JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A powerful earthquake jolted a 2,000-kilometre swath of Indonesia early Saturday, sending hundreds of panicked residents fleeing to higher ground, but fears of a tsunami did not materialize.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage from the magnitude-7.7 quake.
BRAINTREE, Mass., - A Massachusetts man enraged by last weekend's massive nor'easter snowfall is being held on charges he swung a baseball bat at a neighbor.
A moderate earthquake centred in the Indian mountain state of Sikkim on Tuesday sent people running from their homes in the neighbouring eastern state of West Bengal, officials and witnesses said.
Montserrat's Soufriere Hills volcano yesterday shot trails of steam and ash into the air, just days after scientists noted an increase in activity on the northwest side of the mountain.
Associated Press reports indicate that the volcanic ash was sent trailing over the U.S. Virgin Islands and parts of Puerto Rico.
Officials at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory continue to monitor the volcano and post constant reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - A Russian astronomer has predicted that Earth will experience a "mini Ice Age" in the middle of this century, caused by low solar activity.
A volcano on an uninhabited island in Alaska erupted on Monday, sending a cloud of ash 22,000 feet into the air and triggering an elevation of the mountain's threat level.
Scientists detected the morning eruption at Cleveland Volcano, a 5,676-foot (1,730-meter) peak, on satellite imagery, officials at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said.
The observatory issued a Code Red warning, the highest level of alert, for the volcano, because the ash cloud was near a level where it could interfere with jet traffic, said Chris Waythomas, a U.S. Geological Survey geologist.
There were no reports of falling ash from the highly active volcano located in the rugged chain of Aleutian Islands. The nearest community is Nikolski, a tiny Aleut village of 31 people that is 45 miles to the east of the volcano.
Its last eruptive period was in 2001 when three explosions occurred, according to the observatory.
PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, February 7 (Itar-Tass) - An earthquake measuring 5.7 points on the open-ended Richter scale has occurred in the Kamchatka Strait off the Kamchatka Peninsulas eastern shores, a duty officer at the regional branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry said.
An Indian sailor who died in the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda may have been infected with bird flu, the Lithuanian health ministry said.
"A member of the crew of the ship M.V. Ocean Wind, Indian citizen Shaikh Rafikque, died in Klaipeda Monday. The suspected cause of death is bird flu," a statement from the ministry said.
If avian flu is confirmed as the cause of death, it would be the first human case of the disease in the European Union.
NEW ORLEANS - Shortcomings in aid from the U.S. government are making New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin look to other nations for help in rebuilding his hurricane-damaged city.
Nagin, who has hosted a steady stream of foreign dignitaries since Hurricane Katrina hit in late August, says he may seek international assistance because U.S. aid has not been sufficient to get the city back on its feet.
Comment: Comment: Now that is so totally pathetic we are rendered speechless. Not only are the Neocon Thugs fleecing the American people to pay their cronies for more and better bombs and WMDs, they have exposed America to this embarrassment: they can't even help their own. Somebody find us a sickbag.
LOS ANGELES -- Authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order in east Anaheim Hills Monday in connection with an 1,800-acre brush fire in the Cleveland National Forest.
About 1,200 homes were under evacuation orders, with some mandatory and the others voluntary, but the breakdown between the two was not immediately available, said city spokesman John Nicoletti.
Comment: Comment: Now that is so totally pathetic we are rendered speechless. Not only are the Neocon Thugs fleecing the American people to pay their cronies for more and better bombs and WMDs, they have exposed America to this embarrassment: they can't even help their own. Somebody find us a sickbag.