Researchers find alarming global levels of drug-resistant TB. A large, eight-nation study has found worrisome levels of tuberculosis resistant to first- and second-line drugs, along with higher-than-expected levels of extensively drug-resistant TB among the groups tested.
Friday, 31 August 2012
Volcanos
A swarm of earthquakes has shaken the Little Sitkin volcano in the western Aleutian Islands off Alaska. No eruption has been observed, but may be imminent.
Earthquakes
7.6 Earthquake hits the Philippine Islands. Residents flee the coastal areas fearing a tsunami, but the tsunami warning was cancelled.
5.5, 5.4, 5.4, 5.1, 5.0, 4.9, 4.9 Aftershocks hit the Philippine Islands.
4.9 Earthquake hits South Island, New Zealand.
4.9 Earthquake hits the central mid-Atlantic ridge.
Wildfires
Wildfires burn along the Costa del Sol, Spain. 5 000 people, mainly tourists have been evacuated from Marbella.
Wildfires around Chadron, Nebraska burn 25 000 acres. Residents in the path of the fire instructed to evacuate.
Storms and Floods
Widespread flooding along the Mississippi Gulf coast due to Hurricane Isaac. The storm has weakened to a tropical depression, but is still dumping rain along the coast. Isaac spawned several tornados along the coast.
Tropical storm Leslie forms in the Atlantic.
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Earthquakes
6.6 and 5.2 Earthquakes hit the Jan Mayan Islands north of Iceland.
5.6 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
5.4 and 5.0 Earthquakes hit the western Indian-antarctic ridge.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Banda Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Virgin islands region.
5.0 Earthquake hits central Peru.
Wildfires
Wildfires near Roscoe, Montana, USA threaten several hundred homes.
Two large wildfires spread in Oregon, USA.
Storms and Floods
Hurricane Isaac weakens to tropical storm, but still brings huge quantities of rain as it hovers over southern Louisiana moving very slowly up the Gulf coast. Flooding in numerous districts have been reported.
Tropical storm Tembin approaches South Korea while typhoon Bolaven pummels an already reeling North Korea.
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.4 Earthquake hits off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
5.1 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.
4.9 Earthquake hits the Celebes Sea.
Environment
Wildlife authorities say the strong earthquake off the coast of El Salvador destroyed more than 45,000 endangered sea turtle eggs .
The director of the turtle conservation program for the El Salvador Zoological Foundation says the 7.4-magnitude undersea quake sent at least three waves at least 30 feet high up the beach and destroyed thousands of nests and just-hatched turtles.
In the last year and a half the foundation has successfully hatched and released 700,000 turtles from four species at risk of extinction.
Drought
Drought could affect Kansas nuclear plant output.
If the current drought in the USA persists as predicted, the reservoir that feeds a lake used to cool the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Kansas will be nearly dry, prompting concern the plant might not be able to continue to provide electricity.
Disease
2 people have died in an outbreak of Legionnaires disease at the Chicago Marriott Hotel. 6 further people have been reported as having contracted the disease.
Authorities in Cuba have reported that the recent Cholera outbreak has run its course. 417 people were sickened and 3 people died.
Wildfires
Wildfires that started burning in the forests and bog lands of eastern Russia at the beginning of June 2012 are still burning unabated.
Wildfires burn across Bulgaria. The State is unable to handle with large extent of the fires and has asked for international help.
Villagers and firefighters throughout southern Bosnia are wrestling with devastating wildfires in a region that has seen record high temperatures and no rain for over two months.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storm Kirk forms in the Atlantic.
Tropical Ileana forms in the eastern Pacific, but is not expected to threaten land.
A fresh wave of floods hit Sonitpur, India. 5 000 people in 10 villages are affected.
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Climate Change
As expected, the amount of sea ice in the Arctic has fallen to the lowest level on record.
Satellites tracking the extent of the sea ice found over the weekend that it covered about 1.58 million square miles, or less than 30 percent of the Arctic Ocean's surface, scientists said. That is below the previous record low, set in 2007, but with weeks still to go in the summer melting season, it is clear that the record will be beaten by a wide margin.
Earthquakes
5.7 Earthquake hits offshore El Salvador.
5.4 Earthquake hits off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
5.3 Earthquake hits the Talaud Islands, Indonesia.
5.0 Earthquke hits the Gulf of California.
5.0 and 2 x 4.8 Aftershocks hit off the coast of Central America.
4.8 Earthquake hits off the coast of central Chile.
Disease
Measels cases continue to be reported in New South Wales, Australia where 78 cases have occurred this year. Communities have been urged to immunise.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to make landfall in New Orleans Tuesday night, nearly 7 years to the day after the ill-fated hurricane Katrina.
Typhoon Tembin causes widespread damage in Taiwan.
Typhoon Bolaven moves slowly across South Korea, bringing heavy rains, cancelling flights and closing all schools in Seoul.
Tornado reported near Vero Beach, Florida, USA.
Monday, 27 August 2012
Volcanos
New Activity/Unrest:
Grozny Group, Iturup Island | Sotará, Colombia | Tongariro, North Island (New Zealand) | Tungurahua, Ecuador | White Island, New Zealand.
Ongoing Activity:
Batu Tara, Komba Island (Indonesia) | Cleveland, Chuginadak Island | Etna, Sicily (Italy) | Fuego, Guatemala | Galeras, Colombia | Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) | Kilauea, Hawaii (USA) | Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia | Popocatépetl, México | Sakura-jima, Kyushu | Santa MarÃa, Guatemala | Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia).
Earthquakes
6.4 Earthquake hits the north Molucca Sea.
5.5 and 5.3 Earthquakes, part of a swarm of hundreds of smaller earthquakes hits southern California. Numerous buildings sustained damage.
5.4 Earthquake hits off the coast of El Salvador.
5.3 Earthquake hits northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
5.1 Earthquake hits off the coast of Nicaragua.
5.1 Earthquake hits offshore Antofagasto, Chile.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Andaman Islands off India.
5.0 Earthquake hits the north Molucca Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits Halmahera, Indonesia.
2 x 4.9 and 4.8 Earthquakes hit southern California.
2 x 4.8; 2 x 4.7 and 3 x 4.6 Aftershocks hit off the coast of El Salvador.
Disease
Reports of a foot and mouth disease outbreak in Chibombo, Zambia have been refuted by the Government.
Wildfires
New wildfire in southern Spain. 1 000 residents evacuated.
Wildfires rage unchecked in Alaska.
Storms and Floods
Typhoon Bolaven heads for South Korea slowly after injuring 4 people in Japan but causing no major damage beyond disrupting transportation and shipping and cutting pose to 75 000 homes.
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.4 Earthquake hits the Pacific-Antarctic ridge.
5.1 Earthquake hots near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
4.9 Earthquake hits south-west of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Wildfires
Large wildfire near Roundup, Montana, USA.
Wildfires burn across Serbia, thousands of people have been evacuated from numerous villages threatened by the fires.
Storms and Floods
Powerful Typhoon Bolaven is approaching Okinawa Japan with winds of 250 km/h.
Floods in Myanmar [Burma] have submerged more than 250 000 hectares of rice paddys in the Irrawaddy Delta forcing 85 000 people to flee.
Friday, 24 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.8 Earthquake hits the Kermedec Island region north of New Zealand.
5.7 Earthquake hits south of the Kermedec Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Bellany Island region far south of New Zealand.
5.0 Earthquake hits Nepal.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to reach Guantanamo Bay, Cuba by Saturday morning.
Tropical Storm Joyce forms in the Atlantic.
Hundreds of homes have been damaged in flooding in the Pakistan/India border region. 21 people are reported dead.
New floods in North Korea kill at least 6 people and destroy hundreds of buildings, mostly homes.
John Nelson has compiled a composite map showing every hurricane around the world since 1851. The map can he found here. There are a number of other very cool composite maps on the site as well.
Disease
The patients' immune systems become damaged, leaving them unable to fend off germs as healthy people do.
What triggers this isn't known, but the disease does not seem to be contagious.
This is another kind of acquired immune deficiency that is not inherited and researchers are calling this new disease an "adult-onset" immunodeficiency syndrome because it develops later in life and they don't know why or how.
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Earthquakes
4.7 Earthquake hits Fiji.
4.6 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.
No Earthquakes of 5.0 and larger during this period.
Wildfires
Wildfire near Clinton, British Columbia, Canada destroys two homes.
Disease
The death toll in the ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to 10.
A massive cholera epidemic in the coastal slums of West Africa is killing hundreds of people with thousands more infected.
Syphilis outbreak among porn actors in the California porn industry prompts calls for a halt to filming in the multi-billion dollar industry.
Epidemic of PRR [peste des petits ruminants] in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a contagious viral disease that has killed tens of thousands of goats and sheep.
Botulism outbreak on a bird farm in Wyoming, USA. 2 700 pheasants have died in the past week.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storm Isaac enters the Caribbean and heads for the Dominican Republic. Haiti issues hurricane warning.
Typhoon Igme hits Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rain.
Thousands of people have been displaced by flash floods in Niger.
Fresh floods have hit the Black Sea region in southern Russia where 171 people died in floods last month. 4 people have been reported dead.
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.3 Earthquake hits the New Guinea region, Papua New Guinea.
5.2 Earthquake hits Tonga.
5.0 Earthquake hits Hokkaido, Japan.
4.7 Earthquake hits the Caribbean Sea.
Volcanos
Wildfires
At least 50 buildings, many of them homes have been destroyed by the northern California wildfires.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storm Bolaven forms in the Pacific and may enter the Philippine region as Typhoon Igme exists.
Torrential rains cause massive flooding in the Klang Valley, Malaysia.
Fresh floods reported from Dhemaji, India, affecting 25 000 people in 30 villages.
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.1 Earthquake hits off the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
Drought
Drought cuts the Russian grain crop forecasts after bad harvests from eastern regions.
Disease
Storms and Floods
Monday, 20 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.0 Earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan.
4.9 Earthquake hits off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
4.9 Earthquake hits the Celebes Sea.
Disease
224 cases of a new strain of swine flu have now been reported across 9 US States.
Wildfires
Lightning sparks several wildfires across British Columbia, Canada.
New wildfire burning in the forests in northern California. Thousands of rural residents told to evacuate.
Wildfire on the Greek Island of Chios has burned thousands of acres of pristine, old forest.
Tropical Storms
Typhoon Kai-tak claims at least 27 lives in northern Vietnam. Parts of Hanoi remain flooded.
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.5 Earthquake hits off the coast of Washington, USA.
5.2 Earthquake hits northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
Tropical Storms
Typhoon Kai-tak strikes Vietnam with high winds and heavy rains. 4 people have been reported dead.
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.9 Earthquake hits Halmahera, Indonesia.
5.3 Earthquake hits the Vanuatu region.
5.0 Earthquake hits the north east Pacific rise.
4.9 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.
Climate
Wildfires
Wildfires burn in the peat swamp forests of Thailand. Authorities believe the fires were deliberately lit by politicians seeking to expand their palm and rubber plantations.
Disease
Thousands of people flee Syria to escape a massive diarrhoeal outbreak.
Storms and Floods
Tropical storm Gordon moves towards the Azores.
Tropical storm Kai-tak has left 9 people dead, 17 injured and 2 still missing in the Philippines and is now bringing havoc to southern China.
Floods in Madhya Pradesh, India claim at least 31 lives.
Friday, 17 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.0 Earthquake hits Kyushu, Japan.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.
4.8 Earthquake hits Hokkaido, Japan.
Wildfires
Storms
Thursday, 16 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.1 Earthquake hits offshore El Salvador.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Fiji region.
4.9 Earthquake hits south-east of Easter island.
4.9 Earthquake hits Reykjanes Ridge in the mid-Atlantic.
Volcanos
Monowai Seamount, Kermadec Islands (SW Pacific) | Soufrière Hills, Montserrat |Tongariro, North Island (New Zealand) | White Island, New Zealand
Ongoing activity:
Batu Tara, Komba Island (Indonesia) | Cleveland, Chuginadak Island | Fuego, Guatemala | Galeras, Colombia | Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) | Kilauea, Hawaii (USA) | Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia | Popocatépetl, México | Reventador, Ecuador | Sakura-jima, Kyushu | Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia) | Soputan, Sulawesi | Tungurahua, Ecuador
Wildfires
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Rainforests
In the 196 fragments of forest visited, scientists found only 4 of the 18 mammal species they were looking for.
Among the highly endangered creatures were howler monkeys and marmosets. And species like white-lipped peccaries, which are similar to pigs, have been completely wiped out.
The situation was worse than previously thought. All the charismatic species, the large primates, the large ungulates, brocket deer, tapirs, giant anteaters, jaguars, the large cats have all but disappeared.
Storms
Earthquakes
5.1 Earthquake hits northern Iran.
4.9 Earthquake hits south of the Mariana Islands.
Disease
The disease is spread by direct contact with nose and throat discharges (coughing, sneezing), saliva, or fluid from blisters.
There is no treatment or vaccine for the disease, so the best defense is prevention.
Wildfires
Wildfire in central Washington burns at least 60 homes. Thousands flee.
Bushfires in forest regions of Sri Lanka.
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Nuclear Radiation
Scientists found 34 per cent of 3rd generation butterflies had abnormalities, including smaller wings and damaged eyes.
The findings will raise fears over the long-term effects of the leaks on other species and people who were exposed in the days and weeks after the accident, as radiation spread over a large area and forced thousands to evacuate.
Earthquakes
5.4 Earthquke hits Pakistan.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Bonin Islands off Japan.
5.2 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands region.
5.1 and 4.8 Earthquakes hit Taiwan.
Volcanos
Disease
Mysterious cattle disease has killed 68 cattle in Cholistan, Pakistan.
Wildfires
2 people have died in the wildfires raging in Alicante, Spain.
In northern California, 480 homes have been evacuated due to spreading wildfires.
Storms and Floods
At least 28 people have been killed in floods in Nigeria's Plateau State.
Tornado hits Riverside County, Southern California, USA.
Monday, 13 August 2012
Tornadoes
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Arctic Warming
Nasa reports that Arctic storms such as this one can have a large impact on the sea ice, causing it to melt rapidly through many mechanisms, such as tearing off large swaths of ice and pushing them to warmer sites, churning the ice and making it slushier, or lifting warmer waters from the depths of the Arctic Ocean.
“It seems that this storm has detached a large chunk of ice from the main sea ice pack. This could lead to a more serious decay of the summertime ice cover than would have been the case otherwise, even perhaps leading to a new Arctic sea ice minimum,” said Claire Parkinson, a climate scientist with NASA Goddard. “Decades ago, a storm of the same magnitude would have been less likely to have as large an impact on the sea ice, because at that time the ice cover was thicker and more expansive.”
Earthquakes
6.3 Earthquake hits Xinjiang-Xizang border region, China.
5.3 Earthquake hits Reykjanes Ridge in the northern Atlantic.
5.1 and 5.0 Aftershocks hits Northern Iran.
Wildfires
Wildfires in Spain threaten world heritage ancient forest.
Disease
Hundreds contract gastroenteritis in Kashmir, India after drinking contaminated water.
Floods and Storms
The death toll in the recent floods that hit Manila in the Philippines has risen to 85.
Floods in the eastern Sudan. 1 000 families lose their homes.
Tornado confirmed on east Long Island, New York, USA.
Saturday, 11 August 2012
Earthquakes
6.2 Earthquake hits the Fox Islands, in the Aleutian Island chain off Alaska.
5.3 Earthquake hits southern Xinjiang, China.
Volcanos
Wildfires
Wildfires in Palo Pinto County and in the McFaddin National Wildlife Reserve, Texas, USA.
Friday, 10 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.2 Earthquake hits the west Chile rise in the Pacific.
5.0 Earthquake hits the Molucca Sea.
5.0 Earthquake hits Vanuatu.
5.0 Earthquake hits Halmahera, Indonesia.
4.9 and 5.0 Earthquakes hit near the coast of Nicaragua.
4.9 Earthquake hits the Kenai peninsula, Alaska.
4.7 and 4.8 Earthquake hit the Solomon Islands.
4.7 Earthquake hits the Mozambique Channel.
Volcanos
Galeras volcano in Columbia has new eruption.
Ongoing activity at the following volcanos:
Bagana, Bougainville | Batu Tara, Komba Island (Indonesia) | Cleveland, Chuginadak Island | Fuego, Guatemala | Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) | Kilauea, Hawaii (USA) | Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia | Popocatépetl, México | Sakura-jima, Kyushu | Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia) | Tungurahua, Ecuador | Tongariro, North Island (New Zealand)
Disease
Wildfires
Wildfire rages through 1 000 year old monastery in Mount Athos, northern Greece. Hundreds of residents and tourists flee.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storm Ernesto brings heavy rains to El Salvador and is expected to make a second landfall in Mexico.
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.4 and 5.3 Earthquakes hit the South Sandwich Islands.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Lombok region, Indonesia.
5.2 Earthquake hits the southern mid-Atlantic Ridge.
4.9 Earthquake hits the south Atlantic ocean.
4.9 Earthquake hits off the coast of Oregon.
4.9 Earthquake hits off the west coast of South Island, New Zealand.
A second 4.5 Earthquake hits southern California, USA [Orange County].
Floods and Extreme Weather
South Africa has seen an extremely rare countrywide snowfall after a previously mild winter. Extreme icy weather conditions saw Pretoria have its first snow since 1968 while some areas in Johannesburg had the first snow since 1981.
Drought
Disease
More than 8 million chickens have been destroyed on farms in northern Mexico due to a bird flu outbreak.
Wildfire
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.6 Earthquake hits the Alaskan peninsula.
5.5 Earthquake hits the Ryukyu Islands off Japan.
5.4 Earthquake hits north-east of Taiwan.
4.9 Earthquake hits the Talaud Islands, Indonesia.
4.4 Earthquake hits the greater Los Angeles area, California, USA.
Disease
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storm Gilma forms in the eastern Pacific.
Tornado hits a rural area in northern Indiana, USA.
Severe storms hit Austria and northern Italy over the weekend causing flooding, landslides and power cuts. Two people have been reported as dead. Several barns were hit by lightning and went up ion flames. 250 animals were killed on one farm.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.2 Earthquake hits Atacama, Chile.
4.9 Earthquake hits Mindoro in the Philippines.
4.8 Earthquake hits central Peru.
Volcanos
Wildfires
Wildfires continue to burn across Utah, USA.
Storms and Floods
Heavy rains bring more floods to Manila in the Philippines killing at least 9 people.
Tornado confirmed in Girard, Ohio, USA on Sunday.
Monday, 6 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.3 Earthquake hits south-east Turkey.
5.1 and 5.0 Earthquakes hit south west of Africa.
5.1 Earthquake hits south east of the Loyalty Islands.
5.0 Earthquake hits Kepulauan Kai, Indonesia.
Disease
A mutated strain of bird flu has jumped species, killing 162 seals along the New England, USA coast between last September and December.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storm Florence weakens in the Atlantic.
Tropical Cyclone Damrey floods Liaoning and Hebei provinces in north-east China.
Heavy rains bring floods to Scotland and south-western England.
Tornado hits northern Yorkshire in England.
Sunday, 5 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.0 Earthquake hits eastern Xizang, China.
5.0 Earthquake hits Mendoza, Argentina.
5.0 Earthquake hits east of North Island, New Zealand.
4.9 Earthquake hits Tonga.
Storms and Floods
Tropical Storm Haikui is situated north-east of Okinawa, Japan.
Flash floods and landslides pummel the Himalayan region. 31 people have been reported as dead.
Saturday, 4 August 2012
Volcanos
| Batu Tara, Komba Island (Indonesia) | Cleveland, Chuginadak Island | Fuego, Guatemala | Karymsky, Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) | Kilauea, Hawaii (USA) | Manam, Northeast of New Guinea (SW Pacific) | Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia | Pagan, Mariana Islands | Popocatépetl, México | Sakura-jima, Kyushu | Sangay, Ecuador | Santa MarÃa, Guatemala | Shiveluch, Central Kamchatka (Russia) | Tungurahua, Ecuador
Earthquakes
5.0 Earthquake hits the South Sandwich islands region.
4.9 Earthquake hits the Mariana Islands.
4.9 Earthquake hits near the south coast of Honshu, Japan.
2 Earthquakes of 4.6 hit the coast of Peru and northern Chile.
Wildfires
Wildfires in northern California and south-western Montana have also destroyed homes and structures.
Storms
Friday, 3 August 2012
Volcanos
Cumbal, Colombia.
Tongariro, North Island (New Zealand).
Yasur, Vanuatu.
Earthquakes
5.4 Earthquake hits the Solomon Islands.
5.4 Earthquake hits the Santa Cruz Islands.
5.1 Earthquake hits the Ross Sea.
5.1 Earthquake hits Myanmar.
5.0 Earthquake hits the south mid-Atlantic ridge.
Wildfires
Storms and Floods
The death toll from Typhoon Saola in the Philippines and Taiwan climbs to 44.
Typhoon Damrey hits southern China. 2 deaths reported and 770 000 people evacuated.
Floods and landslides displace 3 000 people in Taraba, Nigeria.
Thursday, 2 August 2012
Earthquakes
6.1 Earthquake hits central Peru.
5.6 Earthquake hits near the north coast of Papua New Guinea.
5.4 Earthquake hits the Kepulauan Tanibar region, Indonesia.
5.2 Earthquake hits east of North Island, New Zealand.
5.2 Earthquake hits the Bougainville region, Papua New Guinea.
Disease
Storms and Floods
31 more flood deaths reported in North Korea. The heavy rains have inundated the country's mines, causing severe damage and loss of output. The mines represent one of North Korea's few legitimate sources of foreign exchange.
Typhoon Damrey approaches southern China.
Tropical Storm Ernesto expected to form in the Atlantic on Friday.
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Earthquakes
5.0 Earthquake hits Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia.
5.0 Earthquake hits southern Xinjiang, China.