters from Torrance County, State Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service are struggling to control the fire.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.3 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.
5.2 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.2 Earthquake hits eastern Sichuan, China.
Yesterday's 5.7 Earthquake in Jalalabad, Afghanistan has claimed the lives of at least 23 people and injured dozens.
Landslide in Ecuador
Heavy rainfall caused landslide in Ecuador which has buried at least 14 people. The landslide occurred in Tabete in the Chinca district of Esmeraldas, a coastal province in Ecuador.
Flooding in Grafton, Illinois
Flood waters of the Mississippi River peak at more than 11 feet.
Fargo, North Dakota, is also preparing for flooding.
16 Tornadoes Tallied So Far This Year In Mississippi.
The number of tornadoes confirmed to have struck parts of Mississippi so far this year has risen to 16.
The National Weather Service reported Monday (April 22) that three tornadoes were confirmed from severe storms last Thursday in the Mississippi Delta region.
Landslide in Guizhou province of China claims 9
A landslide in Guizhou province in China has claimed the lives of nine people. At least two people are still missing.
Around 10,000 cubic meters of rock debris buried the workers. Rescue work is under way.
Can Earthquakes Actually Calm the Earth?
The magnitude-8.6 earthquake that struck the Indian Ocean in 2012 may have had a calming effect on the other quakes in the world, a new study has claimed.
The powerful quake near Sumatra, Indonesia, seemed to have actually quietened the global earthquakes, according to two reports presented at the Seismological Society of America's annual meeting in Salt Lake City.
The April 11, 2012 quake was the largest strike-slip shake-up (which moves horizontally) ever recorded.
Although the quake triggered earthquakes worldwide for up to six days, however, once the triggered quakes stopped, there was a sharp drop in moderate earthquakes for more than three months.
Seismic monitors detected no earthquakes bigger than magnitude 6.5 for 95 days. Normally, quakes of this size hit every 10 days.
It is suggested that the Indian Ocean earthquake's unusually energetic seismic waves, which traversed shallowly through Earth's crust for long distances, could have shifted stresses on faraway faults, delaying earthquakes globally.
Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak in Tibet
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) reported an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the Tibetan village of Shigatse, which has affected dozens of cattle.
According to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) yesterday, there were 32 cases of foot and mouth disease, and in total, 156 cattle, sheep and goats were culled to prevent the disease from spreading.
Drought in India
India may be heading for another bumper grain harvest, if the first forecast for this year’s monsoon proves correct, but the rain may be too little – and too late – for southern and western states already parched by the worst drought in four decades.
The unprecedented drought situation in the region has pushed wild animals to come out of their habitat in search of water.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.5 Earthquake hits the New Ireland region, Papua New Guinea.
5.7 Earthquake hits the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits near the enact coast of Honshu, Japan.
Earthquake swarm continues at the El Hierro volcano in the Canary Islands. More than 100 earthquakes of magnitude greater than 2 have been recorded in last 24 hours.
Flooding in Balkh, Afghanistan
Flooding in Balkh, Afghanistan has claimed the lives of thirteen people including two children.
The flooding occurred in the Sholgara and Kashandi districts in northern Balkh province in Afghanistan. The floods also washed away two schools and a clinic.
Flooding in Quezon city, Philippines
At least 300 families have been evacuated due to flooding in Quezon city, Philippines.
Floodwater also submerged more than 200 houses. Rescue teams are working in the Peacock Street area.
Other News:
Severe thunderstorm in south-east Queensland has injured one person.
Over 10000 families affected by floods in Murang'a county, Kenya.
Pre-monsoon rains are expected to lash India's drought-struck western parts over the next two to three days, bringing succour to thousands of farmers.
Comet
NASA released this photo of the Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) taken on April 10 by the Hubble Space Telescope, when it was slightly closer to the Earth than Jupiter. The nucleus of comet itself is only 3-4 miles in diameter but the dusty head of the comet is about 3,100 miles across. The current dust trail is 57,000 miles long, but will increase in size as it approaches the sun as frozen gases will be released. This comet could actually outshine the moon as it approaches the sun, getting closest on November 28 this year.
Forest Fire - Chile
Another forest fire in Valparaiso, Chile has destroyed at least 60 homes. Around 150 families have been evacuated from the fire zone.
The fire is burning on the La Cruz and Mariposas hills of Valparaiso.
Forest Fire - Mexico
Forest fire in San Luis Potosi, commonly called SLP or simply San Luis in Mexico has killed a woman of 55 years old. The woman couldn't successfully fight the fire and died due to carbon monoxide poisoning in Tamuin.
Around 11 forest fires are currently burning across San Luis Potosi. Forest fires in San Luis Potosi have burned 2,500 hectares and displaced more than 400 people.
Most of the displaced people are from the Lagunillas and Huasteca regions.
Bird Flu - China - Update
As of 23 April 2013, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) notified WHO of an additional four laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus.
To date, a total of 108 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in China, including 22 deaths have been reported to WHO.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): The small lava flow issuing from the breached NE crater continues, but has not progressed much. Frequent glowing rockfalls descend the Sciara del Fuoco.
Miyake-shima (Izu Islands): The earthquake swarm that started on 17 April and included a magnitude 5.6 quake has been decreasing and remained at the same depths at around 10-15 km just west off the island. This suggests that no magmatic intrusions have formed at shallower depths (so far) and the scenario of a (submarine) eruption is less likely.
Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): A stronger strombolian explosion produced an ash plume rising to 5,000 ft / 1.5 km this morning, which drifted 15 nautical miles to the NW (VAAC Darwin).
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity continues with no significant changes: weak emissions of steam/gas/ash occur at rates of approx. once per hour, and glow at night shows that magma continues to arrive slowly in the summit crater.
Telica (Nicaragua): Numerous small volcanic earthquakes continue at high frequency at the volcano, accompanied by continuous tremor.
San Cristobal (Nicaragua): Numerous small volcanic earthquakes have merged into weak continuous volcanic tremor.
Masaya (Nicaragua): Seismic activity has generally remained low and near normal levels at the volcano over the past weeks.
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): The frequency and size of earthquakes has diminished, but is still above normal levels, and suggests that the intrusion of fresh magma is not yet over. A volcanic-tectonic earthquake of magnitude 2.9 occurred this morning at a depth of 7.24 km NW of the Arenas crater. The other Colombian volcanoes have not shown significant variations in activity: Weak seismic unrest continues at Machin, Cumbal and Sotara volcanoes with no surface activity. Nevado del Huila has remained in a degassing state with average low seismicity during the past weeks, while Galeras volcano produces occasional steam and ash emissions.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.6 Earthquake hits the Rat Islands in the Aleutian Islands.
5.5 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Islands.
5.1 Earthquake hits east of the Kuril Islands.
Flooding in India
Heavy unseasonal rains due to the presence of a trough that hovered from Madhya Pradesh to south Tamil Nadu across Rayalaseema and Telangana lashed various parts of the state and have left behind a trail of destruction. Almost all seasonal crops were damaged in the four North Coastal districts of the state.
Interesting Images:
The aurora borealis appeared just north of a snow-covered Canada in this image taken from the International Space Station.
Nipah Virus in Bangladesh
24 cases of Nipah virus infection have been reported in Bangladesh since the beginning of 2013, of which 21 cases have died.
Nipah virus is an emerging zoonotic infection which causes encephalitis and respiratory illness in people.
Bird Flu Found in German Turkeys
Germany has reported new cases of a low pathogenic bird flu virus at two turkey farms in the northwestern part of the country, the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) said on Monday.
German authorities reported to the OIE that 10 infected turkeys were found last week in Badbergen, Lower Saxony, leading to the culling of 7,920 animals.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Magma stands high inside the conduits. A small overflow is occurring from the NE crater. The lava flow reaches about 100 meters length at the moment. Tremor and explosion signals are moderate to elevated.
Shiveluch (Kamchatka): A possible explosion or partial lava dome collapse produced a modest ash plume yesterday rising to 12,000 ft (3.7 km) altitude (VAAC Tokyo). KVERT reports no significant changes and continues to record moderate tremor levels, indicating that magma continues to rise and slowly build up the lava dome.
Tolbachik (Kamchatka): No changes were reported in the eruption. Lava flows continue to effuse from the southern fissure on Tolbachinsky Dol, and tremor levels remain stable (KVERT).
Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): Strombolian activity continues. A stronger explosion yesterday produced an ash plume rising to 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude detected on satellite (VAAC Darwin).
Soputan (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): Indonesian volcanologists raised the alert level to 3 out of 4 ("Siaga", alert) on 19 April. The decision was based on an increase in block avalanches and seismicity including numerous volcanic-tectonic VA earthquakes (rock fracturing) and long-period VB events corresponding to internal fluid movements.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Activity has decreased to about one emission of gas/steam/minor amounts of ash per hour over the past few days. Glow remains visible at night from the crater.
Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Explosions of moderate size have been observed producing ash plumes reaching up to 900 m height, and causing light ash fall in the areas of Finca El Rosario and near San Marcos Palajunoj. Strong degassing noises were sometimes heard and some avalanches occurred from the flows on the NE and S sides of the active lava dome.
Pacaya (Guatemala): Weak strombolian activity continues from Mackenney crater, accompanied by visible incandescence at night.
Fuego (Guatemala): An increase in strombolian activity has been observed. Explosions eject incandescent material to 100-150 m height and creates avalanches when falling back onto the slopes. Ash plumes from this activity have been rising 300-600 m.
Telica (Nicaragua): The seismic swarm continues with frequent, but smaller earthquakes compared to the previous week.
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): The earthquakes swarm at depths between 5-9 km continues with increasingly strong quakes, and accompanied by continuous volcanic tremor (since 10 April), indicating an ongoing magmatic intrusion. Some of the recent earthquakes were above magnitude 4 and felt in areas near Manizales town. The volcano is now producing a plume of gas and ash rising to about 800 meters and light ash fall has occurred in various parts of Tolima.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.0 Earthquake hits Guerrero, Mexico.
5.6 Earthquake hits the Rat Islands in the Aleutian Islands.
5.6 Earthquake hits the Andreanof Islands in the Aleutian Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Rat Islands in the Aleutian Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
5.0 Earthquake hits east of the Kuril Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits eastern Nei Mongol, China.
China Quake Update: 207 people are dead or missing after the quake, and 11,500 are injured, 960 of them seriously. More than 1,300 aftershocks have been felt in the area since the 6.6 magnitude quake struck at 08:02 local time (00:02 GMT) on Saturday.
China Bird Flu - Update
The number of novel H7N9 flu cases in China rose steadily over the weekend, with reports of 11 more infections pushing the total so far to 102, while the death toll reaches 20.
Lyrid Meteor Shower
The annual Lyrid meteor shower will peak Sunday and Monday, but the moon's bright light may spoil the celestial fireworks display.
The Lyrid meteor shower occurs each year in mid-April when the Earth passes through a trail of dusty debris from the Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1), which orbits the sun once every 415 years. Humans have been observing this particular meteor shower for at least 2,600 years.
Typically, the Lyrid meteor shower is a relatively faint stargazing event, though observers with clear dark skies away from city lights can usually spot up to 15 or 20 meteors an hour.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.2 Earthquake hits the Izu Islands off Japan.
5.3 Earthquake hits Honduras.
5.2 Earthquake hits eastern Sichuan, China.
Update: China earthquake toll rises to 164, injuries at 6,700.
5.2 Earthquake hits eastern Sichuan, China.
5.0 Earthquake hits Taiwan.
5.0 Earthquake hits eastern Sichuan, China.
Tropical storm wreaks havoc over Dominica
A violent storm moving across the Caribbean island of Dominica on Friday has resulted in casualties as mudslides have destroyed roads and rivers have run amok. The severe rainfall has caused landslides in the localities of Bagatelle, Petite Savanne, Delices, Portsmouth and Capuchin. The storm and heavy rainfall are a result of a low pressure trough system moving across the region.
Other News:
Floods force evacuations in New Zealand. The wet weather has already caused flooding in parts of the Bay of Plenty. Dozens of people were evacuated from Waihi Beach yesterday after flooding in the area.
Sweden's weather agency has warned that the floods that caused severe disruptions in and around Uppsala on Friday will intensify, and weather warnings were issued for the north and south of the country as well.
The US National Weather Service in Binghamton, New York has confirmed that a tornado touched down near Bainbridge in Chenango county of south-central New York on Friday evening.
China Bird Flu - Update
Another bird flu death in China as number of infected grows to 95.
One of the odd mysteries posed by the H7N9 influenza virus emerging in China is why most of the patients are on the older side; a fact that stands in sharp contrast to the pattern seen with the other deadly crossover avian virus, H5N1.
Drought in Australia
The dreaded spectre of drought is sweeping across South Australia once more - plunging the farming community into despair as pasture feed for livestock dries up and supplementary feeding costs soar. The big dry is affecting the whole farming community.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.8 Earthquake hits western Sichuan, China.
Reports of at least 156 people dead and more than 5,500 injured by the 6.8 magnitude earthquake which struck the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan on Saturday. The quake toppled buildings, triggered landslides and disrupted phone and power connections in mountainous Lushan county. The village of Longmen was hit particularly hard, with authorities saying nearly all the buildings there had been destroyed in a frightening minute-long shaking by the quake.
6.1 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
6.0 Earthquake hits the Kuril islands.
5.9 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
5.8 Earthquake hits south of Timor.
5.6 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
5.4 Earthquake hits New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
5.3 Earthquake hits the Bouvet Islands.
5.1 Earthquake hits western Sichuan, China.
5.1 Earthquake hits western Sichuan, China.
5.1 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.0 Earthquake hits northwest of the Kuril Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits western Sichuan, China.
5.0 Earthquake hits southern Iran.
5.0 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits eastern Sichuan, China.
5.0 Earthquake hits Lake Albert, Congo.
Floods Shut Mississippi and Illinois River Locks - USA
Barge shipping was halted on Friday on parts of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers as flooding forced the closure of several locks until at least the middle of next week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said. The closures come three months after near-record-low water along the Mississippi River near St. Louis threatened to halt commercial barge traffic.
Some 60 percent of U.S. grain export shipments are moved on barges on the Mississippi and its tributaries from production centers in the Midwest to export terminals at the Gulf of Mexico.
Torrential rains this week flooded broad swaths of Illinois and neighboring states, slowing farmer deliveries of grain to elevators and further delaying the start of corn planting in many areas. Crests on the swollen Mississippi and Illinois rivers were not expected to arrive until Sunday at the earliest in northern areas and several days later further south.
Other News:
Floods invade homes, cut off roads in western Finland.
More than 1,000 beehives across Queensland, Australia were destroyed during this season's floods and extreme weather events.
A tornado touched down Thursday afternoon in the community of Shelburne, about 100 kilometres northwest of Toronto, Canada.
Climate Change Threatens Food Security in Asia and Africa
Growing crops is predicted to become more difficult if not impossible in parts of Africa and Asia as global climate change shifts rainfall patterns and temperatures.
Millions of people across Africa and parts of Asia could become destitute and face a mounting threat of starvation in the coming decades as greenhouse gas-induced climate change shifts how and where crops can be grown.
That was one of the issues being discussed at an international conference in Dublin, convened to examine the link between food security and global warming.
Many researchers and activists there believe climate change may spell lower crop yields, higher food prices and widespread hunger later on in the 21st century.
As the climate of the Earth continues to change, there are concerns that extreme weather and changing seasonal precipitation patterns will limit both crop yields and livestock production.
Warmer weather may also exacerbate the spread of disease, fungi, and insect pests.
Some regions are already experiencing the effects of climate change, says Ertharin Cousin, executive director of the UN’s World Food Programme. Speaking in Ireland, she warned that “we are entering an uncertain and risky period.”
China Bird Flu - Update
The Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission notified WHO of an additional four laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus from Jiangsu 1 (0) and Zhejiang 3 (0). No additional death has been reported.
Health officials raised further questions on Friday about the source of the new strain of bird flu infecting humans in China after data indicated that more than half of patients had had no contact with poultry.
The H7N9 virus has been found in 87 people, mostly in eastern China, and killed 17. But it is not clear how people are becoming infected and the World Health Organisation (WHO) says there is no evidence of the most worrying scenario - sustained transmission between people.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Activity remains elevated, but the new lava flow is no longer much alimented at the moment. INGV Catania corrected initial reports in that the lava flow front had actually NOT reached the sea during the night 17-18 April, but only about half way. Most likely, observers had confused glowing blocks detaching from the flow and descending to the sea with an actual coherent lava flow.
Etna (Sicily, Italy): Weak explosive activity persists at the New SE crater, which has been producing small ash emissions throughout the day yesterday. During the night, a small lava flow emerged from the fissure that cuts through the cone on its eastern flank.
Tolbachik (Kamchatka): KVERT reports no significant changes in the eruption. Tremor has remained at similar levels as during the past week, and lava flows continue to erupt from the southern fissure. Several other sites however mentioned that the thermal and (sometimes visible incandescence) signal have dropped a lot, suggesting that an end of the eruption could be close.
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): After a rather calm phase during 4-17 April, the volcano is gradually wakening up again. Vulcanian-style explosions have begun to occur more "frequently" again, at rates of 1-2 per day. Ash plumes rose to 6-8,000 ft (1.8-2.4 km) altitude during the most recent few explosions.
Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): An eruption sent an ash plume to 7,000 ft altitude this morning. The plume extended 25 nautical miles to the west, VAAC Darwin reported.
Paluweh (off Flores Island, Indonesia): The lava dome remains active. An ash plume rose to 7,000 ft this morning, probably caused by an explosion or another partial dome collapse.
White Island (New Zealand): Volcanic tremor remains unstable and has risen again a bit recently.
Kilauea (Hawai'i): The eruption has not changed significantly over the past weeks, with continuing activity in both the summit lava lake and lava flows on the rift zone, reaching the sea. A new inflation cycle has started yesterday and the lava lake in the Halema'uma'u summit crater, at about 30 m below the crater floor, has risen a bit.
Mount St. Helens (Washington): (Very) tiny earthquakes occur regularly at the volcano, but nothing suggests anything unusual going on at the volcano for the moment.
Colima (Western Mexico): Explosions, rockfalls and small pyroclastic flows, as well as volcanic earthquakes have increased and become more frequent at the volcano. Hot pyroclastic deposits on the eastern flank of the volcano are visible on recent MODIS satellite image data.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): A stronger-then-usual explosion occurred last night (23:23 h local time) and produced a plume of ash rising about 2 km above the crater. Incandescent fragments were thrown to distances of 900 m. During the day, CENPRED recorded several weak phases of tremor, accompanied by emissions of steam, gas and sometimes ash occurring at rates of approx. 1 per hour.
Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): INSIVUMEH reports weak to moderate explosions producing dense grey ash plumes rising to up to 1 km above the lava dome and drifting west for more than 10 km. The lava flows have picked up activity as well and advanced within the gullies of Nima Nima I and II.
Pacaya (Guatemala): After a few days with no or very little activity, incandescence and weak strombolian activity have resumed at the Mackenney crater.
Fuego (Guatemala): Activity has been low, with only few (less than 10) small to moderate explosions observed during most days.
Telica (Nicaragua): The earthquake swarm continues, with increasingly large volcanic quakes (up to magnitude 3), many of which are showing up on INTETER's country-wide earthquake list as well. However, there is still no official report about anything unusual going on, which suggests that the swarm is not regarded as alarming.
Poas (Costa Rica): Minor volcanic unrest that had affected the volcano in the past days seems to be over.
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): The earthquake swarm continues with increasingly large volcanic quakes. The magmatic intrusion is reflected also in increased SO2 emissions.
Copahue (Chile/Argentina): Volcanic unrest has been declared over and the volcanic alert level was lowered back to green, as well as the hazard level for the community of Alto Biobio.
Laguna del Maule (Central Chile): The latest report of Sernageomin indicates that volcanic unrest continues at reduced intensity. GPS measurements show that the central part of the volcanic edifice has been experiencing uplift at a rate of 1.4 cm / month and a horizontal displacement to the west at a rate of 0.64 cm / month. Another station, located in the southwest of the caldera has in turn showing displacement to the SW. This indicates clearly that a small bulge (presumably caused by intruding magma) has formed in the central part of the Laguna del Maule.
Nyiragongo (DRCongo): A strong SO2 plume is drifting west from the volcano, indicating that the lava lake remains well active.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
7.2 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
No tsunami warning was issued and no damage is expected. This is the third 7.0+ quake this month - 7.0 Papua Indonesia on 6/04/2013 and 7.8 Iran/Pakistan on 16/04/2013.
5.7 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
5.5 Earthquake hits Fiji.
5.3 Earthquake hits the southwestern Ryukyu Islands off Japan.
5.3 Earthquake hits the southern east Pacific rise.
5.1 Earthquake hits Honduras.
Storm in Kolkata, India
Storm in Kolkata, India has claimed the lives of three people including a three-year-old girl. The storms disrupted the flight services at NSC Bose International airport. Several local trains from Howrah station were also cancelled or delayed.
Flooding in Chicago
Flash flood emergency has been declared in Chicago. Four to six inches of rain has fallen in the past 24 hours over most of Northern Illinois.
Heavy rain and flooding opened a large sinkhole in Chicago. The sinkhole injured one person and swallowed three cars in the South Deering neighborhood on the Southeast Side of Chicago.
Tornado in Butler, Oklahoma
An EF-2 tornado touched down in Butler, Oklahoma, injuring one person.
Flooding in Uppsala, Sweden
Dozens of houses are reported to be flooded in Uppsala, Sweden. The Fyrisån river has risen by more than 20cm.
Indonesian rainforest to be open for business
The Indonesian government has said it aims to approve within a month a plan that would free up vast swathes of protected virgin rainforest on Sumatra island for commercial exploitation.
Rights groups reacted with outrage at the news that the plan, which also needs to be passed by the Aceh provincial parliament, was making progress, saying it would only benefit huge foreign companies and not the area's people. But Canadian mining company East Asia Minerals, which conducts gold exploration in Aceh, hailed the progress as "positive news for mineral extraction in the area". The government aimed to approve the plan "in up to a month". Rights groups say it will free up around 1.2 million hectares (three million acres) to be cleared.
The head of the Aceh parliamentary committee overseeing the project said it had a lot of support in the legislature. "We hope it will go through as soon as possible." Approval of the plan would open up the forest, on the northern tip of Sumatra province and home to critically endangered orangutans, rhinos, and elephants, for mining, paper and palm oil plantations.
The Aceh government banned the granting of new logging permits six years ago to protect the forest, but a new administration that came in last year is in favour of allowing logging again.
Tanzania Dolphin Slaughter Linked to Shark Fin Trade
Local fishermen in coastal Tanzania are killing dolphins to be used as bait for sharks. The high demand for shark fin soup is causing an alarming rise in the killing of dolphins off the coast of Tanzania, which an official says fishermen use illegally as bait for the predatory fish.
Most dolphins have been protected by the country’s fisheries regulations since 2009.
Tourists have reported seeing the “distressing” killing of dolphins within plain sight.
Dolphins are being actively targeted by dynamite fishermen around the city of Dar es Salaam because “their flesh makes a very good bait for sharks.”
While the slaughter of dolphins to feed the illicit shark fin market is disturbing to many, researchers recently warned that as many as one in 15 of all sharks on the planet are fished from the oceans each year.
The trend threatens to put the species on the path to extinction.
Global Hottest and Coldest Temperatures for the Week
The week's hottest temperature was 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit (47.0 degrees Celsius) at Matam, Senegal.
The week's coldest temperature was minus 94.5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 70.3 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Vostok Antarctic research station.
Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): The activity continued throughout the night and the lava flow has reached the sea at the base of the Sciara del Fuoco. A new larger lava flow from the NE vent has started this afternoon to descend the Sciara del Fuoco, accompanied by glowing rockfalls and strong tremor. The eruption was preceded by very large strombolian explosions during the morning.
Etna (Sicily, Italy): It seems likely that another paroxysm is in the making at the New SE crater: Strombolian explosions have continued throughout the night and this morning, and have been intensifying. Lava seems to have appeared at several vents on the fissure cutting through the New SE crater and the tremor signal is steeply rising.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): (17 Apr) Activity has dropped a bit but remains essentially unchanged. CENPRED reported 1-2 emissions of steam and minor ash amounts per hour today, a steam and gas plume rising up to 1 km as well as continuing glow at the crater.
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): (17 Apr) Strong degassing and minor ash venting continue creating a plume reaching 1000 m above the crater today. The seismic swarm has decreased in strength, but goes on.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.8 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Kuril Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits Luzon in the Philippines.
Landslide in Western Kenya
Landslide in Olutrot village in Narok county destroyed several houses and buried two children.
Floods have also displaced about 1,920 people in Garissa after the Tana river burst its banks.
Flash flooding in southeast Iowa, USA
Heavy rainfall has caused flash flooding in southeast Iowa. Flash flood warnings have been issued to affected areas.
Tornado in Qixing, China
Tornado in the Qixing district of China has injured at least six people. The tornado also damaged twenty-two houses.
Hailstorms in Odisha, India
Hailstorms in Balasore area of Odisha have injured at least three people. Electricity and telecommunication facilities have also been disrupted.
Locusts Invasions in Central and Southern Madagascar
Swarms of locusts have invaded Madagascar. The central and southern regions are the most affected, hampering the already fragile recovery efforts from the effects of cyclone “Haruna” in February 2013.
This invasion by the locusts has brought about a new humanitarian crisis in the country. Over 60% of the country is currently infested and the locust infestations, if untreated, could wipe out food crops and livestock grazing lands – and with it the family’s ability to provide for itself.
The government has no funds, no pesticides and no equipment to spray pesticides, even if they had them.
China Bird Flu - Update
The Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission notified WHO of an additional 19 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus. Of the latest laboratory confirmed cases, there are nine from Zhejiang Province, seven from Shanghai Municipality and three from Jiangsu Province.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Etna (Sicily, Italy): New activity has started from the New SE crater last night, when incandescent degassing vents were visible at the crater. This activity has progressively increased during the night and produced strombolian bursts during the second half of the night. Tremor has been showing a slow increase.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.8 Earthquake hits near the coast of New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.
Initial reports suggest the region has escaped serious damage. A quake of this strength has the potential to generate localized tsunamis within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the epicenter.
5.6 Earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia.
5.6 Earthquake hits the Iran-Pakistan border region.
5.5 Earthquake hits near the south coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.1 Earthquake hits Mindanoa in the Philippines.
5.1 Earthquake hits Yunnan, China.
5.0 Earthquake hits south western Ryukyu Islands, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits south western Ryukyu Islands, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits south western Ryukyu Islands, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Iran-Pakistan border region.
5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Mentawai, Indonesia.
Storms in Thailand
More than 150 houses, rice barns and mills, and animal farms in Surin were destroyed after a tropical storm hit this northeastern province Tuesday evening.
Tropical waves wreaked havoc on Thai coastal villages. The fierce tropical storm in the Gulf of Thailand stranded more than 70 fishing boats in this seaboard province ashore due to huge waves, about four metres high.
Other News:
An avalanche in Dalvík, a village in Iceland has injured one skier.
Floods damage 6000 hectares of crops in Extremadura, Spain.
Floods continue across Kenya. 8 people reported to have died in recent floods in the North Rift.
The US National Weather Service has confirmed that at least 21 tornadoes tore across 6 states over the southern U.S. last Wednesday and Thursday. Of the 21 tornadoes 9 were in Alabama, 4 in Missouri, 4 in Arkansas, 2 in Georgia, 1 in Mississippi, and 1 in Louisiana.
China Bird Flu - Update
The eastern China epicenter of the H7N9 avian flu outbreak reported 14 new cases Tuesday, along with two more deaths, moving the total to 78 cases, 16 of them fatal.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): A large SO2 plume was detected from the volcano today, suggesting that elevated activity is occurring.
Manam (Papua New Guinea): Eruptions continue. An ash plume rose to 10,000 ft (3 km) altitude this morning and the Rabaul Volcano Observatory raised the alert level to 3, following a strong increase in seismic activity. The aviation colour code is at orange.
Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): An explosion this morning produced an ash plume rising to 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude.
Paluweh (off Flores Island, Indonesia): Activity from the lava dome continues, in the form of explosions and rockfalls/pyroclastic flows due to mass loss from the dome. An ash plume was observed this morning rising to 7,000 ft (2.1 km) altitude and drifting 20 nautical miles to the east (VAAC Darwin).
Dukono (Halmahera): Increased SO2 emissions appear on today's NOAA satellite data, suggesting the volcano is in a phase of increased activity.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): The volcano remains in a state of elevated activity. Phases of medium to strong tremor occurred this morning at the volcano, although these were not associated by significant changes in the current observed activity: CENAPRED reported near-continuous degassing / steaming, and 35 emissions over the past 24 hours, the strongest of which ejected incandescent fragments out of the crater and produced small ash plumes rising up to 1.5 km height above the crater. Moderate glow from the growing lava dome remains visible at night.
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): An eruption is underway at the volcano. The seismic swarm has continued and is increasing, with quakes as large as magnitude 3.2 this morning. The hypocenters of the seismic swarm, caused by intruding magma, is at 5-9 km depth 6 km NW below the Arenas craters. INGEOMINAS reports ongoing strong degassing and ash venting. A modest SO2 anomaly is visible on the latest (yesterday's) NOAA satellite data, which confirms fresh magma rising below the volcano.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
7.8 Earthquake hits the Iran-Pakistan border region.
Initial reports: At least 15 people were killed and several others injured in the Panjgur and Mashkeel areas of Balochistan. Around 50 people sustained injuries in Karachi in incidents of roof collapse. Over 1,000 houses were partially damaged in Balochistan.
An Iranian government official said he expected hundreds of deaths from the earthquake. “It was the biggest earthquake in Iran in 40 years and we are expecting hundreds of dead,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
5.5 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.
5.3 Earthquake hits Arunachal Pradesh, India.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Sunda Strait, Indonesia.
5.1 Earthquake hits Fiji.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
Dust storm in Chhattisgarh, India
Dust storm in Chhattisgarh, India has claimed the lives of at least six people. Storm injured around 25 people and damaged more than 150 houses. Train services were also affected.
Tropical Cyclone Imelda
Imelda continues to approach Mauritius and remains a threat to the islands.
Winds of 120Km/h have been recorded at Rodrigues Island. Cyclone Warning for Rodrigues is level four.
Other News:
At least four skiers have died in weekend avalanches in the French Alps. Three died in an avalanche in Dent Parrachee mountains in the Savoie region and one other died in an avalanche in Champsaur.
An avalanche in Kashmir, India has claimed the lives of at least three people.
A landslide has damaged more than 80 meters of the highway in Longchang Town, Kaili City in Guizhou Province of China.
China Bird Flu - Update
As of 15 April 2013 (18:00 CET), the National Health and Family Planning Commission notified WHO of an additional nine laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with influenza A(H7N9) virus. Of the latest laboratory confirmed cases, four are from Zhejiang, three are from Shanghai and two from Jiangsu.
A team of international experts have arrived in China to assist with the spreading outbreak.
Drought in New Zealand
For sheep and beef farms, the average profit will be more than halved and the impact of the drought will linger for another year or two as farmers cull breeding stock this year at cheap prices, but will probably face higher costs to replace stock next year.
China drought hits millions
More than 20 million people in China are affected by a drought in the country's south-west.
Fears that the Dust Bowl may be coming back - USA
The 2013 drought season is off to a worse start than in 2012 or 2011. It's a good indicator, based on historical records, that the entire year will be drier than last year, even if spring and summer rainfall and temperatures remain the same.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Bagana (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea): Activity at the volcano continues. A volcanic ash plume was observed at 6,000 ft (1.8 km) altitude and extending 15 nautical miles to the S and W.
White Island (New Zealand): Tremor remains unstable. After a period of low intensity, strong tremor has reappeared today, reflecting internal fluid movements and degassing.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Another, but weaker episode of strong volcanic tremor and near-continuous emissions occurred yesterday at 15:50 (local time), creating a plume of steam, gas and ash rising 900 m and drifting NE. After a few hours, activity decreased again to individual small explosions at a rate of about 1 per hour, such as one captured on the webcam a few minutes ago.
Telica (Nicaragua): The earthquake swarm continues with little changes.
Masaya (Nicaragua): Seismic activity is unstable, with a phase of weak tremor (and a regional earthquake) visible on this morning's seismogram.
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): The earthquake swarm with weak volcanic tremor continues, associated with internal fluid movements and steam and ash venting, creating a plume observed rising 630 m above the volcano this morning. The volcano-tectonic earthquakes , i.e. the likely location of new intruding magma, are located in northwest of Arenas crater, at an average depth of 7 km. The largest recorded quake was a magnitude 2.6 event at 22:43 (local time) last night, felt by officials of the Colombia National Parks in the area of Brisas.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.2 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
Killer Mississippi Tornado - Update
A large and violent tornado tore a destructive path across two counties in east-central Mississippi, USA on Thursday, leaving one person dead and several others injured.
The National Weather Service reported the killer EF-3 tornado with 145 mph winds, tracked 68.4 miles from Kemper County across Noxubee County, before lifting as it moved over the Alabama state line into western Pickens County. The tornado was on the ground for over a hour and a half from 11:31 a.m. to 1:06 p.m. Thursday with a track of 56 miles in Mississippi and 12.37 miles in Alabama.
Numerous homes suffered significant damage. Along the entire track, thousands of trees were snapped and uprooted with dozens of power poles bent or downed.
Scientists Find Antarctic Ice is Melting Faster
The summer ice melt in parts of Antarctica is at its highest level in 1,000 years, Australian and British researchers reported on Monday, adding new evidence of the impact of global warming on sensitive Antarctic glaciers and ice shelves.
Researchers from the Australian National University and the British Antarctic Survey found data taken from an ice core also shows the summer ice melt has been 10 times more intense over the past 50 years compared with 600 years ago.
"It's definitely evidence that the climate and the environment is changing in this part of Antarctica," lead researcher Nerilie Abram said.
Abram and her team drilled a 364-metre (400-yard) deep ice core on James Ross Island, near the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, to measure historical temperatures and compare them with summer ice melt levels in the area.
They found that, while the temperatures have gradually increased by 1.6 degrees Celsius (2.9 degrees Fahrenheit) over 600 years, the rate of ice melting has been most intense over the past 50 years.
That shows the ice melt can increase dramatically in climate terms once temperatures hit a tipping point.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Activity has remained more or less unchanged. Explosions, sometimes strong continue from several vents,and small amounts of viscous lava overspills the rims of the NE crater.
Shiveluch (Kamchatka): KVERT reports no significant change in the activity (seismic and surface). Lava flows continue to effuse from the southern fissure. Tremor remains high, although it has continued to slowly decrease. The other active Kamchatkan volcanoes have not shown variations reported: Sheveluch, Bezymianny, Kizimen continue to build their lava domes, Karymsky has occasional small explosions. Seismicity at Gorely volcano remains moderate, caused by internal fluid movements and strong degassing.
Sakurajima (Kyushu, Japan): After 8 days with no reports about explosions, a small eruption last night made it back into the list of Tokyo VAAC reports of ash plumes. The explosion produced an ash plume rising to 6,000 ft (1.8 km) altitude.
Batu Tara (Sunda Islands, Indonesia): Relatively large strombolian explosions at the volcano regularly produce ash plumes rising 5-7,000 ft (1.5-2.1 km) altitude and are visible on satellite data.
Lokon-Empung (North Sulawesi, Indonesia): Another relatively large eruption occurred this morning around 9am local time. The explosion produced an ash plume reported 4 km high (or: altitude?), and strong vibrations felt in up to 5 km distance.h a height of 1580 meters was still in alert status to level III. Authorities advise not to approach the volcano's summit within 2.5 km radius, which was declared a prohibited zone (villagers often go there to collect wood, grass etc.).
Colima (Western Mexico): After a week of relatively high activity, the volcano has been a bit calmer yesterday and today, although there are still frequent rockfalls and small explosions from the growing lava dome.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): Yesterday and during the night, the volcano experienced a phase of continuous emissions and explosions that ejected incandescent tephra onto the upper outer slopes of the volcano and created a plume of steam and some ash rising 500 m above the volcano. This was accompanied by strong tremor as well. At the moment, activity has again calmed down significantly. Glow at the summit shows that the lava dome continues to grow.
Santa María / Santiaguito (Guatemala): Activity has been low recently. Few weak to moderate explosions continue to occur from time to time at the lava dome, with ash plumes reported 5-700 m high and drifting for about 10 km to the west.
Pacaya (Guatemala): INSIVUMEH's latest bulletin confirms that a small lava lake is present in the Mackenney crater at a depth of 40 meters and generating mostly small strombolian explosions that eject material to the NW flank. These explosions generated weak rumbling sounds. According to INSIVUMEH, activity is likely to pick up in the coming days as the crater is gradually filling up.
Fuego (Guatemala): Activity has remained relatively low. Only few explosions were observed during yesterday, generating fine ash plumes rising up to about 800 m.
Telica (Nicaragua): Seismic activity continues to be strong, but has eased a bit during the past days.
Concepción (Nicaragua): A small swarm of earthquakes and small tremor pulses occurred yesterday.
San Cristobal (Nicaragua): Seismic activity has generally remained low over the past weeks. A phase of more frequent small volcanic earthquakes and some tremor occurred yesterday and has eased again.
Masaya (Nicaragua): The volcano experienced what appears to be a seismic swarm and a phase of increased tremor during the night, but has calmed down again by now.
Machin (Colombia): On April 13 at 15:54 (local time), a volcano-tectonic earthquake of magnitude 2.8 associated with rock fracturing within the volcanic edifice occurred southwest of the main dome a depth of 7.4 km, and was felt by residents near the volcano, in the municipality of Cajamarca, in the village of Toche and the area known as Moral (Tolima).
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): A swarm of volcanic earthquakes is continuing under the volcano, and emissions of gas, steam and some ash remain elevated.
Reventador (Ecuador): A MODIS hot spot at the summit and fluctuating moderate levels of seismicity suggest that slow lava extrusion and occasional explosions continue. Tungurahua volcano in turn has remained calm.
Lascar (Northern Chile): The incandescence observed at the crater due to hot gas emissions has decreased during 12-13 April and was no longer visible during last night.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.5 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.
6.0 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits the northern Mid-atlantic ridge.
Flash floods in Faryab, Afghanistan
Flash floods in the Faryab region of Afghanistan have claimed the lives of seven people. The road between Balcheragh district to the provincial capital has been washed away.
Avalanches in Cascade mountains east of Seattle, Washington State, USA
At least two people are reported to be missing in two separate avalanches in the Cascade mountains in Washington State. The avalanches occurred near the Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle.
Bird Flu - Update
A new analysis of H7N9 genetic sequences from the first Chinese patients infected with the virus and from poultry markets found more signals that the virus can attach and replicate efficiently in the airways of humans and other mammals, raising concerns about the virus's pandemic potential.
China's H7N9 tally reaches 49 with the death toll rising to 13.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Etna (Sicily, Italy): Following yesterday's paroxysm, it seems that a new effusive vent has opened at the SE base of the New SE crater.
Ruapehu (North Island): GNS reported that "the temperature of Crater Lake has started to rise and has now reached 30°C. It has been accompanied by some minor volcanic tremor. The chemistry data from our last sampling trip confirms the decline of temperature in the deep geothermal system.
Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): A phase of stronger, continuous emissions has started short time ago, accompanied by strong tremor. Over the past days, the volcano had been relatively calm, with 1-2 weak gas-steam-ash explosions per hour.
Galeras (Colombia): Small ash explosions continue to occur almost each day.
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): A (probably shallow) seismic swarm is in progress at the volcano. As INGEOMINAS mentioned in its latest report yesterday, a weak continuous tremor signal continues to be recorded, associated with elevated steaming and light ash venting, creating a plume rising about 1600 m above the volcano.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
5.8 Earthquake hits near the south coast of western Honshu, Japan.
At least 23 people are reported to be injured in Fukui, Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama and Tokushima. Kansai airport in Osaka Bay is temporarily closed. Local train services has been suspended to check safety.
5.1 Earthquake hits eastern New Guinea, Papua New Guinea.
5.0 Earthquake hits Fiji.
5.0 Earthquake hits offshore Aisen, Chile.
Tropical Cyclone Imelda
Tropical storm Imelda has slightly intensified. It is moving in a general southerly direction at about 10 km/hr. Imelda is located about 500 km to the north north east of Mauritius and 550 km to the north west of Rodrigues.
A Cyclone Warning Class I is currently in force in Mauritius and Rodrigues. Moderate to heavy rainfall is forecast in Rodrigues this afternoon.
Aircraft Lands in Water - Bali
All 108 passengers and crew survived when a Lion Air Boeing 737 missed the runway on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Saturday and landed in shallow water.
Forest Fire - Nepal
A forest fire in the Resunga jungles of Gulmi is under control. Around 500 security personnel from Nepal Police, Nepal Army, Armed Police Force with the help of locals brought the fire under control. Gulmi district has no fire engines to control the fire.
The fire burned approximately 800 hectares.
17-Year Cicadas About to Emerge in Eastern U.S.
Eerie sounds like those out of a science fiction film are about to ring ears across the eastern United States.
Every 17 years at this time, like clockwork, Brood II cicadas crawl out of the ground from North Carolina to New England.
The bugs live underground for nearly two decades, feeding off fluids that gather near the roots of plants.
They will eventually emerge by the billions when the temperature reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Brood II, red-eyed cicada is smaller than the larger common cicada, which has green eyes and comes out every year.
They last emerged in 1996 and will fill the air with high-pitched buzzes that can be so loud they disrupt outdoor events.
But their periodic emergence and return to the ground help aerate the soil, and they return nutrients to the earth when they die. They also provide food for birds and other animals.
The 1.5-inch-long insects do not sting or bite. They spend their brief two-week lives above ground climbing trees, shedding their crunchy skins and reproducing.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Activity remains elevated. Lava continues to overspill from the lips of the NE crater, showing that the magma column stands high inside the conduit. Frequent strombolian explosions are reaching heights of 2-300 m and the tremor signal is strong again today.
Etna (Sicily, Italy): A new paroxysm, the 10th such eruption in 2013, occurred today at Etna's New SE crater, after a several days-long phase of increasingly strong strombolian explosions. It culminated with lava flows and lava fountains and a tall ash plume. Lava flows were erupted from the "saddle" area between the two Southeast Crater cones, toward the south and then southeast, from the summit vent of the New Southeast Crater itself toward southeast, and from vents on the northeast side of the cone.
Colima (Western Mexico): The new lava dome continues to grow inside the crater that had formed during the eruptions in January and has by now been completely filled by the new lava. The dome overspills the old crater rims to the southerns and western sides and produces glowing avalanches as well as small ash explosions several times per hour. A recent field report describes the dome as a blocky mass of lava, that is slightly darker than the rest of the volcano, composed of blocks of many meters in size. Part of the dome continues as a thick tongue of viscous lava stretching about 100 m down on the upper western flank. The balance between the rate of alimentation of the flow and the loss of mass during avalanches will determine how long this lava flow will reach.
Copahue (Chile/Argentina): A pilot reported the emission of steam, gas and minor amounts of volcanic ash from the volcano today (VAAC Buenos Aires). SERNAGEOMIN has not reported unusual activity and maintains alert level yellow.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
Two 5.3 Earthquakes hit Fiji.
5.2 Earthquake hits Guerrero, Mexico.
5.1 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Talaud, Indonesia.
Landslide at Mine in Utah, USA
Massive landslide has occurred at Bingham Canyon Mine, Salt Lake City, Utah. No injury has been reported but the landslide has damaged roads, buildings and vehicles inside the pit.
Other News:
Tornado in Kemper County, Mississippi, USA has killed one person.
Heavy storm in Meghalaya, India has claimed the lives of three people and injured more than 50 others.
Hail storms in Georgia, Russia have caused extensive damage in the Tsinandali, Kisiskhevi and Kondoli areas.
Thunderstorm in Bangkok, Thailand has caused flooding and downed many trees. Numerous railway cars were also inundated.
More heavy rains in Argentina bring floods to Santa Fe.
Global Temperature Extremes
The week's hottest temperature was 114.8 degrees Fahrenheit (46.0 degrees Celsius) at Bordj Badji Mokhtar, Algeria.
The week's coldest temperature was minus 99.2 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 72.9 degrees Celsius) at Russia's Vostok Antarctic research station.
Temperatures were tabulated from the more than 10,000 worldwide synoptic weather stations. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization sets the standards for weather observations, and provides a global telecommunications circuit for data distribution.
Massive Solar Eruption Could Cause Magnetic Storm Here On Earth
Early Thursday morning, solar observers watched as a dark spot on the sun erupted with an enormous flash of light, causing the biggest solar flare of 2013.
Solar flares themselves don't last long, but this one was powerful enough to cause a bubble of solar material called a CME (coronal mass ejection) to come bursting off the sun.
Up to billions of tons of that solar material is now hurtling through space at the mind-bending speed of more than 600 miles per second, and it is heading directly toward Earth.
The CME will slow down a bit as it approaches our planet, and scientists expect it will reach the Earth's atmosphere late Friday night or early Saturday, but computer models can be off by up to seven hours either way, said NASA scientist Alex Young.
While a mass of solar material zooming toward Earth sounds kind of frightening, there's not much to worry about. CMEs can occasionally affect the electronic systems of satellites or the power grid here on the ground, but our atmosphere will protect us from any harmful radiation associated with the initial flare or the CME.
Bird Flu - Update
As of 11 April 2013, the National Health and Family Planning Commission notified WHO of an additional 10 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with influenza A(H7N9) virus and one more death has been confirmed.
Roundup of Global Volcanic Activity:
Stromboli (Eolian Islands, Italy): Yesterday evening's lava flow has once again been very short-lived. Activity (effusion rate) sharply dropped late in the evening and today, only very small amounts of lava are still overspilling from the NE crater rim. Tremor and rockfall signals are much weaker as well. A strong increase of activity occurred this afternoon. A relatively large, sustained lava flow has started to erupt from the breached NE cone and descend the Sciara del Fuoco. The process is accompanied by ongoing strong strombolian eruptions, mainly from the same NE vent, and strong continuous tremor.
Etna (Sicily, Italy): This time, Etna is taking it really slowly to build up to the presumed next lava fountaining phase from the New SE crater (paroxysm). Tremor keeps rising, and strombolian explosions slowly increase from the summit vent of the cone. Strombolian activity at the New SE crater is intensifying and volcanic tremor is now steeply rising. The 10th paroxysm seems to be about to start.
El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain): A relatively strong earthquake of magnitude 4.1 occurred at 5:26 GMT this afternoon, west of the island at 19 km depth. So far, it has been an isolated event.
Tolbachik (Kamchatka): The eruption continues with little changes. Strong seismicity of the volcano, although slowly declining, is being registered and accompanies ongoing effusion of lava flows and strong degassing from the southern fissure. No changes in seismic-visual activity have been reported for the other volcanoes currently active in Kamchata (Kizimen, Sheveluch, Bezymianny: actively growing lava domes associated with occasional avalanches and explosions, Karymski: occasional strombolian-vulcanian explosions, Gorely: strong degassing/hydrothermal activity).
Lascar (Northern Chile, Bolivia and Argentina): Chilean volcanologists were able to make make a helicopter overfly the day before yesterday and could not find evidence of recent lava in the summit crater. However, as the likely source of the recently observed incandescence, very hot gas emissions were observed. The airborne temperature measurements gave maximum values of 600° C for the gasses, and SERNAGEOMIN thinks that the presence of magma at shallow depth is causing it. The alert level remains at yellow.
Magnitude 5+ Earthquakes - Global
6.0 Earthquake hits the Batan Islands in the Philippines.
5.4 Earthquake hits Myanmar.
5.4 Earthquake hits Honduras.
5.1 Earthquake hits central Peru.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
Cyclone Victoria Weakens in Indian Ocean off Western Australia
Tropical Cyclone Victoria has weakened overnight to a Category Two storm as it continues a southerly path several hundred kilometres out to sea south east of Christmas Island.
Spring Storm Batters USA
A large spring storm delivering heavy snow, strong wind and rain has caused travel problems from Wyoming to Chicago, closing large stretches of highways and delaying hundreds of flights.
Strong wind gusts caused 21 train cars to derail on Tuesday in eastern Nebraska, west of North Bend. No injuries were reported.
In Denver, about 16.51cm of snow fell at the airport, but the weather prompted nearly 500 flight cancellations and deicing planes delayed departures. Flights going to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, meanwhile, were being delayed an average of nearly four hours because of dense fog.
Many areas of Wyoming and western Nebraska received more than a foot of snow. In western Nebraska, road crews reported 8- to 9-foot drifts.
Other News:
A lightning strike in Nigeria has killed a 19 year old student in Lagos.
Recent floods in Kenya have claimed the lives of 32 people and displaced more than 18,000.
Tornado in Botkinburg, Arkansas, USA today has injured three people and damaged more than a dozen structures.
Bird Flu
China - Five more H7N9 influenza infections have been confirmed in eastern China, all in older adults, while suspicions grow that wild birds may be the source and that the disease might be spreading to people through poultry environments.
China found new cases of bird flu in five live bird markets in the eastern past of the country. Chinese officials said the H7N9 avian influenza virus was found in three live bird markets in the province of Jiangsu, one in the province of Anhui and one in the province of Zhejiang, the report said.
Nine people have died out of 33 confirmed cases of the virus, all in eastern China,
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activated its Emergency Operations Center in Atlanta Monday to support the response to the H7N9 influenza outbreak in China.
Cambodia - Cambodia is battling a new outbreak of bird flu which has killed eight people.
Anthrax - Ghana
Outbreak of Anthrax hits Bawku in northern Ghana.
