A lightning bolt struck a church in Malawi, killing eight worshippers and injuring several others, local media reported.
Several members of the Seventh Day Adventist church in the capital Lilongwe were admitted to hospital after Saturday's strike, the Nyasa Times said, citing witnesses, police and health officials.
It was not immediately clear whether they were injured by the lightning or in the panic to escape.
Earth Changes
© EnglishRussia.com
A giant hole appeared right in the middle of Russian town Berezniki and has been growing ever since.
A giant hole appeared right in the middle of Russian town Berezniki and has been growing ever since.
Dmitry Rybolovlev, the Russian fertilizer tycoon who in February bought the most expensive apartment ever sold in New York City - the $88 million penthouse at 15 Central Park West - may have done a lot for real estate values there. But here in this old mining city in the Ural Mountains, where he made his fortune, not just property values, but properties too, have been plunging.
Sinkholes are common hazards in mining regions, plaguing areas where miners have burrowed into layers of soluble minerals and accidental floods have followed. But in Berezniki, as often happens in Russia, the problem has been magnified by past practices in which safety was not always the foremost concern.
In the West, mines are usually located far from populous areas, to reduce the risks of sinkholes to homes and other buildings. But Berezniki, a city of 154,000 that began as a labor camp, was built directly over the mine - a legacy of the Soviet policy of placing camps within marching distance of work areas.
And so Berezniki is afflicted by sinkholes, yawning chasms hundreds of feet deep that can open at a moment's notice. So grave is the danger that the entire city is under 24-hour video surveillance. On a screen in the command center late last year, one such hole appeared as a small dark spot in a snowy field in the predawn hours, immediately threatening to suck in a building, a road and a gas station.
"I looked and said, 'Wow, a hole is forming,' " recalled Olga V. Chekhova, an emergency services worker who monitors the video. This was a small one by the standards of Berezniki, which has had three in the past four years. In fact, it has since been called "The Tiny One."
© Facebook
Noah Barthe, 5, left, and Connor Barthe, 7, right, with their mother, Mandy Trecartin. Noah and Connor were killed by an African rock python.
Noah Barthe, 5, left, and Connor Barthe, 7, right, with their mother, Mandy Trecartin. Noah and Connor were killed by an African rock python.
Bry Loyst, curator of the Indian River Reptile Zoo near Peterborough, Ont., said at the time the snake must have been confused when it encountered four-year-old Noah Barthe and his brother Connor, 6. The two boys had been at a petting zoo earlier in the day, and may have still smelled like the animals, which is likely why the snake decided to constrict the two boys while they slept.
"Potentially dangerous animals of any kind - whether it be tigers, lions, bears, cobras, rattlesnakes, large pythons - shouldn't be kept in a private residence," Loyst said.
"This was an accident waiting to happen."
Since then, authorities have been removing illegal or mistreated snakes, alligators and other exotic animals from homes across the country, and the federal government, provincial leaders and municipalities are all looking at new regulations to protect animals and keep residents safe.
Ontario has asked for at least 36 separate studies looking into the issue, while in December, the New Brunswick government passed a motion by the Opposition Liberals calling for a complete review of the province's Fish and Wildlife Act, which oversees exotic animals.
The center of the earthquake appears to be just off the coastline of Turkey, South to SSW from Antalya. The quake was felt as far away as Egypt where the tremors also reached 5.8 on the Richter Scale. Cyprus, which is 195 miles away from the quake's center also reported 5.8 scale tremors.
Egypt, which is 695 miles away, reported the same Richter Scale measurement at the same time that the report was received from Turkey. At this point no damage reports from any of the countries have been made public.
© Debby Saunders
The Brunnich's Guillemot
The Brunnich's Guillemot
Hundreds of people from all over the country headed to Portland Marina to get a glimpse of a Brunnich's Guillemot (or Thick-billed Murre ) which is usually found in colder, northern climates including Russia and Norway.
Crowds of enthusiasts are still there today trying to photograph the bird.
Debby Saunders, of Portland, first saw the vagrant, which is believed to have been blown off course in the recent bad weather, on Boxing Day.
She said: "It is really exciting. It is the first time this species has been seen this far south in the UK."
Debby was bird watching with her husband Pete when she saw the Brunnich's in the distance.
Comment: See also: Ice Age Cometh: Snowy Owl invasion coming in North America?
Maine experiencing a Canadian owl invasion
Incredible Hawk Owl invasion in Estonia!
Huge Snowy Owl invasion becomes official in Canada and U.S.
Thousands of Hawk Owls descend on Finland as food in northern Russia runs out
Ice Age Cometh: Unprecedented influx of Arctic Ivory Gulls into UK
© AFP
The MV Akademik Shokalskiy, a Russian scientific research vessel, awaits rescue while trapped in the ice off Antarctica.
The MV Akademik Shokalskiy, a Russian scientific research vessel, awaits rescue while trapped in the ice off Antarctica.
A Chinese icebreaker en route to rescue a ship trapped in Antarctic ice was forced to turn back on Saturday after being unable to push its way through the heavy sea ice.
The Snow Dragon icebreaker came within 11 kilometres of the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been stuck since Christmas Eve, but had to retreat after the ice became too thick, said expedition spokesman Alvin Stone.
The Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been on a research expedition to Antarctica, got stuck on Tuesday after a blizzard's whipping winds pushed the sea ice around the ship, freezing it in place. The ship wasn't in danger of sinking, and there are weeks' worth of supplies for the 74 scientists, tourists and crew on board, but the vessel cannot move.
Comment: The expedition is being led by Chris Turney, "climate scientist", who has "set up a carbon refining company called Carbonscape which has developed technology to fix carbon from the atmosphere and make a host of green bi-products, helping reduce greenhouse gas levels." The purpose of the expedition is "to discover and communicate the environmental changes taking place in the south."
As Anthony Watts remarks, Antarctic Sea Ice is more than 2 standard deviations above normal:
© NSIDC
© Laurence Topham for the Guardian
The Chinese icebreaker Xue Long has had to abandon its rescue mission of the Akademik Shokalskiy
The Chinese icebreaker Xue Long has had to abandon its rescue mission of the Akademik Shokalskiy
Cape de la Motte, East Antarctica: the Xue Long appeared as a dot on the horizon, against a bright blue sky, to the starboard side of our ice-locked ship just after dinnertime on Friday evening, local time.
After two days of intense blizzards, with biting cold that had forced us to spend all our time below decks, the break in the weather and the approaching rescue had put the crew and passengers of the MV Akademik Shokalskiy in good spirits.
With temperatures at a pleasantly bearable -1C, some of the crew went on to the ice surrounding the ship in all directions and killed time by making igloos. The rest remained on board and watched the Chinese icebreaker through binoculars as it appeared to make steady progress, silently zigzagging through the ice, from the upper deck of the ship.
As we waited, penguins, apparently confused by the sudden appearance of a solid mass caused by the compacting of ice floes around our vessel, wandered past at regular intervals, looking for the shoreline.
Thousands of UPS packages will arrive after Christmas
For the Allan family in Clearwater, Fla., Chicago beef is an annual holiday tradition. The family orders Christmas dinner shipped in every year from the famed Portillo's Restaurant.
"It's a big deal," said Jan Allan. "It's something to us that's special for our family. It's not something we can get in Florida."
She was planning a dinner party for 20 friends and family. When the food didn't arrive by early Christmas Eve, she was worried.
"I became concerned and tried to check the tracking number," said Allan.
It turned out the Allans were among thousands of families that didn't get their Christmas package by Christmas.
For the first time this year, UPS took on more overnight packages than it could deliver. The company apologized to customers, blaming bad winter weather in the South and a surge in online shopping.
The apology didn't go far with people on social media, which exploded with complaints about UPS and FedEx from customers furious about empty spots under their trees.
Most complaints were directed at UPS, which issued statements on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day acknowledging that the company was overwhelmed by unexpected volume and some packages were delayed until after the holiday.
© Mark Lennihan/AP
"It's a big deal," said Jan Allan. "It's something to us that's special for our family. It's not something we can get in Florida."
She was planning a dinner party for 20 friends and family. When the food didn't arrive by early Christmas Eve, she was worried.
"I became concerned and tried to check the tracking number," said Allan.
It turned out the Allans were among thousands of families that didn't get their Christmas package by Christmas.
For the first time this year, UPS took on more overnight packages than it could deliver. The company apologized to customers, blaming bad winter weather in the South and a surge in online shopping.
The apology didn't go far with people on social media, which exploded with complaints about UPS and FedEx from customers furious about empty spots under their trees.
Most complaints were directed at UPS, which issued statements on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day acknowledging that the company was overwhelmed by unexpected volume and some packages were delayed until after the holiday.
013-12-27 17:46:06 UTC
2013-12-27 17:46:06 UTC+00:00 at epicenter
Location:
27.915°N 18.271°W depth=22.8km (14.2mi)
Nearby Cities:
31km (19mi) NW of Frontera, Spain
89km (55mi) SSW of Los Llanos de Aridane, Spain
98km (61mi) SSW of Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain
148km (92mi) WSW of Santiago del Teide, Spain
507km (315mi) W of Laayoune / El Aaiun, Western Sahara
Technical Data
Emergency services have been dealing with fallen trees, floods and roofs being blown off homes and garages
A fallen tree closes the road between Groeslon and Carmel near CaernarfonThousands of homes were left without power today as the latest wave of bad weather hit Wales.
Widespread gales swept in last night and lasted much of the day, with the worst-hit areas being in north-west Wales.
Speeds of 109mph were recorded in Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula and fire crews had to make safe a structure on Tenby's South Parade.
Wind speeds also reached 85mph in Capel Curig, Snowdonia, 71mph at Pembrey, 62mph at Milford Haven and 52mph in Cardiff.
Thousands of homes and businesses were without power.
An estimated 4,500 homes on Anglesey and 2,500 in Gwynedd were without electricity after the storms struck.
Pockets were also affected in northeast Wales.
A fallen tree closes the road between Groeslon and Carmel near Caernarfon
Widespread gales swept in last night and lasted much of the day, with the worst-hit areas being in north-west Wales.
Speeds of 109mph were recorded in Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula and fire crews had to make safe a structure on Tenby's South Parade.
Wind speeds also reached 85mph in Capel Curig, Snowdonia, 71mph at Pembrey, 62mph at Milford Haven and 52mph in Cardiff.
Thousands of homes and businesses were without power.
An estimated 4,500 homes on Anglesey and 2,500 in Gwynedd were without electricity after the storms struck.
Pockets were also affected in northeast Wales.
Comment: Another Russia city, Samara, is also being 'eaten alive' by giant sinkholes.