Magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits Japan off Fukushima coast
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Australia flood costs creep higher, $2bn+ bill expected
The latest reports from the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) suggest that insured costs from flooding in Australia’s Queensland and New South Wales areas have continued to creep higher, with industry losses now estimated at $1.89 billion. According to ICA data, the number of insurance claims linked to the floods rose by 7.2% overnight to…
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Hundreds flee as Indonesian volcano erupts
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano has spewed out hot clouds in eruptions that forced about 250 residents to flee to temporary shelters and left ash blanketing nearby villages and towns. The volcano on the densely populated island of Java unleashed clouds of hot ash at least seven times just before and after midnight and fast-moving pyroclastic…
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Spain, Portugal hit by winter drought
Pampilhosa da Serra (Portugal) (AFP) – In central Portugal, a sustained drought has revealed the ruins of a village that was totally submerged underwater when a large reservoir was created nearly 70 years ago. “I have never seen that!” says Carlos Perdigao, 76, as he gazes at the ruined stone houses of Vilar which were…
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North Korea’s nuclear site hit by series of earthquakes, South Korea says
South Korea says earthquakes highlight the area’s geological instability as Pyongyang hinted it could resume testing for the first time since 2017. North Korea’s nuclear test site has been struck by a series of small, natural earthquakes, South Korea has said. Seoul said it highlights the area’s geological instability as Pyongyang hinted it could resume…
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Southwest drought is the most extreme in 1,200 years, study finds
The past 22 years rank as the driest period since at least 800 A.D. The extreme heat and dry conditions of the past few years pushed what was already an epic, decades-long drought in the American West into a historic disaster that bears the unmistakable fingerprints of climate change. The long-running drought, which has persisted…
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Tonga volcano: Eruption more powerful than atomic bomb, Nasa says
Baku, AZERTAC A volcanic eruption in Tonga that triggered a tsunami was hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bomb the US dropped on Hiroshima during World War Two, Nasa says, according to BBC. The eruption “obliterated” a volcanic island north of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa, the agency said. Tonga says more than four-fifths…
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Cyclone Batsirai kills at least 10 in Madagascar, destroying homes and cutting power
Ten people have died, including some caught in the collapse of a house in the town of Ambalavao, as cyclone Batsirai triggered floods in Madagascar. A cyclone has killed at least 10 people in southeastern Madagascar, triggering floods, bringing down buildings and cutting power, officials say. One of the worst-hit towns was Nosy Varika on…
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Afghanistan famine: Help for starving families must come in ‘days and hours’, says Gordon Brown
Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said ITV News’ coverage of the famine in Afghanistan has made “it impossible for the rest of the world to ignore” as he warned that “something must be done now”. Mr Brown described pictures of malnourished, premature babies and desperate families as “shocking and harrowing” and said Britain must…
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Magnitude 5.5 earthquake rocks eastern Taiwan
Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) Taiwan was shaken by a magnitude 5.5 earthquake located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Yilan County at 6:58 p.m. Monday, according to the Central Weather Bureau. The epicenter of the temblor was located at sea, 41.9 kilometers south-southeast of the Yilan County government complex, at a depth of…