Mount Etna has been showing off lately by spewing out Smoke Rings & having a good size Eruption!!
Earth Changes
Mount Etna has been showing off lately by spewing out Smoke Rings & having a good size Eruption!!
© The Statesman/ANN
Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams carrying out rescue operations in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri.
Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams carrying out rescue operations in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri.
A district official said that the Tiware dam in Ratnagiri district developed a breach early today following heavy rain, our New Delhi correspondent reports.
A local police officer said six bodies have been recovered so far while 19 people are still missing.
The dam breach caused a flood-like situation in seven downstream villages and a of dozen houses have been swept away by gushing waters.
© Reuters
Pest set to further threaten food security amid African swine fever outbreak
China has now found the crop-destroying fall armyworm in over half of its provinces, further threatening the country's food security amid an outbreak of African swine fever that has led to the culling of at least 1m pigs.
China's agriculture ministry said on Wednesday that it had found fall armyworm in 19 of its 34 provinces, largely in the south of the country, covering 5m mu (333,333 hectares) of cropland. The ministry added that it was continuing to spread north, but that "timely and vigorous preventative measures" had slowed its progression.
China is the world's second-largest producer of corn, with production of the staple focused in the country's north east.
Fall armyworm is a caterpillar native to North and South America. It was first detected in Africa in 2016, and has gradually spread across South and Southeast Asia. Invasions can result in corn yield losses as high as 50 per cent, and adult moths can travel hundreds of kilometres.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation has said fall armyworm "is far too widespread and numerous to be eliminated" from areas it has invaded extensively, leaving farmers to attempt to limit losses through a combination of chemical and biological pesticides, genetically modified variants of corn or alternative crops.
© BOM
Aftermath: Shocking photos reveal the devastation left behind after a cold-season tornado - also known as a 'coldie - that ripped through a home near Bendigo, Victoria on Saturday
Aftermath: Shocking photos reveal the devastation left behind after a cold-season tornado - also known as a 'coldie - that ripped through a home near Bendigo, Victoria on Saturday
The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed the damage was brought on by a winter tornado, also known as a 'coldie', caused by cold fronts coming from the Southern Ocean.
The windstorms differ from normal tornadoes because they are less intense, usually move at 50 to 80kmh and only last ten to 30 minutes.
Saturday's coldie measured at least EF2 intensity on the Enhance Fujita scale - meaning it caused 'considerable damage' and saw wind gusts in excess of 200km/h.
The storm tore through Axe Creek residents Wayne and Rachel Eve's property, leaving behind only a pile of debris where their home once stood.
'A house was flattened, big trees were snapped in half and debris flung in multiple directions. We're glad everyone is safe,' the Bureau of Meteorology said in a statement on Tuesday.
While Australia usually experiences around 30 to 50 tornadoes per year in remote areas, the BoM said it was 'unusual' to see such a strong tornado hit at this time of year.
© Getty
Many parts of Mumbai are heavily flooded
Many parts of Mumbai are heavily flooded
The victims died when a wall collapsed on them in the early hours of Tuesday after persistent rainfall for two days.
Authorities have declared a public holiday on Tuesday and have requested people to stay indoors.
Met department officials have confirmed that this is the heaviest rainfall in the city for a decade.
© Jérôme Despey
The grapes on the vine look as though they have been "burned with a blowtorch", winemakers said
The grapes on the vine look as though they have been "burned with a blowtorch", winemakers said
The departments of the Gard and the Hérault have been particularly affected, with locals saying the grapes appear to have been "burned with a blowtorch". The area was placed on Météo France red alert for the heatwave (canicule) this week. Temperatures reached over 45°C in some places.
Winemaker and president of the Hérault chamber of commerce, Jérôme Despey, said: "Temperatures reached such levels that some vines appear to have been blowtorched; literally grilled...grapes were burned, and the leaves dried out."
The information was confirmed by the head of the police in Smolyan, Senior Commissioner Nikolay Dimov.
The incident happened shortly after 2:00 pm in the Borinovo village of Madan.
The woman is from Yambol but she was a guest in the Rhodope village and at the same time she was on a trip with another three people.
The rest of them were unharmed.
They said that areas like Zaingair, Warpora, Dangarpora, Janwara, Dooru and other surrounding areas witnessed heavy rains and hailstorm at around 8:30 today morning thereby resulting in tremendous loss to farmers and fruit growers in the area.
Pertinently, this is third time that hailstorm has hit parts of north Kashmir since last month.
© Kyle and Tori Kline
A picture is worth a thousand words: 2018 and 2019 photos of corn crops in Indiana.
A picture is worth a thousand words: 2018 and 2019 photos of corn crops in Indiana.
Sources
© Vigili del Fuoco
A garbage truck plunged into a massive sinkhole in the Italian city of Naples.
A garbage truck plunged into a massive sinkhole in the Italian city of Naples.
The truck was traveling down the Casoria area of the southern Italian city when the ground beneath it opened up. Much of the vehicle was left buried under dirt and rubble as a result of the collapse.
The driver was rescued by firefighters and taken to a local hospital. His condition was not immediately known.
Comment: The same thing happened in 2011: Italy, Naples: Garbage Truck Swallowed by Sinkhole
Other past huge sinkholes in and around the city:
2015: Over 380 people evacuated in Naples, Italy after massive sinkhole opens up
2016: Two trees and a Renault disappear into huge sinkhole near Naples, Italy
Comment: See also: