around_the_world_today_Sept_08

               AROUND THE WORLD: SEPTEMBER 13th - 26th, 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

Subject: Around the World Today - Friday 26th & Thursday 25th September

EUROPE: Testing EU's Emergency Management and Response Mechanisms
The third exercise to test the functioning of the EU's Emergency and Crisis Coordination Arrangements in Brussels (CCA) was conducted successfully on Tuesday September 23rd, 2008. The results of the exercise performed this year to assess crisis management and response mechanisms, confirmed that the arrangements work well, and the lessons learned will allow them to be improved further. http://euroalert.net/en/news.aspx?idn=7859

PERU: Two archaeological sites near the ancient Incan site of Machu Picchu have been damaged by a forest fire, according to Peruvian culture officials. The government did not reveal how damaged the sites are, saying only that Wayna Q'ente and Torontoy were the sites affected. 600 firefighters are currently battling the blaze, which briefly looked like it was going to threaten Machu Picchu.

AUSTRALIA: Australia's nuclear research body says it is confident problems arising from a water leak at the country's only nuclear reactor can be addressed. The reactor has been shut down for 11 of the past 14 months because of various problems, including the seepage. Andrew Humpherson from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) says the water seepage was detected at Sydney's Lucas Heights reactor in December of 2006 but it poses no risk to safety. While ANSTO has acknowledged it may not be able to fix the leak, Mr Humpherson says measures to treat the leaking water are now being considered.

CHINA: Fourteen people have gone missing in the wake of landslides triggered by heavy rain in the quake-hit Beichuan County of Sichuan Province in southwest China, a local official said on Wednesday. Some villagers in Leigu town have also been injured, said Zuo Daifu, a county official in charge the reconstruction of Beichuan. Torrential rain has cut contact with more than 20,000 people in southwest China still recovering from the May 12 earthquake which killed at least 80,000 people.

BURUNDI: A lethal mix of rain, hail and strong winds pounded Burundi, killing three people, injuring five others and destroying more than 100 homes, local officials said Wednesday. A couple died when their home collapsed under the crushing weather on Tuesday in the town of Nyamurenza, in the northern province of Ngozi, said Jean-Bosco Makera, chief aide to the governor.

SPAIN: The death of a woman in Lein has been confirmed to be the third case of Mad Cow's disease in Castilla y Lein and the fourth in Spain. The Junta de Castilla y Lein has confirmed that the victim died in the second half of last month from the human variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, but insisted that there was no risk of any epidemic spreading to the general population. The Spanish Ministry for Health has also commented that the appearance of sporadic cases of the disease did not indicate any new risks for the general population, and appeared inside the forecasts made for Spain some eight years ago. The Junta implied that the infection in the latest case took place before the exhaustive controls were introduced by the Spanish Government following the outbreak in the U.K.

CHINA: Macao - About 17 crew members on a South Korean cargo ship were missing after the ship capsized off the coast of Macao on Wednesday. The 4,000-ton Zues-ho was found capsized in waters around 57 km southwest of China's Macao Special Administrative Region at 4:10 p.m.(0810 GMT) by a Chinese rescue ship. The ship lost radio contact after sending a distress call to Singaporean maritime authorities earlier on the day. Eight South Koreans, eight Myanmarians and one Indonesian sailors are missing. The Chinese authorities deployed a 3,500-ton rescue ship and an airplane to the scene to find the missing, but Typhoon Hagupit hampered the rescue ship from conducting the rescue operations, South Korea's Coast Guard said.

CHINA: Three people died and two were missing as Typhoon Hagupit made landfall in south China's Guangdong Province early on Wednesday, local authorities said. More than 4.94 million people in Maoming, Yangjiang, Zhuhai and Jiangmen cities were affected and 7,915 houses collapsed. A Guangdong Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters official said 180,260 hectares of crops were affected and 38,980 ha were ruined. He said 870 factories stopped production and 34 roads were cut off. In addition, 32 reservoirs and 287.8 km of dams were damaged. The direct economic loss was 5.45 billion yuan (800 million U.S. dollars), he said. Also, 99 hydro stations recorded more than 100 millimeters of rain and 258 stations recorded more than 50 mm of rain on Wednesday, he said. Er Jingping, general secretary of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and deputy head of the Water Resources Ministry, went to Guangdong to guide the rescue work on Wednesday morning. The 14th strong typhoon of the year landed in Dianbai County in the city of Maoming at 6:45 a.m. with winds of more than 200 km per hour at its eye, the Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Bureau said.

SUDAN: Twenty-one refugees are believed to have drowned after an overloaded boat capsized in a Sudanese river, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Wednesday. Eyewitnesses told UNHCR that the refugees were part of a larger group that tried to cross the Atbara River, near the Shagarab refugee camp in eastern Sudan, on Tuesday night. One of four boats, designed to carry 15 passengers but crammed with 26, overturned 600 metres from shore.

USA: Colorado - A high school was partially evacuated and 14 people were hospitalized on Wednesday afternoon when 20 gallons of acid spilled. A spokeswoman with the Cherry Creek School District says Eaglecrest High School, located at 5100 S. Picadilly St., was partly vacated after hydrochloric acid spilled near where students catch school buses. Authorities say the acid spilled around 3 p.m. as school was getting out. Cunningham Fire responded to the scene, along with its Hazmat team. Fire officials say three people were treated at the scene and the 14 people taken to the hospital due to exposure to the acid have been treated and released.

PHILIPPINES: The death toll from Typhoon Hagupit in the Philippines rose to eight with hopes fading for 13 gold miners still trapped in a flooded tunnel, officials said Wednesday. The civil defence office said four people were drowned, three killed by landslides and one person electrocuted by a fallen power line after Hagupit hit the archipelago on Sunday. Almost 5,000 people were still displaced.

CHINA: The Macau government says its tests have found excessive amounts of the industrial chemical melamine in Chinese-made chocolate-filled cookies. The government in the southern Chinese gambling enclave says in a statement the tainted cookies are made by Lotte China Foods Co. Ltd.

RUSSIA: Some 91 people, mostly children, diagnosed with serous meningitis were hospitalized in Arkhangelsk, a press secretary of the health care department in the Arkhangelsk regional authorities, Alexander Gavrilov, said on Thursday.

ZIMBABWE: An anthrax outbreak has hit parts of Mhondoro once again, prompting the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare to suspend the sale of meat, particularly beef, in the area. There have been moves to raise awareness on preventive measures and also calls to avoid slaughtering beasts until the situation is brought under control. So far, only one human case has been detected and authorities are still monitoring the situation to establish if there are more cases.

IRAQ: Thousands of chickens were culled in parts of Iraq as a strain of bird flu tears through the country's poultry industry, officials said Thursday. Luqman Tayeb Omer with the central veterinarian office in northern Dahuk province said several thousand chickens were infected with the H9 strain.

MEXICO: Veracruz - An outbreak of bird flu was recorded in the northern area of the state of Veracruz, affecting 78 animals, which have already been slaughtered.

MEXICO: Storms flooded hundreds of people out of their homes in southeastern Mexico and caused the death of a woman and four children whose car plunged into a swollen irrigation ditch. More than two dozen rivers have overflowed in the coastal states of Veracruz and Tabasco, flooding thousands of homes, damaging bridges and cutting off some villages, according to Civil Protection officials.

ITALY: Ferrara - There have been 6 confirmed and 5 suspected cases of West Nile virus infection in horses reported in the vicinity of Ferrara in Italy. To verify the diffusion of viral circulation and to prevent the spread of disease, the regional authorities of Emilia-Romagna adopted a special plan of West Nile fever surveillance.

SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape - Queenstown has been hit by an outbreak of Newcastle poultry disease, the Eastern Cape Agriculture Department said yesterday. "Several districts have been hard-hit by a highly virulent Newcastle disease," the head of Veterinary Services Dr Luba Mrwebi said. There had been two flocks with confirmed cases so far, one at a commercial poultry establishment near the town, the other in Mlungisi township, he said. Newcastle disease affects all birds including poultry, waterfowl, pigeons, cage birds, ostriches, and wild birds including guinea fowl. "The disease is caused by a paramyxo virus and spreads very rapidly through an area by airborne transmission and via nasal discharges, contaminated feed and water, carcasses, wild birds and infected eggs."

Subject: Around the World Today - Wednesday 24 September

PHILIPPINES: One person was killed, about 2,000 displaced and ferry services suspended as Typhoon Hagupit battered the central Philippines with heavy rain, rescuers said Monday. Heavier than usual southwest monsoon rains whipped up by the typhoon wreaked destruction across the central and southern Philippines over the weekend, forecasters said. One person drowned and two others went missing when a boat capsized while crossing a river on the central island of Panay on Sunday, the civil defence office said.

HORN OF AFRICA / ETHIOPIA: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday launched an appeal for 460 million dollars (315 million euros) to feed 9.6 million people affected by drought and rising food prices in Ethiopia. "The Horn of Africa region is facing the worst humanitarian crisis since 1984, and Ethiopia is caught in the middle," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran in a statement.

EL SALVADOR: Five people have died in El Salvador in flooding caused by continuous rains in the Central American country. Local authorities said Monday night that all five drowned in La Union province Sunday when a river flooded. The government put the country on high alert because of the rainfall. In the neighbouring countries of Honduras and Guatemala, the heavy rain has also caused flooding in the valleys and landslides in the mountains.

THAILAND: Nearly two weeks of heavy monsoon rains have killed 14 people in Thailand, inundated 550,000 acres (222,600 hectares) of farmland and affected hundreds of thousands of households, officials said on Tuesday. Water-borne diseases were spreading rapidly in Thailand's northern, northeastern and central regions, where some villages were battling 2 metre high water levels. The Interior Ministry said the flooding had affected some 800,000 people in 30 of 76 provinces in the country of 63 million people.

RUSSIA: East Siberia - An intestinal infection has hospitalized a total of 29 cadets from a military school in the city of Minusinsk in East Siberia's Krasnoyarsk Territory, a source in the regional consumers rights watchdog said on Tuesday. The exact type of infection and its source is currently being established, although it is believed to have been caused by out-of-date food. The age of the infected cadets ranges between 10 and 16. Russian media earlier reported that 20 people had been hospitalized.

CARIBBEAN: This situation report is based on information received from, the UN Emergency Technical Team (UNETT) in the affected countries, the Regional Office in Panama and the National Hurricane Centre. This situation report covers the effects of Hurricanes "Gustav", "Hanna" and "Ike" in the Caribbean. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/KKAA-7JR5CZ?OpenDocument

BRAZIL: An explosion along a gas pipeline killed at least four people in northeastern Brazil on Tuesday, the state-run oil company said. Petroleo Brasileiro SA said the explosion occurred at its Furado oil treatment station and forced interruption of at least some gas and oil supplies. A company statement said firefighters controlled the fire that followed the blast at the station, whose main output is natural gas. The amount of gas and oil produced at the station and what markets have been affected remain unclear. The statement said rescue teams were searching the site "to make sure there are no other victims." The causes of the explosion were unknown.

USA: New Jersey - An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease has struck six patients at Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick during the past two weeks, state health officials said today. Three men and three women have tested positive for the disease, and one of the men has since died, though his death is not being attributed to Legionnaires' because he had other "serious underlying illnesses," said Marilyn Riley, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Senior Services. Riley said such outbreaks are "pretty rare" in New Jersey hospitals.

MEXICO: A strong earthquake struck off Mexico's Pacific coast late on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but no tsunami Warning was issued and there was no immediate report of damage. The quake, measuring 6.4, hit 113 miles (181 km) southwest of Manzanillo, Colima, at a depth of 25.9 miles (41 km) at 7:33 p.m. local time (0233 GMT), USGS said. It was the second quake to shake Mexico's Pacific coast on Tuesday.

SPAIN: Heavy rain caused flash floods in several parts of the country on Monday, killing one person, injuring four others and causing major traffic jams. Around 1,900 people were stuck on long-distant trains as tracks were inundated near Tarragona.

ENGLAND: Up to 250 people who fled their homes after a series of explosions in Bath are being allowed to return. Gas canisters blew up at the site of the 60m SouthGate retail development site, shooting flames 50ft (15m) into the air on Tuesday. Up to 10 canisters were left in a potentially dangerous state and people living in nine streets were moved out. A 150m exclusion zone around the blast site has been lifted and the affected roads have been reopened.

Subject: Around the World Today - Tuesday 23 September

No postings

Subject: Around the World Today - Monday 22 September

ASIA: The global charity organisation World Vision says large investments are needed to protect millions of poor people living in Asia-Pacific coastal areas who are vulnerable to increasingly deadly natural disasters. It says the investments could run into tens of billions of US dollars, and should focus more on preparing communities for calamaties cause by climate change rather than waiting for them to happen. World Vision says tens of millions of people are vulnerable to rising sea levels across the region. Asia is already home to most of the world's natural disasters, with 75 per cent of all people killed last year from such calamities within the region.

USA: Michigan - A small fire has forced the shutdown of one of two units at southwestern Michigan's Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant. A spokesman says no one was hurt. Officials say the fire happened about 8 p.m. Saturday in a non-nuclear section of the plant and say there's no radioactive leak or other danger. The cause is unknown. American Electric Power Co. spokesman Bill Schalk said Sunday the fire started in a turbine generator that converts steam to electricity. The Cook plant is near Bridgman on Lake Michigan in Berrien County's Lake Township, about 180 miles west of Detroit. It generates about 6 percent of the utility's power. Schalk says the company will use its coal plants and possibly other utilities to supply the lost power.

CHINA: China said nearly 13,000 children were in hospital overnight after drinking toxic milk powder in a dramatic escalation of Beijing's latest safety scandal. As the World Health Organisation questioned Beijing's handling of the crisis, premier Wen Jiabao appeared on state television promising to head off further incidents. But a Hong Kong toddler also became the first child affected outside the mainland and more countries moved to bar Chinese milk products. The health ministry said 12,892 infants were in hospital with 104 babies in serious condition. About 1579 babies had been "cured" and discharged, the ministry said, adding that hospitals nationwide had seen almost 40,000. At least four children have died from drinking poisonous baby formula. The scandal stems from the practice of adding industrial chemical melamine, normally used to make plastics, to watered-down milk to boost apparent protein levels. Melamine, which causes urinary problems including kidney stones, was first discovered in baby formula and then in liquid milk, yoghurt and ice-cream, leading to mass recalls.

INDIA: Leaving 5 children dead in Mingli and one in Afti village, Marwah Tehsil, in the mountainous Kishtwar district, has been hit by a deadly measles epidemic, affecting dozens of others. Measles, which also goes by the name of rubella [rubeola], is a highly contagious, though rare, respiratory infection caused by a virus. Causing skin rash all over the body and flu-like symptoms that include fever, cough, and runny nose, it is not always [not often] fatal if treated in time.

REUNION: A volcano on France's Indian Ocean island of Reunion started erupting on Sunday, forcing authorities to raise the alert for a possible emergency.

NEPAL: Flooding and landslides in western Nepal killed more than 24 people and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes during the past two days. At least 15 people were killed in Kailali district and 25 communities inundated when the Mohana River burst its banks after torrential monsoon rains, Nepalnews.com reported. Almost a dozen flood- and landslide-related deaths were reported in the Kanchanpur, Bajura and Doti districts, it said. Tens of thousands of people fled their homes in the Kailali district capital, Dhangadhi, after it was inundated. More than 50,000 people in Kailali and Kanchanpur are waiting to be rescued. Nepal is still recovering from flooding in the southern Terai region last month that displaced at least 70,000 people, according to the United Nations. Poor weather is hampering rescue and relief efforts in the far west. Labor Minister Lekhraj Bhatta joined other lawmakers on a visit to flood-hit areas in Kailali yesterday amid complaints about the government's slow response to the crisis, according to Nepalnews.com.

TURKEY: Thirteen newborn babies have died in 24 hours at a state hospital in the western Turkish city of Izmir. An investigation into the deaths was underway, said a senior official. "The number of babies that have perished has increased to 13. We are looking into the deaths," Mehmet Ozkan, the head of the local health directorate, said. A detailed statement could be made later, he added. Turkish newspapers reported that the babies, all prematurely born and underdeveloped, died at the Tepecik hospital on Saturday and Sunday. The reports and suggested that an infection was to blame. In July this year, 27 newborn babies died in 15 days at a state hospital in capital Ankara. The hospital said at the time that the deaths were caused by a variety of reasons, including hypertension, heart failure and complications at birth. But trade unions blamed it on an infection triggered by poor sanitary conditions.

AUSTRALIA: NSW - Strong winds have swept across south-western New South Wales, causing significant damage and a large dust storm. Emergency crews are on stand-by across Sydney tonight as storms approach the coast. The Weather Bureau says thunderstorms and high winds will reach the east coast later tonight. The dust storms have also swept across Mount Kosciuszko, turning the snow orange. Winds blowing in excess of 100 kilometres per hour have already ripped through several towns including Broken Hill, Hay and Griffith. The State Emergency Service (SES) has received dozens of call-outs for fallen trees and damaged roofs. The winds whipped up a large dust storm that blanketed the region.

INDIA: At least 15 people were killed and dozens more taken ill Saturday in India`s northeastern state of Assam after inhaling toxic gas while attempting to pilfer fuel after forcibly stopping a freight train, officials and witnesses said. A police spokesman said the incident took place before dawn near Rangapahar village close to the Diphu railway station in Karbi Anglong district, about 290 km east of Assam's main city of Guwahati.

PUERTO RICO: A tropical disturbance dumped up to 20 inches of rain on Puerto Rico, killing four people and flooding scores of homes, businesses and roads, authorities said on Monday. Up to 12 inches more rain were expected and flash flood warnings were posted across the island. Schools and many businesses were closed and officials urged people to stay inside.

Subject: Around the World Today - Sunday 21 September

CHINA: A migrant worker was crushed to death and 14 were injured after a thunderstorm hit part of Shanghai on Saturday afternoon, municipal flood authorities said. The storm hit the eastern Chinese city's Pudong and Nanhui districts from around 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. with precipitation of up to132 mm, the Shanghai Municipal Flood Control Headquarters said. A strong wind accompanied the storm. A 47-year-old male migrant worker died after a two-storey workshop building at a steel factory in Heqing Town collapsed. Another person was injured. Elsewhere, nine persons were injured at two construction sites. Four others were injured when a 100-square-meter market building fell. The headquarters said all the injured had been sent to hospital for treatment and there was no danger to life. The "once-in-a century thunderstorm" also flooded some road sections and more than 60 households, it said.

INDIA: Five districts of Marathwada region are facing the risk of flood after 1.65 lakh cusecs water was released from Jaikwadi dam in Paithan tehsil. High alert has been sounded in 218 villages situated on the banks of Godavari river, official sources said. Aurangabad, Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani and Beed districts of the region are at the risk. Waters in Jaikwadi dam surplused due to the incessant rains that lashed Nashik on Friday. Six out of 25 villages in Gevrai tehsil of Beed district are inundated, said the officials sources.

INDIA: At least 15 Indian train robbers looking to steal diesel from a freight carriage died on Saturday after inhaling poison gas stored in another tank they accidentally broke open, police said. A police patrol party said they found 30 other people lying unconscious on both sides of a forested train track in India's Assam state. "We found many empty drums which they must have brought with them to fill with oil," a local police officer said by phone. The train was earlier stopped by dozens of armed people who police believe were members of a gang which frequently steals crude oil from trains and pipelines carrying oil to refineries in the oil-rich state.

CHINA: Hong Kong - The Centre for Health Protection today confirmed a case of cholera involving a 25-year-old Tuen Mun man. He developed gastroenteritis on September 13 and attended Tuen Mun Hospital on September 17. He is now in stable condition in Princess Margaret Hospital. Tests came back positive for Vibrio cholerae Ogawa. He did not have a recent travel history and his home contact had no cholera symptoms. This is the second cholera case reported this year.

PHILIPPINES: Ships blew their loud horns and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sailors conducted a search and rescue drill and oil cleanup exercises in Manila Bay on Saturday to kick off National Maritime Week. GMA reporter Julius Segovia said in a report aired over QTV's "Balitanghali" that the simulation activity was meant to test the group's efficiency in responding to sea accidents. The drill simulated an incident that supposedly had a motor boat burst in flames at about 9 a.m. at the Manila Bay. The PCG would receive the distress call by 10:30 a.m. and arrive at the scene using a helicopter.

CHINA: A fire at a club in south China's Guangdong Province left at least 43 people dead and 88 others injured on Saturday night, local police said. Among those injured, 51 people needed treatment and were being treated in hospital. All were in stable condition, doctors said. The fire broke out at about 11 p.m. at a club, named "King of the Dancers," in Longgang District in Shenzhen City, when hundreds of people were watching a performance. According to police's initial investigation, the fire was triggered by fireworks ignited during the performance on the third floor of the club. There was only a narrow aisle, about 10 meters long, in the hall. Many people got hurt in stampede, said Yang Zhi, a club staff member who survived the fire. "I saw people rushing out at about 11 p.m. and all light were off." Yang wetted his clothes and followed the others. He got burns on the neck. The fire was extinguished at the night. Most of the injured were the audience, police said. The province has set up a special working team for the case. An investigation has begun.

CROATIA: Croatian authorities ordered the evacuation of parts of the southern Adriatic resort of Makarska on Saturday because of advancing forest fires, state radio reported. The blaze near Makarska, 440 km (275 miles) south of Zagreb, started on Friday evening and has been fanned by a northerly wind reaching up to 150 kph (95 mph). Croatia's Adriatic coast is often hit by fires during the summer months. Some 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of pine forests have been burnt and several hundred firefighters were tackling the blaze. Several nearby villages were without electricity.

AUSTRALIA: WA - Wild weather has hit Perth today, with the temperature plunging almost 8C in just two hours this morning. The temperature was a mild 17.7C at 8.36am, but had dropped to a chilly 9.8C by 11.32am. At noon, it was 11.1C, with 5.2mm of rain fallen since 9am. Ocean-side suburbs have been pummelled by high winds, with gusts reaching 102kmh at Ocean Reef, and 87kmh in Mandurah. Gusts hit 67kmh in the city and 82kmh at Perth Airport. The wild winds hit the Marmion Angling Club, which lost part of its roof this morning. Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster James Ashley said a cold front moved through the metropolitan area about 10.30am. It was expected to be short-lived and start clearing by mid-afternoon.

PHILIPPINES: Nearly 200 people have been reported stranded in eastern Philippine ports on Saturday as tropical storm Hagupit grew stronger on its way towards the archipelago. The passengers and more than a dozen trucks, cars and buses were stranded in Albay province and neighboring Catanduanes province as sea transport to and from Catanduanes was halted amid public storm warning.

INDIA: Uttar Pradesh - Torrential rains over the past two days since Sunday have claimed a staggering 1,066 lives in Uttar Pradesh, besides causing considerable damage to property, an official said. Ninety-two deaths were reported over the weekend. Of the casualties, 138 drowned while the rest perished in rain-related accidents.

CYPRUS: Thunder and rain across much of Cyprus has lead to reports power cuts and flooding on the south - coasts. A storm which broke out in the Zygi area at around 10am this morning caused the snapping of EAC Electric cables and left half of the region without power. With more rain forecast, police have also warned drivers to take extra care on the roads, especially in the Troodos and Platres region, where low clouds and rain have made visibility poor. The stormy weather is expected to continue until the middle of next week. The weather service has announced that winds will be moderate to strong (S-SW) at force 4-5, gusting off windward shores and the highest reaches of the Troodos mountains.

GEORGIA: Floods killed three men in eastern Georgia and devastated villages, grapevines and crops, adding to the crippling damage from last month's war with Russia, officials and residents said Sunday. Three men drowned in the village of Aziani, where a flood caused by torrential rains damaged dozens of houses and ruined crops in the winemaking region of Kakheti on Saturday, district head Zviadi Epitashvili said.

Subject: Around the World Today - Saturday 20 September

FINLAND: A young bull in Orimattila in southern Finland was diagnosed with anthrax late on Thursday [18 Sep 2]. The previous documented anthrax infection was in 2004 at the same farm, which has about 20 head of dairy cattle. The province's head veterinarian was alerted to the farm to establish the source of the contagion and order decontamination measures.

RUSSIA: Samara - A increasing number of people in the Samara Oblast have contracted hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) -- still referred to locally as "mouse fever." This is a consequence of an increase in the population of rodents in the region, which are the vectors of the infection. Approximately a 100 cases of HFRS have been recorded in the region during the past summer.

AUSTRALIA: Northern Territories - Investigations are underway to determine what caused an explosion at a Darwin power sub-station yesterday which left thousands of people in the dark. Northern Territory Power and Water says the explosion at the Casuarina sub station cut power to most of the northern suburbs for up to eight hours. Police were left to control traffic, and back-up generators were needed at the Royal Darwin Hospital. Bertram Burke is the General Manager at Power and Water. "Our systems operated as they were designed to do so which means shutting everything down but also we have to then dismantle, assess the equipment for safety, effect repairs and test before we can place it back into service," he said. "And that is why these things take some time and we had to progressively restore power last night."

RUSSIA: Chukchi - Trichinosis outbreak is registered in Nunligran village, Providenskiy area of Chukchi autonomous district. A total of 8 people were infected with Trichinella after eating walrus meat. Of those, 2 died and 3 are in the district hospital.

Subject: Around the World Today - Friday 19 September

USA: Arkansas - An official says a rocket motor exploded and caused a fire at a weapons factory in southern Arkansas, and that one worker is unaccounted for. Aerojet spokesman Glenn Mahone says a rocket motor exploded Wednesday afternoon at the company's plant in East Camden. Renee Preslar, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Emergency Management, says fire crews are battling a blaze at the 1,200-acre compound. She says one worker is unaccounted for and that there have been no reported injuries. Aerojet employs 500 people at the plant. The company says about 450 people would have been working when the explosion occurred about 3:15 p.m.

WEST AFRICA: A tropical flesh-eating disease, Buruli ulcer, is spreading across West Africa and has infected at least 40,000 people leaving them with bloody infected wounds and swollen skin ulcers, which at their worst, require surgery or amputation, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The disease has been reported in 30 countries around the world, mostly in poor, rural, tropical communities that live near water. In West Africa, according to WHO 2006 statistics, Ivory Coast has reported 24,000 cases, Ghana reported 11,000, and Benin has 7,000 confirmed cases. Despite a 10-year global WHO-backed Buruli ulcer research initiative, researchers still do not know how the disease is spread, and whether water-born insects are to blame, as suggested by early research. Even though the same bacteria family causes both Buruli ulcers and tuberculosis, Buruli ulcer disease receives far less international attention and remains one of the world's most overlooked diseases, according to WHO.

BOTSWANA: More than 80 percent of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana, the world's largest wildlife park, has been destroyed by fires in the past two weeks, a government official said.

PAKISTAN: In Pakistan, seven workers were killed and twenty wounded after the building of a paper mill collapsed due to an explosion in Gujranwala on Wednesday. The mishap occurred when one of the dryers of the mill exploded leading to the collapse of the building. The injured are being treated at a local hospital.

COLOMBIA: At least 200 children and an undetermined number of adults were poisoned on Thursday in the Boyaca Province in central Colombia, government officials said. The cause of the poisoning were unknown for now. Boyaca Governor Jose Rozo said 120 children are still in hospital in Ramiriqui, the other 80 are being assisted at local health places and an undetermined number of adults await to be assisted in Rondon.

CHINA: Shops in China and elsewhere are cleared of Chinese dairy products after tests find tainted normal milk as well as baby formula.

Subject: Around the World Today - Thursday 18 September

RUSSIA: Two people have died as a result of rabies virus infection in the Povorensk and Podgorensk districts of the Voronezhska Oblast. Neither sought medical attention for 3 days after being bitten, when it was too late for successful treatment. During the past 8 months of 2008, cases of animal bites increased 2-fold in comparison with the previous year (4599 in 2007 compared with 7982 in 2008). Physicians emphasize that people experiencing bites by dogs or other animals should go immediately to the Voronezh Antirabies Centre. Death is unavoidable if there is delay.

CHINA: Seventy-one people were hospitalized after a chlorine leak in a chemical plant in southwest China's Yunnan Province, local authorities said late Wednesday. The leak occurred at around 3:35 p.m. Wednesday in liquified chlorine workshops of the Xundian Phosphorus and Power Company in Xundian Hui and Yi Autonomous County, the county's official sources said. All the sick staff were sent to hospital within half an hour. They were receiving treatment or under medical observation. No deaths have been reported. The company is under Yunnan Phosphorus Group. The leak has been contained. Environmental authorities said air quality had returned to normal. The cause of the leak is still being investigated.

IRAN: A strong earthquake jolted a major port city on the Gulf coast of southern Iran on Wednesday, the official IRNA news agency reported, the second to strike in a week. The five-magnitude quake hit at 10:13 pm (1843 GMT) west of the port of Bandar Abbas near Bandar Khamir./

GUINEA-BISSAU: With 6,461 cholera cases and 122 deaths, experts say the cholera epidemic in Guinea-Bissau is out of control. The number of reported cases has doubled in the past three weeks. All of the country's 11 health regions have been affected, including the remote Bijagos islands, 60km off the Bissau coast, which have reported 158 cases.

TURKEY: An overnight downpour hit the Istanbul region over night. Ground floor homes, underpasses and low lying areas were hit with flooding throughout many districts of the city. Winds reached hurricane speeds. Many motorists not interested in facing flooded streets abandoned their cars which lead to firefighters facing blocked roadways. Firefighters rescued numerous people stranded amongst the flood waters. The storm also interrupted flights causing the cancellation of 12 departures from Ataturk International Airport.

Subject: Around the World Today - Wednesday 17 September

WALES: Two imported cattle have tested positive for Bluetongue type 8 and a further is under investigation at a premises near Rhuthin, Denbighshire. The cattle were imported from the Limoges area of France and were detected following post-import testing. They were part of a group of seven cattle. Restrictions have been imposed on the premises pending further investigations and a veterinary risk assessment.

USA: Idaho - Hazmat crews rushed out to the Grandview area, outside of Mountain Home, early Monday morning. A semi truck carrying a toxic chemical had gone out of control, losing one of its tankers. Part of Highway 78 had to be shut down for hours as crews worked to prevent a crisis. The tanker that over turned was carrying sodium hydrosulfide. It's a caustic chemical commonly used by U.S. Ecology Idaho to treat hazardous waste.

NEW ZEALAND: Low levels of the H5N1 virus have been found in two samples taken from Mallard ducks in New Zealand. It came from a surveillance programme researching the presence of avian influenza. Known as LPAI H5N1, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry says it is different to "bird flu" which is the highly pathogenic form of the virus. Spokesman Dr Andre van Haldren says the samples were taken from healthy birds and there have been no reported bird deaths or disease. He says this confirms that strains of non disease causing avian influenza viruses are present in our wild bird populations.

RUSSIA: One person died after a pipe ruptured causing ammonia gas to leak into a dairy plant in Russia's second largest city of St. Petersburg, a source in the city's emergency service said on Wednesday. A total of 15 people were injured, 12 of them were rushed to hospital. The cause of the industrial accident is being established. The source added the leak was under control and not a threat to local people living around the plant.

BANGLADESH: Bay of Bengal - More than 100 fishermen were feared drowned in the rough waters of the Bay of Bengal with rising tides setting off flash floods that hit the coastal belt of southern Bangladesh, rescuers and local officials said Wednesday. The high tides caused by a depression in the bay inundated the low-lying areas of seven coastal districts, leaving hundreds of people stranded at flooded fishing villages and rice farms. At least 25 trawlers with nearly 300 fishermen on board capsized in the giant waves overnight as the sea remained rough, hampering rescue operations carried out by coast guard sailors and civil volunteers.

INDIA: Orissa - Over 20,000 people have been evacuated from Orissa's coastal districts and moved to safer places as a wind storm in the Bay of Bengal caused heavy rains and tidal waves, an official said on Wednesday. The people living near the sea have been moved to cyclone shelters, high rise buildings and near by schools overnight as tidal waves entered into several human habitations in the coastal districts, Orissa's additional special relief commissioner B Baral told IANS. At least three villages in the coastal districts of Kendrapada and some villages in its neighbouring districts of Jagatsinghpur and Balasore was affected by the sea water, he said. Normal life has been affected in the state due to heavy rain in the past two days. The water level in at least two rivers Bansadhara and Rusikulya rose above the danger level on Wednesday, an official in the state revenue control room said.

AUSTRALIA: Queensland - Four people were taken to hospital and more than 600 students were evacuated after a bin fire released toxic fumes at a Queensland school. Sparks from welding equipment used by construction workers at Emmaus College at Jimboomba, south of Brisbane, caused the fire around 11.15am (AEST) today. An Emergency Management Queensland spokeswoman said polystyrene bricks inside the bin caught fire, causing toxic fumes. The fire was extinguished quickly but firefighters ordered the school's 630 students be evacuated. They were allowed to return at about 1pm (AEST) after firefighters tested the air quality. Three students and one teacher were taken to Beaudesert Hospital as a precaution after suffering smoke inhalation.

EU / BULGARIA: It is expected that tomorrow the European Commission will make a decision to file the first suit against Bulgaria in the European court. The reason is the emergency telephone 112, which is still not functioning in the country, a representative of the EC pointed out, cited by the Bulgarian National Radio.

HAITI: The death toll has increased to 423 with approximately 131,000 families affected. The MIC assessment team has undertaken the first of its field trips to assess the situation as regards bridges.

JAPAN: As Typhoon Sinlaku was travelling through the East China Sea near Japan's southwestern islands, it caused heavy rains on Wednesday. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of more torrential rains, which could trigger landslides and flash floods. Typhoon Sinlaku is slowly moving northeast with winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour.

EGYPT: The death toll rose to at least 90 people after a rockslide buried dozens of homes in Cairo slum 10 days earlier. Civil rights groups say it is possible hundreds of bodies remain buried.

Subject: Around the World Today - Tuesday 16 September

USA: IKE - In the wake of Hurricane Ike, rescue operations continue in the US state of Texas, where nearly 2,000 people have been saved so far. Around 140,000 people remained in their homes during the storm, despite an official order to evacuate as Ike flooded about 100,000 buildings along an 800-kilometre section of the Texas and Louisiana coastline. Officials say eight bodies have been found, including three in Galveston, an island city of 60,000 devastated by the storm. Damage to power grids has left 4.5 million people without electricity and authorities in Houston have ordered a week-long nighttime curfew. Authorities estimate the total damage at over 15 billion dollars. Hurricane Ike, which caused 100 deaths last week in the Caribbean, has now weakened to a tropical storm. It was the biggest storm to affect a US city since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005.

KYRGYZSTAN: A state of emergency has been declared in Kadamdzhay District of Batken Region [in southern Kyrgyzstan] due to an outbreak of anthrax. The Kadamdzhay district administration reported that two sources of the disease had been registered in the villages of Uchkorgon and Markaz. "Now 11 residents of these villages have been taken to hospital with suspected anthrax. The anthrax diagnosis was confirmed in five of them, with one of them in a serious condition," the deputy head of the district administration, Turgunay Aytmatova, said. The patients are provided with a sufficient amount of medicine necessary for the treatment, she added.

SPAIN: Malaga - Reservoir levels are even lower than last year at this time. Nearly 5,000 residents in Malaga province are currently suffering water cuts and the drought in the region continues. 25 municipalities are suffering the cuts for as long as eight hours a day, for diverse reasons, including a lack of water pressure, and a fall in the level of the underground water table. Three villages are in a particularly critical situation supplied by water tankers; Almoga, Colmenar and Casabermeja. The situation may be eased by emergency works being carried out by the Junta de Andaluca, and new wells are also being searched for. Miguel Esteban, the man responsible for the Environment in the Diputacian Provincial said that there had been a lack of provision A drought is not a problem, it's a characteristic of our climate and so we should understand it. The reservoirs in the province are now at an average 19.2% capacity containing 117.3 cubic hectometres, levels lower than last year at this time when they were 25% full.

MEXICO: In Huandacarero of the central western state of Michoacan, over 1,500 people were displaced after the stream flowing past city overflowed its banks on Saturday night, municipality authorities said. At least five districts of the town were submerged in floodwaters more than one meter deep and some 50 houses were destroyed, forcing the evacuation of residents to relatives' houses and provisional shelters, mayor Jose Refugio Manriquez said. In Sonora state, the number of homeless reached to 20,000 and Governor Eduardo Bours asked for support from the Natural Disasters Fund to repair damaged houses, highways and sidewalks. The most affected cities of the state were Navojoa, Benito Juarez, Huatabampo and Etchojoa. In Ahome of the northwest state of Sinaloa, some 5,000 people were evacuated from 19 villages in case several dams could burst.

EGYPT: More than 80 Russian tourists vacationing at the Sheraton Sharm Resort in Egypt are believed to be suffering from food poisoning, a Moscow radio station said on Monday [15 Sep 2008], citing one of the victims. The Ekho Moskvy radio station said it is not clear what caused the poisoning, but the tourists believe they fell ill after consuming contaminated food. "The tourists are suffering from the same symptoms: diarrhea, stomachaches, nausea, vomiting," Gleb Borisov told Ekho Moskvy. "Some of them have been unable to leave their hotel rooms for a 3rd day already, although some are feeling a little better now." Borisov said that no major medical assistance had been given to the tourists, with hotel management reluctant to address the problem, advising the victims to contact their insurance companies. Russia's honorary consul to the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Akhmed Semari, told RIA Novosti that the hotel management had denied there were any health issues at the resort. Semari said, citing the hotel, that 6 Russian tourists had been taken to an international medical clinic on Sunday [14 Sep 2008], adding that the results of tests would be available later on Monday.

CAMBODIA: At least 77 Cambodians have been struck dead by lightning so far this year, a sharp increase from the year before, an official said Monday. Only 45 people were killed by lightning in the whole of last year,

CHINA: China evacuated nearly half a million people from coastal areas as tropical storm Sinlaku bore down, but officials said the mainland was expected to escape the worst, state media reported Monday. Authorities also ordered 30,000 fishing boats to return to harbour in the eastern province of Zhejiang as heavy rains hit, indicating Sinlaku was moving closer.

USA: Illinios - Governor Rod Blagojevich has declared seven Illinois counties state disaster areas. The governor visited an American Red Cross shelter for flood victims in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines on Monday before taking an aerial tour of the flooded areas. The counties covered by the declaration are Cook, DuPage, DeKalb, Grundy, Kane, LaSalle and Will. Residents in those counties are working to recover from flooding caused by record-setting rains over the weekend. The governor's office says the state disaster declaration means more state assets and personnel will be available to flooded communities. So far, the state has already provided 130,000 sandbags, along with several water pumps and boats to help with evacuations.

IRAQ: At least 1,000 people have died as a result of the recent outbreak of cholera in Iraq, Iraqi members of parliament said.

USA: Ohio - Over one million people in Ohio and Northern Kentucky lost power today, Sept 14th, 2008. Southern Ohio experienced strong winds in what appears to be weather affected by Hurricane Ike and other coastal weather patterns. Tree limbs made contact with power lines and people, while whole trees were snapped off mid trunk or pulled out of the ground by the roots.

HUNGARY: A cold weather record set in 1925 went by the books on Monday, as temperatures in Hungary plummeted. The coldest temperature on record as a daily maximum for September 15 was 10.5 degrees Celsius measured in the SW city of Zalaegerszeg 83 years ago. It fell by the wayside when the city of Sopron, in the NW, reported a high of 8.6 degrees, meteorologist Zoltan Fodor reported. Budapest also set a cold record, with a high temperature of 11.5 degrees Celsius. That did in a record set on September 15, 1912, of 12.4 degrees. Fodor promised more of the same on Tuesday, with temperatures rising slightly afterwards, to peak at about 18 degrees Celsius on the weekend.

ENGLAND: Stockport - Huge plumes of smoke billowed over Stockport town centre today with residents warned to stay indoors after a fire broke out at a chemical factory. More than 25 firefighters were sent out to the blaze amid concerns over the potential dangers from chemicals stored at the European Colour Pigment Ltd plant in Christie Street off Hemshaw Lane and Hillgate. Residents living in Hillgate and Heavily were advised not to go out and to keep doors and windows shut. The fire broke out at the height of rush hour as traffic was making its way into the town centre. A series of roads had to be closed causing significant delays to commuters. St Mary's Way was closed between the junctions with Hemshaw Lane, Hall Street and the busy A6 which forms the main route into the town. Police were this morning reporting heavy congestion on the A6 and urging motorists to use alternative routes. The fire service said no-one had been injured in the fire.

THAILAND: Thailand`s meteorological department has issued flood warnings for 29 provinces in the country`s north, northeast and central regions, while food shortages, illness, and stress are affecting many victims in areas already hit by the seasonal floods. Residents in the northern province of Phichit moved their possessions to higher ground after forest torrents from the Phetchabun mountain range inundated areas in Taphan Hin district. Some villagers built sand embankments to prevent flooding in their villages. In Prachin Buri, some 300 households are without drinking water and many local residents are stressed after their communities were hit by flooding.

PHILLIPINES: Floods had inundated almost the whole town of Pikit, North Cotabato since weekend and destroyed some P28.1 million worth of crops, reports from Pikit Municipal Agricultural Office (MAO) said. Pikit municipal police director Elias Dandan said the waters of the Rio Grande de Mindanao overflowed due to torrential rains since Saturday. As of Tuesday afternoon, at least half of the 42 villages of Pikit are still submerged in waist-deep waters, Dandan said. Reports from MAO said the floods affected 3,423 farmers from rice and corn-producing villages located near the Rio Grande, including the villages of Inug-ug, Talitay, Rajamuda, Bagoinged, Buliok, Barongis, Bulol, Bulod, Kabasalan, Katilakan, Punol, and Paidu Pulangi. Dandan said the waters that inundated the farming villages had come from the Allah River in Sultan Kudarat and from the northern portion of Bukidnon.

COLOMBIA: Volcano Nevado del Huila remains unstable and at risk of erupting, officials said Monday, a day after a 4.0 earthquake shook the cone in southcentral Colombia. A yellow alert remains in effect in the zone and the National Emergency System has prepared to evacuate local resients in case of an eruption, reported Caracol Radio. Geologists from the Popay?n Volcano Observatory said that although the cone is shedding ice from its northern slope, they anticipate no repeat of the avalanches into the canyons of the P?ez and Simbol? rivers that occurred the last three times the volcano heated up. The current activity dates to the first days of September. The volcano has not caused a major disaster since 1994, when an eruption caused an avalanche that killed more than 1,000 people.

HAITI: As a result of damaged and/or destroyed bridges and infrastructures, the relief delivery is being hampered. The MIC technical assessment expert team plans to undertake a series of field trips in the coming days in order to assess the situation.

INDONESIA: A 5.4-magnitude and 36 kilometer depth earthquake reportedly struck Maluku province on Tuesday. There are no reports of casualties or damages so far.

Subject: Around the World Today - Monday 15 September

TAIWAN / CHINA: Typhoon Sinlaku, the 13th tropical storm so far this year in China, injured 13 people when it hit northeastern Taiwan at 1:50 a.m. on Sunday. The typhoon landed in Yilan County, Taiwan, with winds up to 45 meters per second, monitored by the Fujian provincial meteorological observatory at 5:00 a.m.. More than 130,000 households suffered a power blackout, and 800 lost their water supply, which has yet to be reconnected. A total of 32 shelters have been built for 782 typhoon victims, local authority said. Work and schools were suspended in 21 counties and cities on the island on Sunday. In Fujian and Zhejiang provinces on the Chinese mainland, more than 170,000 people were evacuated from low-lying coastal regions.

TURKEY: A ferry carrying about 100 passengers sank near Turkey's northwest port of Bandirma overnight, killing at least one person and leaving some 30 people missing, officials said on Monday. Broadcaster NTV said two people had been killed but the report could not be independently verified. Local fishermen joined rescue operations when the roll-on roll-off ferry, loaded with 73 trucks and two cars, went down in the Sea of Marmara shortly after leaving Bandirma for Istanbul. Officials said 68 people had been rescued, 31 of whom were injured, but that strong waves and winds were hindering the search.

NEPAL: At least six people have been killed in southern Nepal in rampages by wild elephants in the last two days, police said Saturday.

ALGERIA: Fires have destroyed more than than 10,000 hectares (38.6 square miles) of scrubland and forest in Algeria within one week, the country's forestry department (DGF) said in a statement Sunday. The speed of the destruction compares to more than 25,000 hectares of forestry ravaged by fire between June 1 and September 12. The latest wave of fires -- concentrated mostly in eastern Algeria -- coincided with an exceptional heatwave that hit the north African country.

INDONESIA: At least 21 people have been killed and several others have been injured in a stampede in Indonesia, according to local officials and media reports. The crush happened as people waited for charity handouts from a wealthy family in the East Javan town of Pasuruan. The cash handouts, of up to $4 per person, are a tradition during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. Television footage showed women screaming as they were pushed into a fence by the crowd.

USA: Texas - A week-long curfew has been imposed in Houston to prevent looting in the wake of Hurricane Ike which hit the US city and many other parts of Texas. The night-time curfew is needed because most of America's fourth-largest city is without power, officials say. Meanwhile, rescuers have evacuated nearly 2,000 people from the worst hit areas along the Texan coast. Texan oil refineries put out of action by the storm could take up to nine days to recover, a US official has warned.

Subject: Around the World Today - Sunday 14 September

TAIWAN / JAPAN: A typhoon packing winds of up to 160 kph (100 mph) hit northeastern Taiwan on Sunday, dumping up to a meter of rain, causing hundreds of mudslides, injuring 14 and forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights. Slow-moving typhoon Sinlaku covered much of Taiwan as its centre grazed the island's northeastern tip on Sunday morning. Typhoon warnings have been sounded along China's east coast. The storm is expected to turn towards southern Japan by September 16. Floods and mudslides have caused dangerous situations throughout the region.

CHINA: One worker was confirmed dead and two others remained missing, after an explosion in a petrochemical plant in northeast China's Liaoning Province at 5:46 a.m. on Sunday. The body of Wang Guiyan, a female worker at the plant, was recovered Sunday morning, according to the Funeral House in Liaoyang City. A city government spokesman said that two more workers on duty in the plant could not be reached.

AUSTRALIA: Victoria - Twenty families have left their homes in a Victorian housing estate where explosive methane gas is leaking from a nearby landfill.

USA: Texas - A weakened storm Ike barreled northward on Sunday after slamming into the Texas coast as a hurricane, flooding seaside towns, cutting power to millions and paralyzing the oil hub of Houston. The giant storm left extensive devastation in its wake and officials had barely begun to assess the damage, which early estimates put in the billions of dollars. Ike, which idled a quarter of U.S. crude oil production and refining capacity, swamped the island city of Galveston and hammered Houston, the fourth-largest U.S. city. It shattered the windows of skyscrapers, showering streets with glass and debris, tore apart bus shelters and ripped metal sheets off buildings. There were 2,602,045 customers without electricity in the wake of Hurricane Ike as of Saturday morning, the U.S. Energy Department said. That number includes 2,383,062 without power in Texas and 218,983 customers in Louisiana.

USA: Louisianna - Officials say Hurricane Ike flooded more than 13,000 buildings and 200 miles of road in southern Terrebonne Parish, affecting about 20,000 residents. A state official had said 26,000 homes flooded. That apparently was incorrect. Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois says it's worse that Hurricane Rita three years ago. The man in charge of the levees, Windell Curole, says Ike broke levees in three places - but surged over them almost everywhere. Curole - interim director of the parish levee district - says most of the levees are between 5 and 8 1/2 feet. They could have handled the predicted surge of 3 to 5 feet. But Curole says the surge was more like 7 to 9 feet. The Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District ordered 20 portable pumps to help existing pumping stations push water out of low-lying areas.

SLOVENIA: A big storm with strong gusts of wind that hit parts of Stajersko and Gorenjsko regions Friday evening damaged several buildings and flooded many basements, the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Administration said Saturday.

INDONESIA: Today at 12:00:10 AM UTC an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 has struck the highly populated region of Timor Leste in Timor Leste.

RUSSIA: A Boeing-737 jet crashed near Russia's city of Perm in the central Ural mountains killing all 83 passengers and five crew on board, Russian news agencies reported Sunday quoting emergency ministry officials.

Subject: Around the World Today - Saturday 13 September

USA: TEXAS - Houston and Galveston take full force of hurricane outcome still not know. Reports of serious damage and disconnections.

FRANCE: Several people were injured after a fire broke out part way through the Channel Tunnel yesterday, police said. The blaze apparently started on board a lorry being carried on a freight train from Folkestone in Kent to Calais just before 3pm. The fire was detected about four-fifths of the way through the 31 mile-long tunnel, Kent Police said. Thirty-two people were led to safety through a service tunnel as French firefighters tackled the blaze. French police said a number of people suffered from the effects of smoke inhalation, but could not confirm whether they needed hospital treatment. The lorry, which is understood to have overturned on the train, was reportedly carrying the chemical phenol.

CAYMAN ISLANDS: Police say a 74-year-old man died after a swarm of bees attacked him in the Cayman Islands. Police spokeswoman Deborah Denis said Thursday that George Sherryl Whittaker was attacked by scores of honeybees in his yard in the wealthy British dependency's capital, George Town. Firefighters used water hoses to chase away the agitated swarm. Denis said Whittaker was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after Wednesday's attack.

ECUADOR: Alexandra Burbano, a technician with the Ecuadorian Animal Health Service (SESA), confirmed today [9 Sep 2008] that 24 bovines with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) were identified in the farm "La Tortuga" in the Canton of Valencia, Los Rios province. She said this will be reported to the [World Organisation for Animal Health/OIE Animal Health Information System] in the coming hours in compliance with international agreements. FMD continues to be endemic with epidemic outbreaks caused by the virus types A and O. Statistics from the epidemiological information and surveillance system show that cyclical [epidemic?] foci have not modified the curve of presentation of foci during the last 10 years. This implies that the cycle of presentation of the disease has not been broken, [thus indicating a lack of progress] towards the goal of eradication of FMD.

NEPAL: At least 1,000 people have been reportedly affected by an unidentified disease in some villages of Gulmi district in western Nepal, while number of pneumonia patients has gone drastically up in the district. According the Friday's report, the unidentified disease gripped Darling for a week and Neta and Paudi Amarai in the district, some 200 km west of Kathmandu, for the last four days.

KAZAKHSTAN: Five people hospitalized with anthrax in southern Kazakhstan have had their diagnosis confirmed, the Kazakh emergencies ministry said Friday. The patients, from a village in the Zhambyl Region, were hospitalized a week ago. "Laboratory tests have confirmed the diagnosis," the emergencies ministry press service said, adding that the patients were in satisfactory condition and that people they had come into contact with were being closely watched. Measures are being taken to prevent an epidemic in the region. Outbreaks of anthrax are relatively common in the Central Asian state. Owners of sick cattle have been known to sell meat from infected animals after culling them, bypassing veterinary checks.

USA: Minnesota - Xcel Energy Inc's 572-megawatt Monticello nuclear power plant in Minnesota shut on Sept. 11 due to a problem with a transformer, the company told the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a report. With a transformer shut for maintenance, Xcel said another transformer "experienced a lockout" resulting in a loss of normal offsite power and the reactor shutdown. The company did not say in the report what caused the transformer to fail.

MEXICO: A Mexican gas pipeline caught on fire on Friday near the capital, sending flames more than 100 feet into the air and closing a main highway into the city, Mexico radio reported. One person was injured at the fire in the satellite town of Cuautitlan Izcalli, the Formato 21 radio station said. The cause of the fire was not known. State energy company Pemex said a private company operated the line. A Mexican leftist rebel group last year set off bombs at gas and oil pipelines, disrupting supplies of crude oil and cutting off natural gas supplies to hundreds of manufacturers.

CANADA: British Columbia - Some residents in B.C.'s Central Interior are being told to avoid drinking or bathing in their tap water following an outbreak of potentially toxic algae blooms. A public advisory was issued to some communities outside Prince George after a thick turquoise film giving off a pungent odour appeared on the shores of the Tachick and Cluculz lakes.

USA: California - Los Angeles fire officials say at least 17 people have been killed in the collision of a Metrolink commuter train and a freight train in the San Fernando Valley. Los Angeles City Fire Capt. Steve Ruda says crews are working continuing to work on the recovery effort Saturday morning. Officials say there were 222 people on the Metrolink train and four Union Pacific employees aboard the freight train. About 250 fire department personnel and 200 police officers were on the scene before dawn Saturday. As many as 135 people have been reported injured.

PORTUGAL: Braga - An historical building in the heart of Braga city centre collapsed last week killing three individuals who were working on its renovation. Located on Rua dos Chãos, the three-storey building crumbled to the ground at around 13h54, burying the workers alive. At the time the building fell, a total of seven men were working on the renovations, three of whom were buried. Rescue operations were called off by the Civil Protection Organisation following fears the building next door would also collapse. As a precaution, shops and homes in the vicinity were evacuated.

TAIWAN: Taiwan shut down schools, businesses and air transport Saturday as Typhoon Sinlaku lashed the entire island with strong winds and torrential rains.

AROUND THE WORLD TODAY