Earth ChangesS


Bizarro Earth

'The science is absolutely certain'

John Kerry at Ice Free Arctic!
© Washington Post
On June 25, 2009, John Kerry said the Arctic would be ice-free by 2014.
"You have sea ice which is melting at a rate that the Arctic Ocean now increasingly is exposed. In five years, scientists predict we will have the first ice-free Arctic summer"
His forecast didn't do very well.

Tsunami

Heavy rains lash Oman, causing flash floods

Oman authorities urged residents to stay away from low-lying areas, as well as overflowing wadis.
Oman authorities urged residents to stay away from low-lying areas, as well as overflowing wadis.
Heavy rains lashed the northern parts of Oman on Sunday, disrupting normal life and throwing traffic out of gear in some areas. Temperatures were lower across much of the country.

Parts of Dhahira, Dhakliyah and South of Sharqiyah and Buraimi governorates received medium to heavy rains, due the heavy rain, according to the Meteorology Department at the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA).

Wadis in the provinces of Ibri, Yanqul, Dhank, Mahada, Buraimi, Bahla, Nizwa, Samayil, Mudhaibi, Dima wa Tayeen, Awabim and Izki were flooded. No causalities have been reported, an official at the PACA told Gulf News.

Long queues of vehicles were reported stuck for hours, as the motorists were waiting for the water level to go down in wadi Bani Ghafar of Rustaq province on Sunday. Videos of the over-flooding wadis have been widely circulated in social media platforms.


Doberman

Man found dead from apparent dog attack inside his home in Durham, North Carolina

MMMMMMMM
A Durham man was found dead inside his home from an apparent dog attack Friday morning, police said.

According to the Durham Police Department, officers responded to a call for cardiac arrest in the 2500 block of Fairlawn Road. Upon arriving, they found a deceased man inside the residence.

Police say the man "had injuries consistent with being attacked by a dog".

According to Durham police, a dog lived in the same home as the victim. The dog was seized by animal control.

The incident remains under investigation.

Black Cat

Temple priest killed in panther attack in Udaipur, India - 7th death for the area in 11 days

Man-eating panther kills seventh person in 11 days
Man-eating panther kills seventh person in 11 days
A man-eating panther claimed another life in a village in Udaipur on Monday, making it seven deaths in the last 11 days. The victim, a priest, was reportedly picked up by the panther in the early hours of Monday and his body was found in the jungle.

Due to the fear of the panther, police, along with forest officials, set up traps in several locations. While a few panthers have been caught in the last few days, the number of deaths due to panther attacks have been increasing.

Locals had been living in fear due to the increasing cases of panther attacks. Several schools had been ordered shut, people had been informed to not leave their houses in the evening and to only go out in groups. Police, through social media, has also warned people about leaving their houses at night. Villagers have been asked to carry sticks or other items that can be used as weapons when venturing out.

An official claimed that it is unclear whether the same animal has been involved in all the cases. However, in all the cases, the movement of the animal and the nature of the attack has been similar.

A video surfaced, showing police recovering the body of the victim from the middle of the jungle. The video shows villagers gathered around the forest.


Comment: A day earlier in the state of Uttarakhand a 3-year-old boy was killed by leopard.


Attention

Biker dies after being attacked by rhino in Assam, India

In a video that has gone viral now, locals can be heard shouting to scare off the animal
In a video that has gone viral now, locals can be heard shouting to scare off the animal
A biker died after being chased and attacked by a rhino near the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam's Morigaon district on Sunday. The victim, Saddam Hussain, was a resident of the Kamrup Metropolitan district, about 30 kilometers from the place of the incident.

The 37-year-old was traveling on his two-wheeler when the rhino, which had strolled out of the wildlife sanctuary, approached him.

In a video that has gone viral, he can be seen quickly getting down from his bike and running into an open field as the animal, which can run up to 55 kilometers an hour, chases him.

Locals can be heard shouting to scare off the rhino, which can weigh up to 2,800 kilograms.

Hussain was later found with his head smashed in the field.



Doberman

Stray dogs attack, kill 7-year-old child in Jordan

MMMMMMMM
A seven-year-old boy died on Sunday after being attacked by stray dogs in a farm area near Hammam al-Shammout, in the Al-Jeeza district south of Amman.

According to a Roya correspondent, the child, of Arab nationality, was attacked by three stray dogs while returning from a farm to his family's home. The dogs severely mauled the boy, causing fatal injuries.

The boy was rushed to Al-Nadeem Governmental Hospital in Madaba, but medical authorities confirmed that he had already passed away upon arrival.

Arrow Down

Taxi plunges into sinkhole in Hong Kong

Hong Kong taxi plunges into sinkhole
Hong Kong taxi plunges into sinkhole
A taxi was fully submerged in a four-meter by eight-meter sinkhole on Lai Chi Kok Road in Cheung Sha Wan early yesterday.

Fortunately, the driver and passenger escaped the vehicle in time.

At around 12.32am, a taxi was traveling eastbound toward Mong Kok on Lai Chi Kok Road when an underground water pipe burst, which led to suspected road subsidence.

The taxi became trapped in the sinkhole, which continued to widen as water flowed out and flooded all three lanes of the road.

By around 1.50am, the taxi was completely submerged in a hole that reached depths of five to six meters, filled with water, sand and mud. Officers from the Water Supplies Department said they managed to isolate the burst mains at 5am.


Lightning

Lightning kills couple, their 15-year-old son in Madhya Pradesh, India

mmmmmmm
A couple and their teenage son were killed while their daughter was injured after lightning struck them at a village in Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh district, police said today (September 27).

A bolt from the sky hit farmer Raju Sen (45), his wife Krishna Bai (40) and their son Braj Sen (15) on Thursday evening (September 26) while they were working on their soybean field at Mehrajpura village in Khilchipur tehsil, about 25 km from the district headquarters, the official said.

All three died at the scene. Raju's daughter Priyanka (17) was wounded in the lightning strike and was admitted to the district hospital, he said. As per the rules, he said, a compensation of Rs 4 lakh per deceased person will be provided to their family.

More details are awaited in this regard.

Cloud Precipitation

Australia on track for fifth consecutive wet year as weekend brings further rain to southern states and flood threat to NSW coast

According to the current forecasts,
© Anthony AdamsAccording to the current forecasts, Australia is on track to record its fifth-consecutive year of above-average rainfall.
Australia has experienced its wettest January-August since 2011, laying the platform for 2024 to become our fifth consecutive year with above-average rain — and potentially among the dampest ever.

While September is on average our driest month, the current spell of wet weather will continue this weekend as twin cloud bands deliver further rain to southern states.

Heavy falls and flooding are possible on the NSW north coast, the crescendo of an unseasonable north-west cloudband that brought rain to the majority of the country this week, including record falls in parts of WA and the NT.

Thankfully, the AFL Grand Final appears set to be played in good conditions — after a sunny and warm day today in Melbourne, a second rainband will arrive across south-eastern states by Sunday, while a third band of rain is possible next week.

Arrow Down

Giant sinkhole opens up in Hiroshima, Japan

mmmmm
A massive sinkhole emerged in Japan's Hiroshima city, forcing locals to evacuate and affecting nearby infrastructure, according to public broadcaster NHK.

The sinkhole measured some 40 metres long and 15 meters wide after a water pipe burst near an intersection at the site, NHK reported. Residents were temporarily evacuated after eight buildings began to lean and crack.

Hiroshima city officials said the sinkhole emerged when workers carried out underground drilling works to build a storm drain.

No injuries have been reported.

Reuters