| AROUND THE WORLD: NOVEMBER 1st - 17th, 2008
MARCH 2008 APRIL 2008 MAY 1st - 20th, 2008 MAY 21st - 31st, 2008 JUNE 1st - 15th, 2008 JUNE 16th - 30th, 2008 JULY 1st - 19th, 2008 JULY 20th - 31st, 2008 AUGUST 1st - 12th, 2008 AUGUST 13th - 22nd, 2008 AUGUST 23rd- 31st, 2008 SEPTEMBER 1st - 12th, 2008 SEPTEMBER 13th - 26th, 2008 SEPTEMBER 27th - 30th, 2008 OCTOBER 1st - 18th, 2008 OCTOBER 19th - 31st, 2008 Subject: Around the World Today - Monday 17th November USA: North Carolina - Big storms produce tornadoes, two reported dead near Raleigh. Two people are dead, one injured, and another missing after tornadoes rolled through two communities east of Raleigh. BULGARIA: Sofia - Two earthquakes have jolted the capital in less than 12 hours. The first earthquake has been registered at 10.08pm on Saturday evening. Its epicenter was the South Park. The tremor was vertical with duration of 2,5 seconds. The tremor was measured 4 on the Richter scale. The second tremor with magnitude 3,5 on the Richter scale was registered at 7.05am. The epicenter was probably central Sofia. According to Civil Protection service information no damages have been reported after the second earthquake that jolted the capital early in the morning, press centre of Sofia Municipality informed. AUSTRALIA: Queensland - The entire south-east corner of Queensland is being battered by destructive winds and torrential rain. Energex's Danny Donald says 100,000 homes have lost power across the south-east. He says every electricity feeder on Brisbane's northside is down, which is affecting a quarter of the city. He says it is one of the worst storms he has ever seen. "It's so slow moving and causing a lot of damage," he said. USA: California - Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and thousands of residents were forced to flee as a series of ferocious wind-driven bushfires rage across southern California. More than 500 mobile homes were gutted and 10,000 people were evacuated by a blaze that ripped through a Los Angeles suburb in what officials said was one of the worst fires to ravage the city in nearly half a century. Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara county where the bushfires are out of control. INDIA: Kashmir - Police say 23 people are missing after a bridge they were building collapsed into an icy Himalayan river in Indian-controlled Kashmir. B. Srinivas, a senior police official, says no bodies or survivors have been found since the collapse that took place near the de-facto border between Indian and Pakistan. Construction accidents are common in India where little regard is paid to safety and shoddy materials are often used. INDONESIA: An Indonesian teenager has died of bird flu, raising the death toll in the country hardest hit by the virus to 113, health officials said Wednesday. The latest death comes amid an ongoing dispute between the Southeast Asian country and the World Health Organization over sharing samples of the virus from patients there to monitor whether the H5N1 virus is mutating to a more dangerous form. INDONESIA: A major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sulawesi island early Monday, destroying houses and triggering a tsunami warning but there were no reports of fatalities, officials said. The US Geological Survey (USGS), which initially said the quake had a magnitude of 7.8 before downgrading it to 7.5, said it struck 136 kilometres (84 miles) off the coastal town Gorontalo at a depth of 21 kilometres. SOMALIA: Hundreds of thousands of Somalians face a major famine because of violence and a drought that is ravaging the centre and south of the country, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Friday. COLOMBIA: A 12-year-old boy was killed and 15 people were missing and feared dead after a mudslide destroyed part of an upscale neighborhood in the Colombian city of Medellin on Sunday, local authorities said. The northern industrial city, like much of the rest of Colombia, has been hit by seasonal rains that have saturated the earth, leading to deadly avalanches in hilly areas. The mudslide in El Poblado, Medellin's most affluent district, swept away houses as their occupants slept early on Sunday morning, local police told reporters. AUSTRALIA: Queensland - Damage caused by severe storms in south-east Queensland is comparable to the devastation wrought by Cyclone Larry, Premier Anna Bligh says. Ms Bligh has attended an Emergency Management Queensland meeting before touring The Gap, in Brisbane's west, to inspect widespread property damage caused by Sunday's storms. "The only thing that has been anything like it is Cyclone Larry," Ms Bligh said, referring to the cyclone that caused almost $1 billion in damage. Subject: Around the World Today - Sunday 16th November No postings available Subject: Around the World Today - Saturday 15th November USA: California - State of emergency declared in California fire-stricken area. A huge wildfire fanned by strong winds destroyed at least 70 multimillion-dollar homes in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, northwest of Los Angeles, officials said. BUT More importantly it continues to threaten hospitals and residential areas as well as industrial complexes. GHANA: Ten people have been confirmed dead and two are hospitalised following an outbreak of meningitis in north-central Ghana.The disease broke out on 25 October in Yaw Bronya farming community in the Ashanti Region, 250km north of the capital Accra.Local authorities have closed down schools and banned all public gatherings. ZIMBABWE: At least six people and more than 200 cattle have died in Lupane District in Zimbabwe's western province of Matabeleland North following an outbreak of anthrax. Although Provincial Medical Director for Matabeleland North Irene Ndiweni could not comment, saying she was attending a conference in Victoria Falls, sources in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare insisted that six people have died so far from the disease. Some of the villagers who ate the affected meat are reported to be still undergoing treatment. SOUTH AFRICA: Eight people were killed and at least 400 houses destroyed in a heavy storm in Durban's Molweni area on Friday. "The storm arrived, it was over in a matter of five or six minutes... it was hail, rain and wind. It's as though someone drove a bulldozer though the area," said Democratic Alliance councillor Tex Collins. PHILIPPINES: Two children died while three others were hospitalized in yet another case of red tide poisoning in Albay province on Friday, a radio report said Saturday. Bombo Radyo reported that the incident, which took place in Ligao city in Albay province, involved the children eating tahong (shellfish). CHINA: At least one person is dead and 16 are missing after a road caved in on a subway tunnel under construction in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on Saturday, rescuers said. Nineteen people were taken to hospital, said a spokesman with the rescue headquarters. Witnesses and rescuers earlier said at least 50 people were trapped underground, but the exact number is still unknown. They are believed to be mostly construction workers. USA: Carolina - A cluster of strong thunderstorms swept across central North Carolina early Saturday and spawned tornadoes, killing two people. A child was also missing. A woman was found dead in her wrecked home and her son was missing in the community of Kenly, which is about 35 miles southeast of Raleigh, said state police spokeswoman Patty McQuillan. ROMANIA: At least eight miners were killed and others were trapped underground in an accident in a coal mine in southwest Romania on Saturday, local authorities said."Out of the 11 miners trapped, eight are dead," Ilie Paducel, mayor of the mining town of Petrila, told television station Antena 3."Families are at the mine's gate, waiting for information."Another 8 miners were being treated for injuries in a local hospital.There were no immediate details on the nature of the accident in the Petrila mine in the Jiu Valley.In 2006, seven miners were killed and five were injured in a blast at Anina coal mine in Caras Severin county in western Romania.The worst accident in Romania's mining industry after the 1989 fall of communism killed 14 in 2001. Such accidents were usually not reported during communism. Subject: Around the World Today - Friday 14th November CHINA: An explosion on a chemical ship killed two people and injured four in east China's Zhejiang Province on Thursday. The ship, loaded with about 120 tons of carbon dioxide, sank immediately after the explosion at about 7:50 a.m. at a dock in Tangqi Township, Yuhang District, in the provincial capital Hangzhou, said a spokesman with the Hangzhou Municipal Fire Control Brigade. Two sailors aboard the ship died at the scene, and four people on nearby ships and on the dock were injured, he said. "One of the injured people has left hospital, and three others are being treated at the Yuhang District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital and are in stable condition," he said. The local maritime affairs authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion. USA: Kentucky - The leak comes a day after crews began neutralizing 157 gallons of GB, also known as sarin, in a plan called Operation Swift Solution. Thursday's leak was unrelated to the neutralizing plan, which will destroy sarin that is stored in three steel ton containers at the depot. Officials said Thursday's leak occurred in one of the rockets that hold the sarin. They are kept in airtight shipping and firing tubes that crews periodically inspect for leaks. During an inspection Thursday, crews detected a leak in a tube when a technician removed a bolt to sample the air inside it. The low-level sarin vapor that was detected was confined to the tube and didn't seep into the igloo in which the rockets are kept, said Richard Sloan, spokesman for Blue Grass Chemical Activity, the agency that oversees chemical weapons at the depot. Two to five of these leaks take place each year, Sloan said. USA: Colarado - An explosion laid waste to a restaurant and a shop Thursday in downtown Pueblo, killing one person, injuring at least six and forcing several blocks to evacuate. Crews pulled a survivor from the rubble more than four hours after the blast. The cause of the blast was being investigated. At least one witness said she smelled gas, and buildings for several blocks in all directions were evacuated. The person who died was one of two women rescued from a shop next to the Branch Inn restaurant, said Fire Chief Chris Riley. INDONESIA: A South Sulawesi hospital was overwhelmed as it admitted in two days 17 patients believed to have bird flu, an official said Thursday. The patients, mostly children, presented with symptoms of the disease, such as a high fever, cough and respiratory problems, spokesman for Wahidin Sudirohusodo General Hospital in Makassar, Andi Kurnia Bintang, said. USA: California - A fast-moving brush fire driven by 60- to 70-mph winds erupted tonight in the hills above Montecito in Santa Barbara County, forcing evacuations of some large luxury homes and destroying some structures, authorities said. The fire broke out about 6 p.m. in the Cold Springs area of Montecito, an area that is home to film stars and other wealthy residents. The fire was moving southwest, toward Santa Barbara, according to Geri Ventura, a spokesman for the Montecito Fire Department. INDONESIA: Two people have been killed and 13 are missing feared dead after a landslide triggered by heavy rain crushed parts of two villages in Indonesia, an official said. Health ministry crisis centre head Rustam Pakaya said the landslide happened Thursday in the Cianjur area of West Java province. "It's hard to tell the number of houses that have been destroyed by the landslide," said Pakaya. Local people have been trying to dig their neighbours and loved ones out of the rubdle. SOUTH ARFICA: Eastern Cape - An extremely intense storm is bearing down on the eastern cape of South Africa after battering the western portion of the country earlier in the week.A primary highway linking Cape Town and Worcester was forced to close following what has been described by a local official as an abnormally strong rain event in western South Africa. Schools were closed, roofs were ripped off, homes were flooded and bridges washed over due to the unusually intense storm. But the storm is not over in South Africa. A severe weather warning is in effect today for eastern coastal South Africa, including Port Elizabeth. Forecasters are calling for 40-55 millimeters of rain and strong gales. PHILIPPINES: Local health authorities have advised residents to temporarily stop eating green mussels, locally known as "tahong," after one person died and 13 others were confined in a hospital here due to "paralytic shellfish poisoning." Dr. Vicente Martinez, assistant city health officer, said they were advised by Escolastica Dinapo, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Fish Resources Management Division Southern Tagalog chief, to consider the recent death of a Badjao child and the hospital confinement of 13 other victims as cases of shellfish poisoning. BELGIUM: Two trains have collided in suburban Brussels, injuring seven people and causing major delays during morning rush hour. Officials say a commuter train collided with a train carrying train service equipment when one mistakenly switched onto the track of the other as they both were traveling toward the center of Brussels. Neither train fell over or came off the track during the collision. However, Jean-Pierre De Groef, the mayor of Diegem, the suburb where the accident occurred, says three commuters and four train service workers were injured. Officials are investigating the accident, which caused long delays during morning rush hour in Belgium's capital. It's Friday: It only goes to prove nothing is faster than lightening! AUSTRALIA: The owners of a highly-promising racehorse are distraught after the sprinter was killed during wild storms this morning. Sunburnt Land - which had won eight races and earned close to $380,000 in prizemoney - was killed by a bolt of lightning. The tragic loss resulted from an intense thunderstorm which swept across the state this morning, causing transport disruption and damage to homes. Subject: Around the World Today - Thursday 13th November GREENLAND: US left nuclear weapon buried under Greenland ice - The United States abandoned a nuclear weapon under the ice in northern Greenland after it was lost following a plane crash in 1968, the BBC reported Monday. FULL STORY: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_left_nuclear_weapon_buried_under_Greenland_ice_report_999.html USA: California - At 10 a.m. today, an estimated 5.2 million people around Southern California dropped to the ground, roll under the nearest table and spent the next two minutes clutching a table leg. The drill is the centerpiece of the Great Southern California ShakeOut, a weeklong series of events designed to educate and remind the public about how to respond to a large earthquake. UK: North Sea - Venture Production warned yesterday that a suspected oil leak at its Kittiwake platform in the North Sea could cut 2008 production by 1,000 barrels of oil a day. Production on the platform was halted last Thursday after oil was spotted in the water nearby. JAPAN: A fire broke out on Thursday at a nuclear power plant in northern Japan, but it was quickly extinguished and there was no danger of a radiation leak, a spokesman for plant operator Tohoku Electric Power Co said. The fire broke out at around 2 p.m. (0500 GMT) at the plant's No.1 unit, which was not in operation due to regular maintenance, spokesman Mitsuhiro Takauchi said. One person was injured in the fire, which was extinguished about 50 minutes later, he said. Tohoku's Onagawa plant in Miyagi prefecture has three units with a combined capacity of 2,174 megawatts. SOUTH AFRICA: Durban - A South African oil refinery in Durban has been shut down after a fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday morning. Engen Oil Refinery spokesman Herb Payne said the fire had broken out in the refinery's crude unit -- the facility that feeds crude oil into the refinery's processing units. He said the blaze broke out shortly after midnight and had been extinguished by the refinery's own fire-fighting team. He said: "It is not possible to pinpoint the cause of the fire or the cost of the damage at this stage. It is also not yet possible to say what impact this will have on fuel supplies or when the refinery will be back in operation." The refinery, located in Durban's southern Wentworth suburb, supplies the country with almost 20 percent of its refined fuel. He said investigations were underway to determine the cause of the fire. Mopping up operations were also underway. Air samples that were taken would be sent to laboratories for testing. Payne said that effluent used in fighting the blaze had been contained and would be disposed of safely. SPAIN: A short circuit at an electricity substation in Alcuda at 12.06pm this morning has left around 900,000 users without power on Mallorca and Menorca. A spokesman for the GESA-Endesa utility firm responsable estimates that it will take two or three hours to fix the problem. Meanwhile, traffic in Palma city centre has practically ground to a halt, standard telephone lines are down and there is only partial mobile phone coverage. Palma airport, though, has not been affected and continues to operate normally. The same spokesman explained that top priority is being given to restoring power to the islands' hospitals and health centres. ITALY: Venice - Venice was hit by 'acqua alta' (high water) for the second day in a row on Thursday. The sea level rose to 104 centimetres above normal, affecting 3% of the city, officials said. At that level, large swathes of low-lying areas of the city are left awash including Piazza San Marco, Venice's famed central square. The level was even higher in St Mark's Square because of heavy rain, officials said. Subject: Around the World Today - Wednesday 12th November ENGLAND: Devonport - This event occured on 07.11.2008: Radioactive liquid spilled into a river during maintenance work on a nuclear submarine, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. The Royal Navy said up to 280 litres (62 gallons) of contaminated water spilled from a ruptured hose as it was used to pump out coolant from HMS Trafalgar at the Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth. The incident happened shortly after midnight on Friday and the contaminated liquid spilled into the River Tamar. An MoD spokesman said: "During a standard operation to transfer primary coolant from HMS Trafalgar to an effluent tank on the jetty, a hose ruptured, resulting in a leak of the coolant. A maximum of 280 litres of coolant were discharged from the hose on to the submarine casing, jetty and into the river Tamar. The area was quarantined, monitoring and sampling carried out and a clean-up operation completed. No one was harmed during the incident and the nuclear power plant was unaffected." The spokesman said that the flow of liquid was stopped as soon as the leak was spotted and initial sampling had not detected, "any radioactive contamination in the local environment". An investigation is under way to find the cause of the leak and the Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive and the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator have been informed. A spokesman for the Environment Agency said it was "certain there is no significant environmental impact" but has taken samples "for reassurance purposes". FRANCE: French police say seven people were injured when explosives they were handling went off, causing a blast at a student housing unit. Six injured from the blast early Wednesday in the southern city of Montpellier have been taken to the hospital and are being treated for burns and burst eardrums. Authorities are searching for a seventh person, who fled the scene. Police say the seven appeared to have been trying to build a bomb and that they had been drinking. The explosion took place in the room of a chemistry student and destroyed two neighboring rooms. About 100 students were evacuated following the pre-dawn explosion. VIETNAM: Meningitis caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a very rare disease, is becoming increasingly common in Vietnam, said Dr. Nguyen Van De, Chief of the Parasitology Faculty of Hanoi Medical University. From 1995-2000, Vietnam recorded only 15 cases, but so far this year, the number is 5. All are children under 15 years old in Hanoi. The children caught the disease when the Angiostrongylus cantonensis worm got into their brain, causing meningitis. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, convulsions, squinty eyes. Angiostrongylus cantonensis can appear in encephalospinal juice and also in lens crystallins and lung arteries. There are over 20 species of Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which parasitise in mice, two of which cause meningitis in humans. COLUMBIA: On Sunday, 9 November approximately 375 tremors were felt near the Machin volcano in the department of Tolima. The Machin volcano is currently at level three (yellow alert) and it is considered to be the most dangerous volcano in Colombia. The Nevado del Huila volcano has also been demonstrating an increase in activity since 7 November. During the past two days a total of 3,290 tremors were registered.Currently, the Nevado del Huila volcano is at level two (orange alert), which means a probable eruption can be expected in the next days or weeks. GREECE: A fire that broke out in a wooded part of Mount Athos in Greece has been localized, firefighters say. About 70 firemen and 80 fire engines will remain in the fire zone to prevent any new escalation of the blaze, said the Northern Greece fire brigade chief. The fire destroyed about 50 hectares of forest, but no damage was done to any monasteries or other buildings. A big fire on Mount Athos in March 2004 caused damage to about 20 monasteries in the area, including the Serbian Orthodox Hilandar Monastery. RUSSIA: The 1st 2 cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) this fall have been registered in Lipetsk Oblast. The patients are a 30-year-old man and a 5-year-old boy from Dankovsky [district] -- a father and son form the village of Perehval. They are currently receiving treatment at the Central District hospital. The risk of airborne infection has increased greatly as a consequence of the increased numbers of rodents that transmit the virus responsible for HFRS. Due to the onset of colder weather rodents are moving closer to human habitations. People should take measures to protect themselves from these rodents by eliminating them from yards and gardens. Local authorities should implement rodent control measures. USA: Washington State, Snohomish County - Severe flooding following heavy rainfall has raised fears of levee failures as drainage system struggles to cope. Subject: Around the World Today - Tuesday 11th November COLOMBIA: Cordillia - Emergency service has sent out a yellow alert because of the earth tremors registered inside the volcano Michan during the weekend. The volcanos crater is covered with an immense dome and more than 20 thousand people inhabit this land in the south of the state of Tolima. The magnitude of Machan is one of the greatest of the volcanoes of the area, and therefore a possible eruption would cause a gigantic emergency. ENGLAND: A tornado has hit Suffolk, causing a tree to fall through the roof of a house and leaving a trail of damage in its wake. Witnesses reported a miniature tornado hitting Knodishall and Pettistree at 3pm today, lasting for a few minutes. Trees and power cables were felled and tiles and chimneys flew down from rooftops when the storm hit. MALTA: A waterspout was detected at 1138h on Monday amid the unstable weather conditions that brought heavy rains to some parts of Malta. The waterspout was spotted off the southeastern coast of Malta. A waterspout is a violent whirlwind which can be seen as a funnel cloud occurring under cumuliform type of clouds. The current light to moderate winds form the northeast are expected to change to northwest later on in the week. More rain and occasional thunderstorm are forecast for the rest of the week. The air temperature will drop slightly to 19 degrees Celcius. SAUDI ARABIA: Red tide has been lashing Fujairah and Kalba shores in the eastern coastline since Sunday, spreading foul smell though no dead fishes have been spotted. Fishermen and people fear of the phenomenon, which was also reported in Dibba Al Hosn. As a result, more than 200 tonnes of dead fish were found floating along the coast in the past weeks. CANADA: Ontario will test its disaster response system next week with a massive exercise in the Thunder Bay region. Exercise Trillium Response will simulate a massive ice storm similar to the one that devastated eastern Ontario and Quebec in 1998. The exercise will run between Nov. 17 and 23 and encompass 25 municipalities and three First Nations. More than 1,500 participants from the Ontario and federal governments will take part in the exercise. About 1,000 members of the Canadian Forces in dozens of specialized army vehicles, naval craft and airplanes will also be deployed. The exercise will also test Ontario's mobile emergency centre, which includes a 56-bed medical field unit. Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci says being prepared will help save lives and lessen the economic impact of a disaster. "This exercise will build on our existing expertise and uncover areas that may need improvement," he said. CHINA: A powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck northwest China's Qinghai province on Monday, shaking buildings hundreds of kilometres away and sending people running into the streets, officials said. ENGLAND: Massive waves hit the Portsmouth Naval Memorial yesterday as Britain took a battering from rain and storm-force winds. For some drivers caught in the chaos, it was a day of miracle escapes. Two men were killed as gale-force winds and torrential rain battered the country. A construction worker was crushed to death when a freak gust of wind sent a crane spinning out of control. TAIWAN: The Panama-registered cargo ship Morning Sun was grounded 300m off the Taipei County coastline late on Monday evening, releasing more than 100 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into the sea. The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said at a press conference yesterday that as there were no ecologically sensitive areas in the vicinity and that the situation was under control, adding that an emergency response unit had been formed and that most of the leak would be cleaned up within two weeks. The accident occurred at 10:20pm on Monday. The leak poses a threat, as it is close to the First Nuclear Power Plant, whose staff has been ordered to activate preventive safety measures. Subject: Around the World Today - Monday 10th November EU: European Commission is providing financial aid in region of 2.3 million to CEDRE (Carribean EM Agency) to support preventative and preparatory activities. WALES: Emergency services have had to answer hundreds of flooding calls overnight after torrential rainstorms. Carmarthenshire, the Swansea Valley, the Cynon Valley and Maesteg were worse hit. TAIWAN: Twenty-one sailors were reported missing in shark-infested waters off the south coast of Taiwan Monday after their fishing boat overturned and sank in heavy seas, officials said. The coastguard managed to rescue seven of the 28-strong crew after the "Fu Chi Hsiang No. 767" sank off Taiwan's southern-most tip late Sunday, said a transport ministry official Cheng Chien-chung. "A survivor told us that he saw one of the crew drifting away after being attacked by sharks," Cheng said. Taiwanese authorities sent two helicopters and eight boats to the area where the trawler sank after sending out a distress signal around 10:00 pm Sunday (1400 GMT Sunday). Those missing included sailors from Taiwan, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. CUBA: Hurricane Paloma weakened Sunday as it stalled over southeastern Cuba after battering the island with lashing rain and gale-force winds. After making landfall on Cuba's southeast coast earlier in the day as a powerful Category Three hurricane, Paloma quickly declined to a tropical storm and now has winds of 95 kilometers (60 miles) an hour, the US National Hurricane Center. DR CONGO: Doctors struggled Sunday to contain an outbreak of cholera in a sprawling refugee camp near Congo's eastern provincial capital of Goma, as renewed fighting ignited fears that patients could scatter and launch an epidemic. Some 50,000 refugees have crowded around Kibati, some taken into log cabins by villagers, others living in tents or hastily built beehive-shaped huts. THAILAND: Bird flu has been found at a native-chicken farm in the northern province of Sukhothai, raising fears of a new outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu virus in the country. Livestock Development Department chief Sakchai Sriboonsue said a lab test on a chicken carcass from the Thung Saliam district showed the dead fowl was infected with the H5N1 strain. USA: Michigan - The Ottawa County Health Department has ordered Hope College to close because of a suspected norovirus outbreak. As many as 140 of the 2500 students on campus have reported symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Crews will spend the weekend scrubbing down public areas. It has forced the cancellation of athletic events, a parents weekend, and all other gatherings. Police even plan to break up student parties to halt the spread of the contagious disease. ITALY: Rome's Ciampino airport has temporarily closed after a Ryanair flight from Frankfurt suffered "substantial damage" as it made an emergency landing. The budget airline said the plane experienced engine problems from multiple bird strikes as it came in to land at Rome's second-largest airport. Passengers exited the plane using its emergency chutes. The plane remains on the runway with one engine resting on the tarmac because of damage to the landing gea MALDIVES: The president-elect of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, says he wants to buy a new homeland for his people. He says that the gradual rise in sea levels caused by global warming means the Maldives islanders may eventually be forced to resettle elsewhere. The Maldives is the lowest nation in the world. Its highest land is little more than two metres above sea level. The United Nations estimates that sea levels may rise globally by nearly 60 centimetres this century. Subject: Around the World Today - Sunday 9th November JAPAN - A simulated dirty bomb attack at Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center was held on Friday as part of an anti-terrorism exercise by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, with around 1,000 people taking part. The government has held five anti-terrorism exercises based on the Civil Protection Plan since 2003. The exercise on Friday at Tokyo Big Sight, however, was the first to center around a dirty bomb attack. FULL STORY: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20081108p2a00m0na017000c.html KENYA: Ten people have been killed and 20 others injured in Pokot Central after a landslide hit chepkogoh location early Saturday morning. Several families have also been left homeless and the Red Cross Society is in the area assisting the affected families. Heavy rains pounding the country have continued to wreck havoc with the death toll from floods and mudslides rising to 18. ENGLAND: Students at the University of Gloucestershire [in the west of England] are on alert following a mumps outbreak. A total of 10 students in Cheltenham and Gloucester have been diagnosed with the infection and the number is expected to rise. Health officials are now working at the university's 4 campuses in Cheltenham and Gloucester, which house more than 9500 full and part time students, in an effort to contain the outbreak. The Health Protection Agency is working with the university and is checking all suspected cases of the illness that have been reported in the past 2 weeks. A warning letter has been sent to all students from the university's medical officer, urging them to check for symptoms. Students and staff under the age of 25 have been asked to check if they have had the MMR [measles, mumps, and rubella] jab and consult their GP [general practitioner]. They are also urged not to mix with other students for a week if mumps is suspected. Mumps virus is highly contagious and in severe cases can cause deafness, viral meningitis, and infertility. USA: New York - The winter stomach bug is on the move in New York, sending 400 people a day to emergency rooms for vomiting and diarrhea - a 19% jump in the last two weeks, the Health Department says. Officials said the "norovirus," also known as the highly contagious stomach flu, usually lasts a few days, but they warned New Yorkers to wash their hands regularly to avoid the bug. HAITI: The death toll from the Friday school collapse in Haiti climbed to 82 on Saturday, with 107 injured, Haiti President Rene Preval reported cited by Haitian Press Network. Rescue workers found early Saturday 21 bodies in a classroom, all believed to be students from one class. It is not known how many students were in the school when it collapsed Friday morning, but reports say that anywhere between 500 and 700 children and teenagers typically crowded into the three-story concrete building of College La Promesse. CUBA: Powerful Hurricane Paloma slammed into southern Cuba on Saturday as authorities scrambled to move hundreds of thousands of people to safer ground and protect crops on an island still reeling from two other devastating storms. Paloma made landfall near Santa Cruz del Sur as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, but quickly weakened into a still-ferocious Category 3 with winds of 120 mph (195 kph) and torrential rains, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. In the central-eastern province of Camaguey alone, more than 220,000 people were moved from low-lying, vulnerable areas to higher ground. Another 170,000 people were evacuated in the eastern province of Las Tunas. CYPRUS: A training exercise for civil protection and assistance for affected countries began on Saturday in Cyprus, with the help of German organisations and sources, with the participation of the island`s Civil Defence. The official commencement of the exercise will be held on Sunday at Rodon hotel in the village of Agros. The training session begins on Saturday with the arrival and briefing of the trainees. The programme includes, inter alia, a three-day exercise, from November 10 to 12, which will cover the districts of Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos. Subject: Around the World Today - Saturday 8th November ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe has activated its national disaster response agency, the Civil Protection Unit (CPU), to counter the spread of cholera. President Robert Mugabe's government has stopped short of declaring a national disaster, although the CPU is usually deployed in the wake of national disasters, such as floods and droughts. The government said that in the past seven days nine people had died nationally from cholera, an easily treatable waterborne disease, but unofficially the numbers are thought to be much greater. NETHERLANDS: More than 150 people have fallen ill and over 30 hospitalized in a countrywide outbreak of salmonellosis in the Netherlands, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment `RIVM` said Wednesday. From the beginning of August until Oct. 20, 152 new cases were reported of an antibiotic-resistant strain of the salmonella bacteria; and between five and 10 new cases are being reported every week, compared to the normal figure of two, said the institute. Cases are distributed throughout the country, and no travel-related cases have been reported. The source of the infection has yet to be determined, but it could be pork products, the institute said. MOZAMBIQUE: The death toll from an outbreak of cholera in Mozambique has risen to 60, a top health official said on Thursday, prompting the government to declare an alert in the country's central province. CUBA: Tropical Storm Paloma, which formed in the Caribbean east of the Honduras-Nicaragua border early Thursday, was forecast to gain strength and strike Cuba as a hurricane, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported. At 0900 GMT the center of Paloma was located about 110 kilometers (65 miles) east of Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Nicaragua-Honduras border, packing winds of 65 kilometers. ENGLAND: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency today delivered its in-depth 103 page Report to the Chairman of Devon's local Inquiry into the circumstances leading to the beaching of the MSC Napoli off the East Devon coastline. The Report summarises the Agency's activities from the moment the incident broke on the 18th January 2007, when the MSC Napoli was on passage in the English Channel, loaded with 2,318 containers and bound for South Africa and when she suffered a catastrophic hull failure and got into severe difficulties. FULL STORY: http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=45444 SAUDI ARABIA: Heavy rain has caused chaos in many parts of Saudi Arabia, including the evacuation of hundreds of people in Qassim due to severe flooding. About 80 rescue operations took place on Thursday as torrential downpours lashed the kingdom for a second day, causing traffic jams and power cuts. Civil Defense officials warned people against crossing dangerous valleys, saying flash floods could endanger them and their families, Arab News reported on Friday. In Qassim, the department evacuated more than 200 people from a heavily flooded area and moved them to temporary shelters. Families caught in floodwaters in Nabhaniya were also evacuated and moved to furnished apartments, the paper reported. In Majmaa, 180km north of Riyadh, a dam burst was reported as a result of heavy rains while some citizens refused to leave their areas in order to protect their homes. The Education Department in Madinah issued a memo asking teachers and students not to go to schools located in flooded areas outside the city. Power outages were reported in some Makkah neighbourhoods. CAYMAN ISLANDS: Anticipate disruption to essential services during passage of Hurricane Paloma Hurricane Paloma is forecast to make landfall on Grand Cayman late on 7 November. Business travellers should anticipate severe weather conditions and possible disruption to public services such as telecommunications, power supplies and water provision. Personnel scheduled to fly to or from Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) on Grand Cayman are advised to contact the relevant airline for information on probable delays and cancellations. There is a risk of flash floods and landslides in low-lying areas during or immediately following prolonged periods of heavy rainfall; business travellers are reminded that road travel may be disrupted and should allow additional time to reach their destinations on important overland journeys. SPAIN: THE Council of Alhaurin de la Torre has recently run the second phase of the ‘Civil Protection Olympics’, involving volunteers in a number of activities directly related to civil protection, including fire fighting, fire rescue, road-traffic accident rescue techniques, orienteering and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) techniques. At the conclusion of the events, there was paella tasting and awards were presented to all the participants. The event coincided with Alhaurin de la Torre Civil Protection’s 14th anniversary. http://www.euroweeklynews.com/news/12400.html HAITI: A church school collapsed on the outskirts of Haiti's capital on Friday, killing at least 10 people and burying dozens under the rubble, witnesses said. The Nerettes community near Port-au-Prince counted at least 10 people killed when the three-story La Promesse school building collapsed. Students lay crushed under blocks of concrete while crying and screaming parents tried to find their children. Police and troops from a U.N. peacekeeping force in the impoverished Caribbean country searched through the rubble for survivors. "It's like an earthquake," said Brazilian Maj. Gen. Carlos dos Santos Cruz, the commander for U.N. troops in Haiti. "You have a lot of people under the debris. We don't know how many exactly but there are a lot of people there because they were attending school." Police commissioner Carl Henry Boucher said more than 25 people had been taken to hospital in very serious condition. He too said many students were still beneath the debris. SOUTH AFRICA: A man presenting symptoms similar to viral haemorrhagic fever has been admitted to the Life Fourways hospital in Johannesburg. The 55-year-old South African citizen, who lives in Malawi, arrived at the hospital on Thursday at 7pm and was brought in to the trauma and emergency unit before being placed in an isolation unit as a precaution, said hospital spokesperson Marietjie Shelly on Friday. SAUDI ARABIA: A member of the Jeddah Municipal Council has warned that surging water in the Jeddah sewage lake (Musk Lake) poses an imminent environmental threat to the city. Continuous rain would break the weak mud dam that prevents the lake from bursting, and trigger a health and environmental catastrophe; said Bassam Akhdar, a member of the municipal council. Subject: Around the World Today - Friday 7th November No postings available Subject: Around the World Today - Thursday 6th November AUSTRIA: The first case of livestock disease bluetongue has been detected in a cow in Austria, Health Minister Andrea Kdolsky said Wednesday. The disease was detected in a cow in Schaerding, Upper Austria, during a routine check by the national Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety or AGES, Kdolsky said in a statement. "There is no cause for concern for consumers. The bluetongue virus represents no danger to humans," Kdolsky insisted. Bluetongue is a non-contagious, insect-borne viral disease that affects ruminants such as cows and sheep but not pigs or horses. It is difficult to control once it takes hold. It is not a risk to humans, but in animals it causes high fevers, mouth ulcers and swollen heads. Kdolsky said that a blood sample of the cow was immediately sent to the Institute for Animal Health in Pirbright, Britain, which serves as the reference laboratory for bluetongue for the EU. Nevertheless, an outbreak of the disease could have "a substantial effect on the meat and dairy industries and the cattle trade since it can lead to fertility problems and lower output," the minister said. In a move to prevent the disease spreading, regulations stipulate that a 150-kilometre protective zone must be set up around the infected area where all animals are tested and monitored closely. ETHIOPIA: A volcano in Ethiopia's northeastern Afar region erupted on Monday, researchers said Wednesday, prompting a minor earthquake and record lava flows covering 300 square kilometres (115 square miles). Addis Ababa University's Institute of Geophysics, Space Sciences and Astronomy said a volcano around the Arteale area spewed lava around noon on Monday. VIETNAM: More than 40-thousand people have been evacuated from flood-stricken areas of the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. Local media reports say thousands of families have been moved from their homes, while the army has been asked to standby to help the victims of the worst flooding in the city in more than 20 years. The flooding has killed more than 20 people in the capital, while 70 more have died in other northern and central areas. The country's Health Ministry has called on all medical staff in flooded areas to prepare for any outbreaks of cholera or dengue as residents struggle with shortages of fresh water, food and power. GUATEMALA: Following the Vice President of Guatemala's request for international assistance on 3 November, the EU's MIC is currently activated and is monitoring the situation. The priority needs are for health, water and sanitation and food. HONDURAS: The situation remains fragile as further areas might be affected by rains causing floods and landslides. At least 279,972 persons have been affected so far as the official death toll is 34. As relief activities are on-going, there are still communities only accessible by air. CHINA: Major flooding has claimed 40 lives in the western regions of China where 60,000 people were evacuated. Also in northwest Yunnan, heavy storms blanketed major roads with 50 cm of snow and cut off traffic in the Diqing region of northwest Yunnan. Forecasters predict up to 70 mm of rain in the region in the coming three days. KENYA: Thousands of people have been affected after flash floods submerged hundreds of hectares of farmland in the north-eastern region of Mandera. The flooding has been attributed to increased run-off from the surrounding hills causing the River Daua to burst its banks. Subject: Around the World Today - Wednesday 5th November LAOS: A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in Donngeun village, Xayaboury district of Xayaboury province of Laos, reported on Tuesday the Xayaboury district governor Phompan Souththivohaneas. The Xayaboury Provincial Avian Influenza Control Committee has declared a red zone which covers areas within one kilometer radius of the outbreak. This area includes the seven villages, said Phompan on Monday. All birds in these villages will be slaughtered to prevent the virus from spreading and the movement, consumption and sale of birds throughout the district has been banned until further notice. This ban also includes products made with the blood of poultry. A yellow zone will be established to include villages that are outside the red zone, but within five kilometers of the outbreak. Villagers in the yellow zone will be advised to destroy birds at the first sign of illness, without waiting to have them tested for the virus. Phompan said the district public health office was cooperating with the provincial public health department to monitor people's health, particularly those living in the red zone. Checkpoints have also been established throughout the district to prevent the movement of poultry. These checkpoints will remain in place until 45 days after the last case of the virus is identified. SOMALIA: Flash floods in south-western Gedo region have displaced hundreds of families and inundated hectares of farmland in and around Bardera, the regional capital. Abdirisaaq Mohamed Geriyow, executive director of the Social and Agricultural Development Organisation (SADO), an NGO based in Bardera, said the floods followed heavy rains in the town and in the hilly areas around it. UGANDA: An outbreak of bubonic plague killed 3 out of 9 people infected with the disease in the north western Ugandan districts of Arua and Nebbi. Of those infected, 2 of them in Arua and 3 in Nebbi, are in critical condition in hospital, the Kampala-based newspaper reported, without saying when the outbreak started. Bubonic plague is transmitted to humans through contact with rats infested with fleas. PHILIPPINES: least 39 people, including eight children, were drowned and 10 were missing after a boat capsized in the central Philippines today. The inter-island ferry packed with 119 commuters and six crew overturned when it was hit by strong winds near the island of Masbate. Police officials in Manila said 76 people were rescued and taken to two hospitals for treatment aafter the MV Don Dexter Cathleen capsized. ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia's Afar region has been rocked by a volcano but with neither human nor material demage, the Institute of Geophysics, Space Sciences and Astronomy of the Addis Ababa University (AAU) said. The institute quoted eye witnesses of saying that they saw heavy lightening during the night the eruption late on Monday. It occured at the Ertale volcanic area of Afar State, north-east Ethiopia that is located some 600 km from Addis Ababa. Ertale is a volcano active and has been repeatedly hit over many years. The Institute said that satellite pictures showed that the volcano covered a record area of 300 square kilometers. Researchers describe the area as one of the hottest places on earth. CHINA: Up to 400 passengers were last night trapped in their cabins on a luxury cruise ship after it was hit by a vomiting bug. Officials at Shanghai in China told stunned travellers aboard the plagued Diamond Princess that they must spend 48 hours in quarantine. Health and safety bosses were on the verge of forbidding the £250million liner, one of the world's largest, from even docking. But they eventually decided to let 2,000 healthy passengers ashore. However, other people, including 13 crew members, were holed up in their rooms to prevent the highly contagious norovirus spreading. The bug hit the ship on Sunday evening as it sailed from Japan. NEW ZEALAND: A mini tornado has ripped through northern parts of Christchurch. The strong, whirling winds tore through Queenspark Drive in Parklands just before 3 Wednesday afternoon, damaging fences and rooves and uprooting trees. One resident, Jacky Gower says she saw the mini tornado heading their way. Jacky Gower says about six homes in the area were affected with some of their bigger trees felled, their front fence damaged and their roof loosened. She says she's waiting to have the roof checked over for safety and stability. Subject: Around the World Today - Tuesday 4th November [Catching up over passed 3 days now that connectivity has been achieved in Kazakhstan :-) ] USA: Seven years after Sept. 11, and in the wake of many major natural disasters such as forest fires, hurricanes and flooding, nearly half of U.S. states either have no state-level emergency plan or do not provide it readily to the public, reveals a new study by George Mason University Communication Professor Carl Botan. THAILAND: Livestock officials in Sukhothai Province reported the discovery of the H5N1 virus in domestic chickens raised by Mee Puengwang, a resident of Nong Wong Kwian Village in Swankalok District. Assistant Village Chief Jamnien Puengwang said that 29 families in the village raised a total of nearly 1000 chickens before a number of them began to die of suspicious causes. She said there were no reports of the deaths of these fowls as some villagers were worried that their fighting birds might be slaughtered due to bird-flu fears. After officials declared the discovery, all chickens in Sawankalok District were destroyed and their owners are to receive 32 baht [approx 0.90 USD] per kg for the killed birds. ITALY: Part of Venice's historic centre, including St Mark's Square, was flooded on Saturday due to a wave of low pressure combined with rains and a strong tide. The water level rose to 108 centimetres (42 inches) by midday on Saturday. Around 10 percent of the lagoon city was affected, according to the website of the city's flood centre. Venice's highest aqua alta (high water) on record was on November 4, 1966, when the waters reached 1.94 meters (6.4 feet) amid severe flooding throughout Italy. November is considered the worst month for flooding in the Renaissance canal city. CHINA: Guangxi - Floods triggered by torrential rains since Friday have left one person dead, nine missing and forced the evacuation of more than 70,000 in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The downpour, with the highest daily rainfall of 362.3 mm recorded in Fangchenggang City, has affected the lives of almost 700,000 people in 12 counties, said a regional civil affairs apartment official. The floods had destroyed 698 homes and inundated at least 48,271 hectares of cropland. Direct economic losses were estimated at 42.76 million yuan (about 6.3 million U.S. dollars), he said. Torrential rain was still hitting most parts of Guangxi on Sunday and was expected to ease to a drizzle on Monday, according to the regional observatory. CHINA: State media say a landslide in southwestern China has left at least 15 people dead and 34 others missing. The deadly torrent of mud and rocks hit Chuxiong city in Yunnan province on Sunday. The area has been pounded by heavy rains in recent days. The authorities are still determining the exact number of casualties. It gave no other details. NETHERLANDS: Low-lying Netherlands will deploy 10,000 officials and rescue staff this week for a five-day, country-wide simulated rescue effort in preparation for doomsday flood predictions. "This week, we will determine how prepared the Netherlands is for the consequences of a flood," Jan Franssen, who heads the government commission organising the exercise, told journalists in The Hague. Since the devastating floods of 1953, which claimed nearly 1,800 lives in the Netherlands, "we have never determined what the management of a such a crisis will entail", said Franssen. FULL STORY: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Netherlands_to_simulate_massive_flood_rescue_999.html BURUNDI: Three people were killed and 22 injured when lightning struck a church in southwest Burundi, local authorities said Monday. "Yesterday morning, heavy rain and lightning poured down on Burambi town. A flash of lightning struck a Protestant church killing three people," the governor of Bururi province, Beatrice Havuginoti. Dozens of homes were also destroyed as well as schools in Burambi and the neighbouring village of Buyengero, Havuginoti added. Torrential rain since the start of the central African country's rainy season in September had already claimed ten lives and destroyed hundreds of properties. CHINA: China initiated a level three emergency response on Monday after rain-triggered landslides killed at least 26 people in southwestern Yunnan Province. Continuous downpours in and south of the Yangtze River since Friday have caused floods, landslides and mud-rock flows in the worst-hit Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. More than 411,000 people in 13 counties and cities of Yunnan have been affected, according to statistics of the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters. SERBIA / BULGARIA: Serbia has denied entry to a train from Bulgaria after discovering a carriage laden with radioactive material, the customs service said Monday. "Serbian Customs found radioactivity 3,000 times over permitted levels inside one of the carriages of the train and 300 times on the (outer) surface of the carriage," it said in a statement sent to AFP. The train, which was stopped at a checkpoint in Dimitrovgrad, a town on the border between Serbia and Bulgaria, was travelling towards Macedonia on Friday when the discovery was made. FULL STORY: http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Serbia_stops_Bulgarian_train_over_radioactive_cargo_customs_999.html SPAIN: Bad weather has brought damage to several areas of Spain over the weekend. A tornado brought damage to the areas of Salou and Tarragona, with the Baix Camp particularly affected and rail services to Valencia cut for a time. Salou have asked for the area to be considered a catastrophic area. A woman was slightly hurt when her caravan was washed away at a camp site in Reus. Winds reached 160 km/hour in parts of Catalua. The port at Palma de Mallorca had to be closed for a time, and heavy snow closed mountain passes in Le?n and Asturias. 100 passengers on the Isla de Botafoc; had to spend the night on the ferry from D?nia to Palma as a result. Heavy rain was the problem for many in Cantabria and also in Valencia where 50 litres per square metre fell. Buckets were out to catch the drips from a leaking roof in the Malaga Cathedral, with Saturday's rain bringing some 30 litres per square metre to parts of the Costa del Sol, and welcome relief to local reservoirs. Malaga is seeing its wettest Autumn for recent years with 134 litres falling as an average amount per square metre so far this season, already triple that seen in Autumn last year. FRANCE: Hundreds of residents in the eastern French city of Lyon have fled their homes because of severe flooding. One person is missing. Heavy rainfall resulted in rivers bursting their banks. The motorway between Paris and Lyon was closed for hours as a result, as was the motorway between Lyon and St Etienne. The floods have caused power cuts in some areas and mudslides have damaged cars and buildings. SRI LANKA: The deadly Leptospirosis also known as rat fever is fast spreading in 11 districts with Galle reporting a steady increase of patients infected by the dreaded disease, the Governments Epidemiology Unit (GEU) said yesterday. GEU Director Dr. Prabha Palihawadana said that however timely preventive measures taken by the Health Ministry had helped contain the disease from becoming an island wide epidemic. INDONESIA: On 11/3/2008 7:22:00 PM UTC an earthquake of magnitude 5.7 has struck the highly populated region of Indonesia in Indonesia. Subject: Around the World Today - Monday 3rd November No postings available Subject: Around the World Today - Sunday 2nd November No postings available Subject: Around the World Today - Saturday 1st November USA: Massachusetts - Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire at the Pilgrim Nuclear Station that apparently started in a cabinet in an area that calibrates safety equipment. A spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says there were no injuries and no release of radioactivity in the Wednesday night fire. Spokesman Neil Sheehan said the fire was detected just after 8 p.m. on the second floor of a calibration laboratory. The fire was in a maintenance building and not in the reactor building. The Plymouth Fire Department as well as on-site firefighters responded. The sprinkler system also activated. Because it took more than 10 minutes to extinguish and because off-site response was needed, it was classified as an unusual event. The incident remains under investigation. ENGLAND: A man was seriously ill in hospital last night after he inhaled anthrax spores from animal hides which had been imported to make drums. The man, who has not been named, from Hackney, east London, was in intensive care in hospital, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said. His flat was sealed off and his workshop, which is also in the borough, is to be examined. Professor Nigel Lightfoot, the HPA's chief adviser, said: "There is no risk to the inhabitants of this block of flats, or the wider residents in the area. The patient's property is currently secured and there is no-one living there. "If this testing reveals the presence of anthrax spores then this information will be communicated to local residents and specialist cleaning will be carried out to remove any trace of anthrax from the property. "We have been working with Hackney Council to ensure that all residents of the property have been communicated with and have had an opportunity to ask questions." CHINA: Nearly 2,400 babies remain in hospital in China after drinking dairy products tainted with the toxic chemical melamine, the government said Thursday. Of the 2,390 still hospitalised as of Wednesday, one child was in a serious condition, while 48,514 have recovered and been allowed to return home, the health ministry said in a brief statement. USA: Louisianna - It took 50 firefighters, 24 fire crews and an Aircraft Rescue Fire Truck to bring a three-alarm tank fire under control at Shreveport's Calumet Refinery. The Shreveport Fire Department says they were called to Calumet just before 8:00 Thursday morning after a sour water tank which also contained some crude oil caught on fire. Heavy smoke and flames were visible from outside the plant when firefighters went inside the plant to fight the blaze with the help of Calumet's own Fire Brigade. Plant employees were evacuated from the area but there were no evacuations of homes in the neighborhood surrounding the plant. VIETNAM: Floods from heavy rain in Vietnam's central provinces have killed at least 14 people in the past week, including four children, the government and state media said on Friday. Many roads in the capital, Hanoi, were submerged, with up to 1 metre (yard) of water in some places, and some residents had abandoned cars and motorcycles. Torrential rain pounded northern Vietnam early on Friday, threatening dangerous flash floods in six mountainous provinces, state weather forecasters said. SCOTLAND: The British coast guard says workers have been evacuated from a North Sea oil rig after a reports of a spill. The Maritime and Coast Guard Agency says 56 nonessential staff have been airlifted off the Heather Alpha rig, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of the Shetland Islands. Thirty-four people remain on board.Coast guards say no emergency rescue craft are involved in Friday's evacuation. They say reports suggest 10 to 20 tons (11 to 22 U.S. tons) of crude oil have leaked from the rig. Operator Petrofac confirmed it was investigating the incident and said emergency procedures had been activated as a precaution. |
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