around_the_world_today_July

AROUND THE WORLD: JULY 1st - 19th, 2008

AROUND THE WORLD - MARCH 2008

AROUND THE WORLD - APRIL 2008

AROUND THE WORLD - MAY 1st - 20th, 2008

AROUND THE WORLD - MAY 21st - 31st, 2008

AROUND THE WORLD - JUNE 1st - 15th, 2008

AROUND THE WORLD - JUNE 16th - 30th, 2008

Subject: Around the World Today - Saturday 19th July

FRANCE: Explosives used to destroy land mines have disappeared from a site near Lyon, France, the French Interior Ministry said Friday. About 62 pounds (28 kilograms) of explosives were stolen from a depot at the civil security site at Fort de Corbas, the ministry said in a written statement, because of an apparent breach in the site's protection. Michele Alliot-Marie, France's minister of the interior, immediately suspended the head of the security center and started an investigation. French anti-terrorism authorities and the Lyon police also are participating in the investigation, the statement said.

FRANCE: French nuclear safety authorities said Friday that a broken pipe at a nuclear fuel plant in southeast France had caused a radioactive leak but no damage to the environment.The latest uranium spill at the plant run by nuclear giant Areva in Romans-sur-Isere came amid much public concern over a leak at another facility last week that polluted the local water supply.Residents in the Vaucluse region of southern France have been told not to drink water or eat fish from nearby rivers after the liquid uranium spill on July 7 at the Tricastin nuclear plant.According to the ASN nuclear safety authority, the pipe defect at the FBFC plant at Romans-sur-Isere in the Drome region may date back several years.

COLOMBIA: Eight people died in several landslides in Antioquia Thursday. A boy lost his family. A mother lost her two daughters and a truck driver died after a landslide threw his truck off a mountain road. The biggest tragedy was that of 14-year old Jaime Rivera Aguledo. He lost both his parents and his two brothers when a lanslide destroyed their home in a slum in the north east of the capital of Antioquia, Medell?n. Jaime was the only one who could be rescued from under the rubble. A mother lost her two daughters after she, her girls and a fourth person were buried under a layer of when a landslide hit the truck they were driving in near the San Jeronimo tunnel in the west of Antioquia. The mother was rescued, but her daughters and a man died. A truck driver died in the south of Antioquia when his truck was thrown into an abyss by rocks that fell off the mountain. Rescue workers were able to rescue the man from his truck, but he died a few hours later. Landslides have killed dozens of Colombians this year. Most landslides were caused by an exceptional amount of rain that fell during the rainy season.

USA: Washington DC - HSEMA is activating the District Heat Emergency plan today, as the temperature is expected to reach 97, and the heat index will approach 100?. Shelters will be open all day long. Additionally, a Code Red air quality forecast has been issued for today. NWS currently forecasts that the Heat Index will reach 95 each day until the middle of next week. The District of Columbia Government will implement the Heat Emergency
Cooling Centers and Street Showers Program for designated periods of time today, in identified District and public facilities, as well as public housing senior facilities, senior centers and homeless shelters throughout the city. Areas have been designated for street showers based upon their history of unauthorized use of fire hydrants during extremely hot weather, which in turn lowers the water pressure in these areas. The low water pressure poses health and safety problems, especially as it relates to fire suppression. Public swimming pools will extend hours of normal operation.

RUSSIA: Two more kindergarten-age children have been diagnosed with yersiniosis in Krasnoyarsk and the total number of cases is now 141. 22 children and 2 adults are still in hospital. The 1st cohort of children from a summer camp was hospitalized on 20 Jun 2008. The next mass outbreak of yersiniosis among children from another summer camp was registered on 23 Jun 2008 and in another outbreak that began on 27 Jun 2008, 11 children from a kindergarten were hospitalized.

USA: Texas - Four workers were killed and six injured when a crane collapsed on Friday during routine maintenance at a chemical plant here, a company official said. A fire official said that contract workers at the plant, the LyondellBasell refinery, were preparing to do routine maintenance when the several-hundred-feet-long crane toppled over. The crane, operated by Deep South Crane and Rigging, was not scheduled to be active Friday, although the engine was running after it hit the ground.

AUSTRALIA: An investigation has begun into two new flu cases among World Youth Day pilgrims at Marist College in Parramatta, west of Sydney. A total of 150 other pilgrims have been diagnosed with the flu at various locations around Sydney. Seventy pilgrims are in isolation at Oakhill College at Castle Hill where eight of them tested positive for influenza B. There have also been confirmed cases of flu among pilgrims staying in the Sydney suburbs of Forestville, Campelltown, Gladesville and Homebush. New South Wales Health says a outbreak of viral gastroenteritis, affecting 23 pilgrims at St Therese's school in Denistone, north-west of the city, has been resolved.

USA: Maine - Mainers are cleaning up after a strong band of thunderstorms knocked down trees, dropped nickel-sized hail and left thousands of people without power. Several bands of storms with torrential downpours and high winds made their way across Maine Friday afternoon, leaving nearly 20,000 Central Maine Power customers without power at the height of the storm as trees toppled onto power lines. Across Cumerland and York counties, residents reported downed trees blocking several major roads. According to the National Weather Service, lightning struck a house in South Portland. CMP reported nearly 14,000 power outages late Friday evening. Spokeman John Carroll said about 6,500 customers were without power in towns south and west of Portland including Windham, Westbrook and Scarborough, and about 6,400 in York County. He said most would not be restored until Saturday.

JAPAN - Northeast Region Saturday morning 7m earthquake 100km out at sea at depth of 30km initiated tsunami warnings which have since been lifted.

Subject: Around the World Today - Friday 18th July

PHILIPPINES: Storm Kalmaegi bore down on the northern provinces last afternoon drenching Metro Manila with heavy rains. Flash floods swept key roadways in the lower areas of the national capital, snarling traffic and disrupting offices and schools. Knee-deep water swept Manila's downtown Sampaloc district and several areas of suburban Quezon City, while in Malabon and Caloocan, officials suspended elementary and high school classes. Flooding had been a perennial problem in these areas despite government efforts to alleviate people's suffering. Officials blamed poor urban planning for Metro Manila's seasonal flooding woes. Storm Kalmaegi (Philippine codename: Helen) also hit Calayan Group of islands, Apayao, Batanes, and Ilocos Norte in northern Philippines. According to state weather bureau Pagasa, storm signal No 2 cautioning of severe disturbances had been hoisted in these areas due to expected windspeeds of 70km/h to 120km/h. The Philippines lie in the path of destructive typhoons and some 24 storms visit the country every year, killing hundreds of people and causing hundreds of millions of pesos in property loses. The National Disaster Coordinating Council has been placed by Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro on alert for possible relocation of affected Metro Manila residents. "We have put our teams on alert for possible emergencies especially in the coastal areas," Teodoro said.

GERMANY: Firefighters in northern Germany say more than 100,000 gallons (some 400,000 liters) of diesel fuel have leaked into the Elbe River after two ships collided there. Peter Braun of Hamburg firefighters says more than 100 people are working to stem the spread of the oil slick that runs for miles (kilometers) down the river. The slick poses no threat to people, but authorities say it is too early to tell how it will affect the environment. Police say they do not yet know what caused the ships to collide early Wednesday. An investigation is ongoing.

SOUTH AFRICA: A gale has battered the rain-ravaged Cape West Coast and destroyed 59 homes, most of them low-cost RDP houses. Onel de Beer, executive mayor of Saldanha Bay, said the 59 families were moved from the Witteklip area to community halls. Some homes had collapsed. The municipality provided the families with food, blankets and clothes on Wednesday. The municipality hoped to repair most of the homes before the weekend as the weather was too cold for the families to endure a long stay in community halls, emergency disaster funds would be used. A mobile disaster management unit had been moved to the area late on Wednesday afternoon to make it easier for the people affected to find assistance and information. It had yet to be determined whether any of the homes needed to be demolished.

RUSSIA: Lightning killed three people Thursday and hospitalized six others with electric burns in Russia's Volga region of Bashkortostan, a local emergency service spokesman said. The victims had gone to a secluded beach on the Kama River to escape the summer heat, but, said as one witnesses, cloudsw covered the sun and a storm broke out within minutes. One of the victims, a teenager, was speaking on her cell phone when the lightning hit. The casualties "suffered from an electric shock that interrupted their heart beat, heightened blood pressure, trauma and burns to the shoulders," the spokesman said.

INDONESIA: An Indonesian cargo worker died of bird flu, relatives confirmed Thursday, raising the unofficial toll in the world's hardest hit nation to 111 in three years. The government recently started delaying announcements about bird flu fatalities, sometimes by several weeks. But health workers speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed the tests came back positive. Asnawi Sandri, a 38-year-old father of two, died in the hospital on July 10, days after he came down with symptoms of the disease, including high fever, coughing and breathing difficulties, said Abdul Kadir, his brother-in-law. "The doctor told us he died of bird flu," he said. "The tests came back positive from Jakarta."

RUSSIA: A total of 330 pigs have died of the African swine fever virus (ASFV) in Russia's North Caucasus republic of North Ossetia, the local emergency service said on Friday. Outbreaks of the highly contagious virus are rare outside Africa, but last spring Georgia, which borders on North Ossetia, saw outbreaks in 10 regions. A total of 20,000 pigs were culled. Some 35 animals have died in the past 24 hours of ASFV in the south Russian province, the service said. Preliminary reports said that the infection may have been brought in by wild pigs. The virus can survive for up to 15 weeks in raw pork, and up to six months in processed meat. The virus, which causes lethal haemorraghic disease in pigs, does not pose a threat to humans. The area has been cordoned off, and all local pigs will be culled as a preventive measure. Around 174 people have been deployed to guard the province's border, to ensure that no pork products are taken out of North Ossetia. At the time of the Georgian outbreak, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization warned of potentially severe consequences if the virus were to spread beyond the country's borders.

FRANCE: French nuclear firm Areva has detected a new uranium leak at a factory in southeastern France, the French safety authority said on Friday. The safety authority said it had dispatched a team of experts to check the situation at a site in Romans-sur-Isere, but did not give any indication of the size of the leak. Areva said the leak was confined to the FBFC site and did not pose a danger to the environment. The French government said on Thursday it was ordering tests at all French nuclear power plants after Areva revealed that liquid containing non-enriched uranium had been accidentally released from the Tricastin nuclear site in southeast France.

HUNGARY: Thirty Norwegian students who were staying at a dormitory in Budapest's central 13th district have been hospitalised suffering from symptoms of dehydration triggered by nausea and diarrhoea, said a National Ambulance Service doctor. The students were taken to the St Elizabeth, St Stephen and St Laszlo hospitals from their accommodation in the Pest side, Laszlo Pek said. Thirty-three students arrived in Hungary from Norway on Monday, and 31 of them have become ill. The National Public Health and Medical Officers' Service (ANTSZ) has said it will take four or five days to pinpoint the cause. Samples of all foods that might be involved are being cultured, an official reported.

Subject: Around the World Today - Thursday 17th July

CANADA: British Columbia - More than 14,000 Kamloops-area residents lost power Tuesday after an explosion at a hydro substation around 7:30 a.m. The blaze was put out and power was restored by about 10 a.m. But in downtown Vancouver, where power went out early Monday, repairs were still dragging on last night. About 20 per cent of the city's downtown core was plunged into darkness when an underground fire in an electrical vault created the city's largest outage in at least 30 years Monday around 9 a.m. Gary Rodford, Hydro's senior vice-president of field operations, said the outage has been traced to a failed 26-year-old splice that connected electrical cables in the 500-block of Richards Street. Rodford said the splice likely caught fire and the fire spread to 13 adjoining cables. While the cause is unknown, Hydro officials say an outdated electrical infrastructure added to the severity of the blackout. Most of the equipment was installed before systems were designed to limit outages to a few city blocks. Vancouver's Olympic organizers and B.C. Hydro say they are reviewing plans for backup power services for the 2010 Winter Games in light of the power failure that left a large swath of the downtown -- including a critical Olympic venue -- in the dark for at least a day and a half. (Thanks to Dave Colvin for this item)

VIETNAM: Specimens from dead chickens in Vietnam's southern Long An province have been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5N1, according to local newspaper Youth on Wednesday. Tests by Vietnam's Regional Animal Health Center No. 6 have shown that some chickens of a 3,000-fowl flock raised by a household in Can Duoc district were infected with bird flu, said a deputy head of the province's Veterinary Bureau. Chickens in the flock started to die 10 days ago after developing bird flu symptoms, he said. The Department of Animal Health under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has yet to confirm the bird flu outbreak in Long An. Now, only southern Tra Vinh province is being hit by the disease, the department said.

VIETNAM: Red seaweed is proliferating off the beaches of Phan Thiet Town in Binh Thuan Province. The problem has been occurring for over a month and causes skin irritation among swimmers, according to local residents. Fishermen in Phan Thiet Town said that this particular "red tide" was abnormal. In previous years, it occurred in June of the lunar calendar and lasted only one week. The seaweed also resulted in the death of many fish, residents added. The Institute of Oceanography said that the seaweed was phaeocystis globosa. The rapid reproduction of this seaweed has reduced oxygen levels in the water, leading to the death of many organisms.

AUSTRALIA: Queensland - More than 50 World Youth Day pilgrims have been isolated in two centres in Sydney to prevent an outbreak of influenza. Forty-two people are being treated and assessed at Oakhill College at Castle Hill in the city's north-west and other pilgrims are being treated at Olympic Park in Homebush. New South Wales Health officials say the pilgrims have voluntarily gone into isolation after discussing the dangers of a flu outbreak with doctors and paramedics.

GERMANY: A barge carrying diesel fuel was in collision with another vessel in Germany Wednesday, causing a 10-kilometre-long oil slick on the Elbe river, which empties into the North Sea. Emergency services said up to 400 tons of diesel was spilled in the worst shipping accident near the city of Hamburg for four years. The anchor of a 95-metre river freighter, the Aldebaran, ripped open four tanks of the 82-metre tanker barge Undine. The vessels scraped one another along their starboard rails while passing on the Elbe, a busy waterway that begins in the Czech Republic. Nobody was hurt. Police investigators said there was no evidence that the steersmen had been under the influence of alcohol. Booms were being used to stop the slick reaching marshland. To halt the leaks, the Undine unloaded the rest of the 920 tons of diesel it had been carrying.

GREECE: At least three factories and warehouses were destroyed in a fire in Athens, Greece, last night. The blaze started as a wildfire on the outskirts of the Greek capital. The facilities in question processed and stored timber and auto parts. The authorities said firefighters were battling to stop the fire reaching a munitions factory outside Athens. The Fire Service said at least one home was destroyed in the blaze and several others were damaged in the village of Banaktos, some 40 kilometers northwest of Athens. It said that several hundred residents in and around the village should evacuate their homes. Authorities said the fire came within 20 meters of the munitions factory. Seven planes and two helicopters were deployed to fight the blaze, which broke out near a nature reserve that was seriously damaged during deadly fires last summer.

EGYPT: At least 40 people were killed and 60 injured on Wednesday when a truck failed to stop at a level crossing and pushed waiting traffic into the path of a speeding train in northern Egypt, police said. The truck ploughed into traffic at the level crossing, including a bus and at least four other vehicles, pushing them into the path of the passenger train. Two train carriages overturned and another two were derailed, a police official said, requesting anonymity. The accident occurred 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of Marsa Matruh in the Mediterranean coastal region of Dabaa, the official said. The crash is the latest in a series of transport disasters in Egypt, most of which have been blamed on negligence and poor maintenance.

TAIWAN: Storm Kalmaegi has gained momentum as it approaches Taiwan, threatening the island's east, the Central Weather Bureau said Wednesday. The edge of the storm may hit eastern Taiwan and unleash downpours in the east and north, an official at the bureau said. "Ships sailing on the Bashih Channel and waters east of Taiwan must heighten their vigilance," the official said.

ALBANIA: On March 15 a former military ammunition depot in Albania's Gerdec-Vora municipality, less than 9 miles from the capital, Tirana, was set alight by a massive fire, apparently by private contractors neutralizing the ammunition. The conflagration caused explosions that could be heard in the neighboring Macedonian capital, Skopje, 100 miles away. According to the government, the catastrophe killed 24 people, injured more than 300 and damaged or destroyed 2,306 buildings. The government declared the site a disaster zone and evacuated 4,000 local residents. FULL REPORT: http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Analysis_Uzbek_explosion_spares_refinery_999.html

SPAIN: A Spanish emergency official says an explosion in a new biofuel facility situated near the central city of Salamanca has left one worker injured and caused a fire. Regional emergency service spokeswoman Marta Marcos says the explosion occurred when a tank of ethanol ignited Wednesday at the plant in Babilafuente, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) east of university city Salamanca. Marcos says authorities are investigating. The injured worker is in a hospital with minor injuries. Biofuel differs from normal gasoline in that it is distilled from vegetal plants such as grain or sugar cane.

SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape - The provincial health department says a farmer and professional hunter from Adelaide in the Eastern Cape is in a critical condition after being diagnosed with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF). Spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said on Tuesday [15 Jul 2008] that the man, 39, was admitted to the Adelaide hospital on 12 Jul 2008 and transferred to St George's private hospital in Port Elizabeth the next day.

MEXICO: Tropical Storm Fausto formed off the Mexican resort city of Acapulco on Wednesday, while Elida strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane far away from Baja California's coast.

Subject: Around the World Today - Wednesday 16th July

SWEDEN: At least 36 people have been injured after a theme park ride collapsed in the city of Gothenburg, in western Sweden. Officials said at least 20 people were seriously hurt in the accident, which happened at the Liseberg theme park. The Rainbow ride was reported to be full when the accident happened in the early evening. The ride is composed of a spinning arm with a compartment at one end which carries passengers.

AUSTRALIA: A person has tested positive for the deadly Hendra virus following an outbreak among horses in Brisbane. Queensland Health confirmed a Brisbane person tested positive yesterday. A spokeswoman declined to say whether the affected person was male or female but confirmed they worked with the affected horses. They were among a number of people tested for the virus following an outbreak among horses at a bayside veterinary clinic last week. To date, all other people who had contact with sick horses are well. Brisbane Southside Population Health Unit medical officer Dr Brad McCall said the affected person was admitted to a Brisbane hospital yesterday for observation and assessment and was discharged this afternoon. "The person was in good spirits and not exhibiting apparent symptoms," he said. Queensland Health will monitor the health of the person who has been advised to stay at home for a week. There have been no recorded cases of the virus being spread between humans.

VIETNAM: A crane being erected at a port in northern Vietnam collapsed on Tuesday, killing seven workers. Two workers died instantly during the collapse at Cai Lan port in Quang Ninh province and six were badly injured, the Defence Ministry-run Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's Army) newspaper quoted Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Chu Thi of Quang Ninh's border army as saying. Five of the victims later died and officials were investigating the cause of the collapse.

MEXICO: A tropical wave struck the southern portion of Mexico while strong thunderstorms and an active monsoon season are keeping the north under water. Meteorologists are blaming the active weather on an unusually ample amount of moisture coming from the bordering Gulf of Mexico. In the northern state of Tamaulipas, at least 12 people died and more than 100,000 people have been affected by the severe rains from thunderstorms. 281 communities have been reported as having been cut off by the rains and more than 140 towns are under flood water. Rainfall has been over 50% above average for the season. The short-term forecast calls for continued rains, especially in the south, and more rain in the northwest portion of the country. But most concerning of all is the long-term outlook, which is calling for an above-average tropical season. Tropical storms are the main and most destructive source of flooding and a severe tropical season could result in catastrophic floods in Mexico.

EGYPT: An oil spill was discovered floating on the Nile River last Monday near Manial and Helwan, causing three water refineries to suspend their operations, authorities said. The spill, scattered in different parts, was the result of a leak when the National Petroleum Pipelines tried to separate an unused pipeline from one currently in use, said a senior member of the Helwan Cement Company who spoke to Daily News Egypt on condition of anonymity. He said that the leaked oil was first channeled to an inland waterway reserved to absorb rain water. However, when a water refinery in Kafr El Elw, Helwan, poured water into the waterway, the level of the oil-stained water rose, overflowing in the Nile, he added. Various local newspapers reported that the oil spill was spotted in many parts along the Nile. When the oil spill was discovered, the waterway was closed to prevent the oil from spilling into the Nile, after which the National Petroleum Pipelines intervened to drain water from the place.

GREECE: More than 50 fire engines and 11 planes battled a large forest fire near the Greek capital Athens on Tuesday, as high winds threatened to drive the blaze towards a munitions dump, authorities said. Some 280 fire fighters and three helicopters struggled to control the flames near the village of Inoi in the Parnitha mountains, 35 km (20 miles) northwest of Athens.

USA: One person is dead and ten more are in the hospital in Nuevo Laredo after being attacked by a swarm of killer bees. It happened in the Narciso Mendoza Park at about three o'clock Friday afternoon. The area was quickly closed off and the victims were taken to an area hospital. Firefighters and health department officials had the area fumigated. Thousands of bees have been cleaned up.

BULGARIA: (Exercise notification!) Suffocating gas in downtown Burgas and lack of information where it came from worried the people in seaside city of Burgas on Tuesday morning. Over 70 anxious people called the municipality for 15 minutes only. Later it was announced that the gas was coming from two smoke balls used to imitate a fire on a ship in Breeze 2008 international navy exercise that took place on the Port of Burgas. There is no air pollution. An imitation of fire on a ship takes place. Two smoke balls have been used. There was some smoke, but it has stopped. The air parameters are normal. There is no threat for the population, Director of Civil Protection Burgas Yordan Lozev told Focus News Agency.

SUDAN: Sudan stadium stampede kills 22. The victims were crushed as they tried to enter the stadium. At least 22 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in a stampede at a football stadium in Omdurman, near Sudan's capital. The victims were crushed as they tried to enter the Al-Mirrikh Stadium to attend a national service graduation ceremony on Sunday. Officials said at least another 36 people were injured.

Subject: Around the World Today - Tuesday 15th July

GREECE: Rhodes - A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck off the island of Rhodes in southeast Greece on Tuesday (05.50 GMT), but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

ITALY: Three migrants drowned and 20 more were missing after their boat sank in rough seas off southern Italy on Monday, the Italian navy said. Some seventy would-be immigrants, including women and children, were crammed onto the small barge which proved unfit to cope with waves of up to three metres (yards) high on the Mediterranean crossing from Africa to Europe. The navy said it rescued 48 people and recovered the three dead about 75 miles (121 km) off Lampedusa, a small island south of the Italian mainland. Two other boats were intercepted in Maltese waters between 50 and 70 miles southeast of the island and a total of 450 people were rescued in an operation by Italian and Maltese authorities.

RUSSIA: Respublika Bashkortostan - A 2nd fatal case of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) has been recorded in Bashkortostan. Oleg Mavlutov, head of the Sanitary Inspectorate of Rospotrebnadzor's [Territorial Directorate of the Federal Services for Consumer Protection and Human Welfare] regional management, announced today [11 Jul 2008] that a 50 year old resident of Ufa had died in hospital. The 1st fatal case of HFRS was recorded a month before in the infectious diseases hospital of Ufa. Mavlutov stated that: "From the beginning of the epidemiological season more than 400 people with HFRS [have been] recorded in Bashcortostan.

CHINA: Last September, the deputy director of a local Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in central China led a team to investigate the illegal discharge of waste water by a pharmaceutical factory. While the director was taking a sample of the waste water, he inhaled the fumes and passed out. Later he was diagnosed as suffering from poisoning and hospitalised. Commentators called this a "lucky" incident. If it had been a local resident, rather than an EPA official, who had passed out after going near the sewage, it would not have been considered newsworthy. Such incidents are common in many parts of China. But the fact that an official directly in charge of environmental protection was the victim this time meant there was a better chance that the polluter would be stopped. This story gives a taste of the severity of water pollution in China. Many rivers and lakes contain so much toxin that it is not safe for humans to go near them. The government acknowledges that over 70 per cent of China's water bodies are polluted.

SERBIA: A huge fire has today engulfed some 60 hectares of forest and meadows on Mt. Crni Vrh. Assistant Interior Minister Predrag Mariz, who is currently in the field with his men, said that MUP's firefighters from the nearby Bor have been joined by their colleagues from Jagodina, Svilajnac, Pozarevac, Zagubica and Zajezar. Some 60 firefighters are also backed by two MUP helicopters who are transporting water from Lake Bor, assisting in putting out the fire. Another helicopter, and members of the elite ?andarmerija (Gendarmerie) stationed in Niz, are expected tomorrow.

BERMUDA: White-capped storm surf thundered against beaches and high winds knocked out power to thousands of Bermudans on Monday as Tropical Storm Bertha swept over the Atlantic tourist island before heading back out over open ocean. The streets of the capital, Hamilton, were empty and all ferries and flights were canceled. Bertha flooded roads and felled utility poles, leaving up to 4,000 without electricity.

COLOMBIA: A bus was buried amid a landslide caused by rains, killing at least four people and injuring eight others in central Colombia Monday, said the authorities. A total of 50,000 square meters of rocks and mud poured over the bus that was on its route from the Colombian capital to the city of Villavicencio, said Andres Gonzalez, governor of the Cundinamarca State.

AUSTRALIA: Australian scientists have identified a potential treatment to combat malaria. Researchers in Melbourne believe their discovery could be a major breakthrough in the fight against the disease. The malaria parasite produces a glue-like substance which makes the cells it infects sticky, so they cannot be flushed through the body.

Subject: Around the World Today - Monday 14th July

Kyrgyzstan: The press service of the Republican Ministry of Emergencies reports that a person died from skin anthrax in the village of Barpi. The doctors report that the cause of death was progressive cardiac and circulatory failure. According to preliminary information, there are 4 people in the same hospital with anthrax, and one of them died. The conditions of the 3 other patients are rated as mild. Specimens have been taken for laboratory tests. Additionally, there are 6 other patients in the city hospital at Kochkorati. There were 475 contact persons, including 276 children, around these cases. All are now under medical observation.

USA: California - A huge mudslide has significantly damaged more than 50 homes and forced the evacuation of those living in them in the California town of Independence on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. Cal Fire spokeswoman Janet Upton says severe thunderstorms Saturday set off the mudslide 300 yards wide and up to three feet deep. The mud oozed across California Highway 395 and forced the road's closure for several hours. Authorities say they evacuated a few people who were trapped in their homes. Some of the mud entered the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Upton says there wasn't enough rain to help efforts to combat wildfires elsewhere in the state.

MEXICO: The nuclear accident response exercise conducted at the Laguna Verde nuclear power plant in Mexico this week was a "success", the UN's atomic watchdog said Friday. "The exercise was a success in that it demonstrated strengths but also the weak points in the international emergency response system," said International Atomic Energy Agency official, Rafael Martincic, who led the preparation and evaluation of the exercise. MORE AT: http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Nuclear_accident_exercise_in_Mexico_a_success_IAEA_says_999.html

CYPRUS: Forecasters have warned of rising temperatures as a dry and hot weather front will hit the island this week. Experts are warning people not to go out if not necessary between 11 am and 4 pm, saying ultraviolet radiation will be very high throughout next week. Temperatures will be 2 to 4 degrees Celsius higher than normal seasonal temperatures. Shadow temperatures will be between 38 and 41 degrees Celsius in inner locations, and 33 and 36 on the coast.

TAIWAN / CHINA: An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale hit a sea area off Taiwan at 10:58 p.m. Sunday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. The epicenter was located at 21.1 degrees north latitude and 120.8 degrees east longitude, about 177 km to the south of Kaohsiung of Taiwan

ITALY: Lombardy - Two people were killed and around 300 were evacuated from their homes on Sunday as bad weather pounded northern Italy. A father and son died near the northern city of Milan after being knocked into a river by a falling tree as they were out walking. Farther north, near the border with Switzerland, 300 people were evacuated from several towns as land and mudslides buried houses. Evacuees were given refuge in hotels throughout the region, waiting for calmer weather forecast for Monday.

ASIA: Asia sets stage for disaster relief exercise with key powers
After much debate, Asia is finally expected to agree to hold its first civilian-military disaster relief exercise with key powers such as the United States, Russia and the European Union.
It will set the stage for real emergency response to disasters, such as the recent cyclone that ravaged Myanmar and left 138,000 dead or missing as its ruling military junta came under strong criticism for blocking aid efforts. MORE AT: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Asia_sets_stage_for_disaster_relief_exercise_with_key_powers_999.html

USA: Oregon - A health advisory prompted by high levels of harmful algae found in the Tualatin River was issued Saturday by the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). The health advisory is in effect for portions of the river located in eastern Washington County and western Clackamas County from Jurgens Park to the confluence with the Willamette River. Water sampling in the Tualatin River has confirmed the presence of harmful algae called Anabaena that is capable of producing toxins. The high density of algae may be associated with dangerous toxin concentrations in the water, according to World Health Organization guidelines. People should avoid swimming or wading in the water. Avoid other recreational activities such as water skiing or wakeboarding that could result swallowing or inhaling water droplets during harmful algae blooms. Children and pets are particularly susceptible.

USA: Washington DC - Authorities searched near the Capitol into the early hours of Saturday morning for possible hazardous materials after more than a dozen ducks were found dead in the Capitol Reflecting Pool. District of Columbia police and fire department personnel and federal officers tested for chemical, biological and radiological agents after 17 dead ducks were spotted in the pool, D.C. Assistant Police Chief Patrick Burke said. The tests were precautionary because of the proximity to the Capitol, Burke said. There was no indication of what caused the deaths. The pool is at the east end of the Mall, at the edge of the Capitol lawn. "It's a mystery," D.C. Fire and Emergency Services Department spokesman Alan Etter said. He noted that whatever caused the deaths might have been encountered "at another location." Etter said authorities remained at the scene until about 4:30 a.m. Saturday. Burke said that the ducks have been sent for testing and that authorities are awaiting the results.

GREECE: Skyros - A forest fire raged unchecked on Greece's Aegean island of Skyros for a second day on Sunday burning thousands of pine-trees but no injuries or damage to property were reported, a fire brigade official said. "There are several centres of fire in the northern part of Skyros where there are no homes," said a fire brigade official who declined to be identified. "The fire is not under control yet as there are high winds in the area." The official said the cause of the blaze was unknown. Two fire-fighting planes, three helicopters, 26 fire engines and more than 200 firefighters were dispatched to the scene. The official said the fire has burnt some 1,500 acres of pine-trees but no homes. Last year Greece saw some of the worst forest fires in living memory, caused by record-high temperatures, drought and arsonists. Wildfires swept through dozens of villages in the Peloponnese, in southern Greece, during a 10-day inferno and brought the country to a state of emergency, killing 65 people and devastating the local economy.

SOMALIA: Twenty Somali children have died of measles in a village in Middle Shabelle region north of the Somali capital Mogadishu, a local Elder said Sunday. Speaking from Jawhar, the provincial capital of the region, Elder Sheik Ali Yusuf said that the 20 children died in the past 24 hours in Jabey villages west of Jawhar where he came to meet with local administration and aid agencies about the outbreak of the disease in the village. Yusuf said that the village did not have any health facility or health workers to help contain the diseases for which some other children are sick with. "The children who died of the disease are under the age of five and some more children are infected with measles in the village," Yusuf said. Many aid agencies in the Middle Shabelle region,90 km north of the Somalia capital Mogadishu, have withdrawn their staff and closed their offices in the region which has been in rebel hands for the past two months. Yusuf told local media if urgent help is not delivered to those people many more children will die of the outbreak of the disease which he said "was spreading like a wildfire." Local and International aid agencies, most of whom have now stopped their operations, provided much of the meager health services for the internally displaced people.

WALES: Swansea - Firefighters battled a blaze following a massive explosion at an electricity sub-station in Ravenhill. Five fire crews from across the city attended the scene of the blaze in Ravenhill Road. It left homes in the city without power and brought chaos to the roads as traffic signals are not working. The facility was rocked by the blast just after 3pm yesterday afternoon. Local residents feared for their lives as the first big bang was followed by several smaller explosions over a period of almost 20 minutes. Five fire crews from across the city rushed to the scene along with police and power company engineers as flames leapt into the air, creating a massive plume of thick black smoke visible for miles around. Power supplies to 13,000 homes and businesses were cut off, causing chaos on the roads as traffic signals failed.

Subject: Around the World Today - Sunday 13th July

USA: Alaska - A volcano erupted with little warning on a remote island in Alaska, sending residents of a nearby ranch fleeing from falling ash and volcanic rock. The Okmok Caldera erupted late Saturday morning, just hours after seismologists at the Alaska Volcano Centre began detecting a series of small tremors. The explosion flung an ash cloud at least 15240m high, said geophysicist Steve McNutt. Local flights were cancelled.

SPAIN: Starving migrants found off Spain. Thousands of migrants attempt to make the crossing to Spain every year. More than 30 African migrants, weak from hunger and thirst, have been rescued off the coast of Spain - but another 15 died, Spanish police say.
Most of the dead were young children, whose bodies were thrown overboard. Spanish coastguards rescued 33 people from the boat, which had been adrift for days after its motor failed. It is the second such incident off the south of Spain in a week. On Monday 14 Africans were presumed drowned after a boat capsized in rough seas. Another 23 people were pulled alive from the water in that incident.

Subject: Around the World Today - Saturday 12th July

GUINEA BISSAU: A cholera outbreak in the capital of Guinea Bissau has killed at least four people and infected hundreds more. Health experts say the dismal sanitary conditions and infrastructure in the country make such outbreaks common and persistent. Brent Latham has more from our West Africa bureau in Dakar. Health experts in Guinea Bissau warned that a full-scale cholera outbreak has reached the capital city, Bissau. In addition to the four confirmed deaths, hundreds of people have been treated in recent days at the central hospital. This is the second cholera outbreak in Guinea Bissau in the last two months, following a string of infections in the southern region of Tomboli in late May. That outbreak has been mostly contained, according to the WHO. Experts said they do not know if they are dealing with one outbreak or two separate ones. Mawo Fall, a physician who has worked with several NGOs in the country, emphasized the seriousness of the toll in the capital thus far.

TURKEY: A woman from the central Anatolian province of Cankiri who contracted Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) died in a hospital in Ankara on Thursday [10 Jul 2008]. The woman from Cankiri's Orta district, was bitten by a tick and hospitalized at Cankiri State Hospital. As her condition worsened, she was transferred to Ankara Numune Hospital last Sunday [6 Jul 2008]. Doctors diagnosed her symptoms to have been caused by a fatal viral disease [CCHF] carried by a species of tick. She was subsequently moved to Diskapi Research Hospital for treatment, where she died despite medical efforts to save her.

FRANCE: Oysters have been mysteriously dying in the worst crisis to hit France's shellfish industry in 40 years. industry in 40 years. In the last few days farmers have lost between 40 and 100 per cent of their oysters aged one to two years old. Such a death toll has not been seen in France since 1970, when virtually an entire harvest was wiped out. Experts are unsure if the shellfish are succumbing to a viral epidemic or to poor water conditions caused by global warming. Mortality rates are always higher in summer but not on this scale, and never simultaneously throughout France, experts said.

USA: Kentucky - Army officials confirmed Friday that sarin nerve agent is leaking from a container at the Blue Grass Army Depot. A mobile laboratory conducting a routine check within one of the chemical agent storage igloos tested positive for the nerve agent GB (sarin). The leak was in the same igloo that sprang a leak last August, the Army said in a press release.

Subject: Around the World Today - Friday 11th July

FRANCE: France's nuclear safety watchdog has ordered a plant in the country's south to temporarily close after a uranium leak polluted the local water supply. The plant's operator has been told to improve safety procedures at the site. Waste containing unenriched uranium leaked into two rivers at the Tricastin plant at Bollene, 40km (25 miles) from the popular tourist city of Avignon. People in nearby towns have been warned not to drink any water or eat fish from the rivers since Monday's leak. Officials have also cautioned people not to swim in the rivers or use their water to irrigate crops.

INDIA: At least 18 cattle have died of an unidentified bovine disease in the past week in Erode district of Tamil Nadu, an official said Friday. About 18 cattle have died in and around Sathyamangalam town since July 4. Preliminary examinations of the blood and viscera after post mortem have revealed no contagious disease; K. Periyasamy, joint director of the state animal husbandry department.

NETHERLANDS: A Dutch hospital says a woman has died of Marburg fever, a rare Ebola-like virus she probably caught from bats while climbing through caves on vacation in Uganda. The World Health Organization says the unidentified woman had visited the African country for three weeks last month. A spokeswoman at the Leiden University Medical Center says the hospital had taken all precautions to prevent the spread of the contagious disease. The hospital said Friday the woman had been isolated and everyone she had been in contact with notified. She was admitted to a regional hospital six days ago with liver failure and severe hemorrhaging. Marburg virus causes hemorrhaging and has a fatality rate as high as 90 percent. There is no known treatment or cure.

SWEDEN: A fire broke out today on the roof of a turbine hall at a nuclear power plant on Sweden's west coast but was quickly extinguished and the reactor was never in danger, the plant said. "There was a small fire and our internal fire brigade was able to put it out in just a few minutes," Goesta Larsen, a spokesman for the Ringhals plant, the largest nuclear plant in the Nordic region, said. "It was nothing dramatic at all," he said, acknowledging however that thick smoke had entered the turbine facility's ventilation system and set off external fire alarms that alerted several nearby fire brigades to rush to the scene. The blaze started when roofers working on the building with torches accidentally set fire to roof materials. Mr Larsen said no evacuation was necessary and the reactor was never in danger. The reactor "is in another building next door, with a metre thick cement wall in between," he added. The Ringhals plant, located about 60km south of Sweden's second biggest city Gothenburg, has four reactors, including one boiling water and three pressurised water reactors. The plant produces about 20 per cent of all electricity consumed in Sweden.

BERMUDA: A tropical storm watch was issued for Bermuda on Friday as Hurricane Bertha neared the mid-Atlantic British colony, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

SPAIN: A yellow alert has been put in place on the beaches of the area. A yellow alert has been issued along the Cantabrian coastline in Spain following the presence of large numbers of jellyfish. Experts had expected jellyfish numbers to be high this year, but also said recent rains in May would ensure they would gather further off shore. The yellow alert runs from Llanes in Asturias to San Sebastián following the presence of high numbers of the Portuguese Men of War (Physalia Phisalis). This jellyfish is easily identified by its purple floater and red hue and causes burns and inflammation. It can reach 30 cms in size which can mean dozens of metres when the tentacles are taken into account.)

AFGANISTAN, SYRIA, TURKEY & GREECE: Scale 5 50+Km deep Earthquake in western region of Afganistan. Also minor quakes (-3) reported in Syria, Turkey and Greece

USA: More than 1,000 people in more than 40 US states are now confirmed to have become ill with salmonella since April, officials say. The US health authorities suspect the bacteria to be present in some raw tomatoes, chilli peppers and the coriander used in salsa. The outbreak is deemed to be the worst one of a food-borne illness in the US for more than a decade. Two people are said to have died, and 200 people have been taken to hospital.

UZBECKISTAN: A series of explosions has ripped through an arms depot at a military base in Uzbekistan yesterday, killing at least three people and injuring about 20. The blasts happened in the mining town of Kagan near the ancient Silk Road town of Bukhara. Reports said the explosions were caused by a fire at the Soviet-era base. Soldiers fought the flames but were unable to prevent the fire reaching a store of artillery shells.

NOTE: NO POSTINGS OF "AROUND THE WORLD" DONE BETWEEN 4TH AND 10TH JULY - Information unavailable

Subject: Around the World Today - Thursday 3rd July

BULGARIA: A series of powerful explosions in an arms dump rocked Bulgaria's capital Sofia this morning around 06:30 local time. It was not yet clear whether the blasts, which happened near the village of Chelopechene, on the eastern outskirts of Sofia, caused any injuries or damage. An eyewitnesses said the blasts shook apartment blocks in eastern districts of Sofia. Rescuers have been unable to reach the main blast site as ammunition continues to detonate at the dump, Sofia's mayor Boiko Borisov told the national radio and television. He urged people to stay at home and close thier windows

CHILE: After announcing that the Llaima volcano lava flow now extends over two kilometers from the crater, authorities have decided to declare a red alert for the areas closest to the stream of molten rock. The municipalities of Melipeuco, Curacaut, Cunco and Vilc remain on yellow alert.

USA: California - Current Situation as of 10:00am this morning: State, local and federal firefighters continue to battle hundreds of wildfires throughout California. Although fires continue to burn, several hundred fires have been contained by the relentless work of firefighters from California and throughout the nation. The Gap Fire in Santa Barbara County, which began yesterday evening, has resulted in a partial evacuation of the City of Goleta. The priority of firefighting is for the protection of life, property and natural resources.

CANADA: Saskatchewan - With the number of people forced from their homes by forest fires in northern Saskatchewan now at 2,000, the province has moved to ban open campfires over a wide region. On Tuesday, the province decided to evacuate all 900 residents from Deschambault Lake in northeast Saskatchewan after a forest fire got dangerously close to the community. They're joining 1,100 people from Pelican Narrows, Black Lake, Uranium City and Sandy Bay who were sent away earlier this week. Most of the evacuees are staying in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina. There were 64 fires burning on Wednesday, half of them covering at least 100 hectares of forest. One of the biggest fires covers 60,000 hectares in the northeast. So far this year, the area burned by fires has topped 285,000 hectares, the province says, an area equivalent of 20 Saskatoons.

Subject: Around the World Today - Wednesday 2nd July

RUSSIA: Siberia - Eight people have been hospitalized in the East Siberian Republic of Buryatia with suspected anthrax, the republic's emergencies ministry said on Tuesday. Three more people, who developed symptoms similar to skin anthrax, have been hospitalized suspected of suffering with the disease following a medical examination. The source said earlier in the day that five patients, who culled a bull a week ago, were hospitalized on Sunday with a fever and rash, which usually occurs in those infected with skin anthrax. The results of lab tests are expected back by Thursday. Diagnosis of skin anthrax, the least dangerous form of the disease, was officially confirmed in two patients. The health of other six is being monitored. As opposed to lung and gastrointestinal forms of the disease, skin anthrax is rarely fatal if treated, but without treatment about 20% of skin infection cases lead to sepsis and subsequent death.

NEW ZEALAND: Crater lake temperatures and gas on Mt Ruapehu remain stubbornly high, nine months after its last eruption, GNS Science says. "That doesn't mean an eruption is likely, but the current unrest is unusual," GNS Science volcano surveillance coordinator Brad Scott said today. Crater lake temperatures and gas levels usually follow a predictable pattern of returning to normal after eruptions, he said.

D R CONGO: An outbreak of monkey pox in Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Equateur province has killed 22 of the 470 people infected since the start of 2008, according to medical officials. "The epidemic began in the Tshuapa health zone and has reached almost all parts of the province," said August Makaya, the chief epidemiologist in Equateur. "Cases of monkey pox have been registered all over Tshuapa health zone but also in Befale and Mopono health zones and more recently in Ingende health zone, near Mbandaka [the main town in the province]," he said. "The epidemic is now heading northwards to Boende health zone; the east is in the middle of the epidemic and isolated cases have also appeared all over the province," added Makaya. He explained that most years one or two people would be infected with the monkey pox virus, mainly in Tshuapa health zone.

CHILE: A red stream of lava flowed down the flanks of the Llaima volcano in southern Chile on Tuesday, and officials said they evacuated about a dozen people. Emergency Bureau Director Carmen Fernandez said some 50 people live in the "first risk ring" around the 9,400-foot (3,120-meter) volcano.

CHINA: More than 60 children fell ill after drinking water that may have been deliberately poisoned at a primary school in southern China. Thirty-four were still in hospital, suffering from headaches and nausea, and the rest were under observation at their rural school in Guangxi province after drinking the water in their school canteen. The water in the school's storage tank smelled of pesticide and police found an empty bottle that they suspected of containing the poison. While the investigation is continuing, local education officials have already accused the school of mismanagement, it added. Scandals involving substandard food or medicines are reported regularly by Chinese media and schools have been involved before. A primary school headmistress was jailed last year for taking kickbacks from an unlicensed food company that indirectly led to nearly 200 children falling ill. In a separate case last year, a college student was arrested on suspicion of poisoning his classmates' water.

CANADA: Alberta - The mayor of Lethbridge, Alta. has declared a state of local emergency after heavy flooding hit the city Tuesday. Forty-five millimetres of torrential rain dropped in two hours, flooding roads and leaving cars partially submerged below underpasses. A number of roads have been closed, and transit service has been suspended. CTV's Kaella Carr said the city is offering shelter for those who have been flooded out of their homes. The flooding has caused sewage to overflow and residents are urged not to drink or bathe in untreated water. A boil water advisory is in effect. Kristen Harding of the Lethbridge Regional Police said, "The system was really overwhelmed." She said that manholes were even blowing their lids under the water pressure. Mayor Bob Tarleck's edict allows the city to take whatever action it deems necessary to deal with the situation. The last major flood in the city was in 1995.

USA: Massachusetts - A cat which bit a man and a girl Thursday has tested positive for rabies. This is the second cat which has attacked people and pets in the past two weeks, said Health Director Sharon D. Hart said. Thursday the man and girl reported a small dark-gray cat came out and attacked and bit them in the area of Newton and Lincoln streets and Roosevelt Avenue, she said.

USA: California - a cat has been diagnosed as carrying plague.

COSTA RICA: A tropical storm from the Caribbean is affecting entire Costa Rica, generating cloudy weather and torrential rains, the National Meteorological Institute (IMN) said on Tuesday. In most coastal areas, the 11th tropical storm of the year has brought strong rainfall, which will intensify as the tropical storm approaches. The Central Valley and the coastal zone of the Pacific are among the most affected areas. The IMN has warned people living in the flooded areas to keep alert over any emergency.

CHINA: Mine collapse kills 18 in China
Eighteen miners were killed when a shaft collapsed at a colliery in central China, state media said. A group of 28 miners were working underground when the accident happened on Tuesday morning at the state-owned mine in Shaanxi province. Twelve men were rescued, but two of them later died in hospital, Xinhua news agency said. On Wednesday, rescuers confirmed that they had found the bodies of the other 16 miners. Rescue efforts were hampered by heavy smoke and dust in the tunnel, the agency said.

Subject: Around the World Today - Tuesday 1st July

AUSTRALIA: Defence officials have had to allay the concerns of Sydney office workers, who watched as an air force fighter chased what appeared to be a passenger plane. Some people thought Australia's most populous city might be coming under attack. Instead the Australian Defence Force was bidding farewell to one of its aircraft. The media had been alerted about the fly-past over Sydney harbour bridge but not, apparently, the public. A number of office workers decided to evacuate their skyscrapers after watching in alarm as a passenger plane flew low over Sydney harbour chased by an air force fighter. MORE AT:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7481039.stm

PHILIPPINES: Officials say heavy rains have triggered a landslide that killed at least four people and injured 26 others in the central Philippines. Estrellita Escanan, the Office of Civil Defense's provincial coordinator, says a woman and her 1-year-old daughter were among those killed when the houses of six families were buried late Sunday in mountainous Samboan township, in Cebu province. Two young boys died in a nearby house. Many of the people were sleeping when the earth crashed down. Escanan said Monday it had been raining heavily and villagers reported a squall that whipped up winds in the area before the landslide.

IRAN: Strong sandstorms hit Zahak city of Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Bluchestan, reported on Monday. The storms packed with winds up to 100 km per hour has caused state and private-run administrations to close on Sunday. "The sandstorms have forced all the stores and offices to shut down, except for emergency centers," Mayor of Zahak city Gholamreza Rezadi was quoted as saying. The storms which began five days ago has hit about 80 villages, Rezadi said, adding that the deluge of sand considerably damaged agriculture, water installations, and electricity power lines. Over 3,000 people were admitted to clinical centers for treatment of respiratory diseases and allergies, as a result of the sandstorms. Heavy dust and windstorms have also caused poor visibility that disrupted normal life in the region.

IRAN: Iranian state television and radio say that 19 people have been killed when a building collapsed in the Iranian capital. The building in the Sa'adatabad district in northern Tehran has been on the verge of collapsing for a month, but that the occupants did not take municipality warnings to evacuate seriously. Mortazavi says authorities have detained five people, including the building owner and contractors, and have said that "serious punishment" is in store for those responsible for the "disastrous" incident.

RUSSIA: An outbreak of anthrax has been registered among the livestock at Russia's southern republic of Kalmykia, a police source said Monday. A total of five sheep and goats have died at the private farm since June 17. "On Monday, the republic's vet lab received the results of laboratory tests, showing that the animals died of anthrax," the source said. Forty animals and two farm workers have been vaccinated. Anthrax most commonly infects wild mammals and domestic cattle and sheep, which ingest or inhale the spores while grazing. Humans can be affected when exposed to blood and other tissues from infected animals. Anthrax can be highly lethal, but in some forms it responds well to antibiotic treatment and there are effective vaccines against the disease.

FRANCE: French shooting show injures 17. It is not clear whether or not foul play was involved. A military show in southern France has left 17 people wounded, after real bullets were used instead of blanks. The injured included five children. Four people, including one child, were said to have been seriously hurt - though three have now stabilised. The incident occurred during a public demonstration of hostage-freeing techniques at a barracks in Aude. The soldier who fired the shots has been detained - though an official said it was probably an accident.

JAMAICA: PRIME MINISTER Bruce Golding has announced that a cadre of 150,000 young people from high schools across the island are to be trained to provide the appropriate response in the event of a disaster, or in its aftermath. The training programme is one of several initiatives to be funded through the Emergency Recovery Project. The US$10 million Emergency Recovery Loan, which the Government has obtained from the World Bank, will also be used to fund rehabilitation work on 72 schools, 22 health centres and 16 roads across the country, which were extensively damaged by Hurricane Dean last September. MORE AT: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080630/news/news10.html

CHINA: Last month's earthquake in Sichuan caused some six billion dollars (3.8 billion euros) in damage to agriculture in the southern Chinese province, the UN food agency said Monday. "Over 30 million people in rural communities have been severely hit, losing most of their assets," the Food and Agriculture Organisation said in a statement

CYPRUS: The drought-parched island of Cyprus was awaiting the arrival on Monday of its first shipment of water from Greece to replenish dwindling reserves. A Cypriot shipping firm is to ferry a total of eight million cubic metres (280 million cubic feet) of water from Greece to help ease the holiday island's severe water crisis.

CHINA: With less than six weeks before it plays host to the Olympic sailing regatta, the city of Qingdao has mobilized thousands of people and an armada of small boats to clean up an algae bloom that is choking large stretches of the coastline and threatening to impede the Olympic competition. Local officials have initiated an all-out effort to clean up the algae by mid-July. Media reports estimate as many as 20,000 people have either volunteered or been ordered to participate in the operation, while 1,000 boats are scooping algae out of the Yellow Sea. That algae currently covered a third of the coastal waters designated for the Olympic competition.

ODD ONE: CANADA: Motorists on Canada's biggest highway ended up with a bee in their bonnet after a truck transporting 12m of the insects overturned. The lorry was carrying 330 crates of honey bees when it tipped over on a ramp in St Leonard, New Brunswick. Bee experts were called in to help deal with the accident on the Trans-Canada Highway. Royal Canadian Mounted Police said a downpour of rain helped to contain the bees in and around the vehicle. MORE AT: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7482609.stm

AROUND THE WORLD TODAY