The third earthquake in the past three days has shaken the Solomon Islands, struck by two quakes and a resulting tsunami Monday, Australian radio reported Wednesday.
Two earthquakes measuring between 7.6 and 9 on the Richter scale caused a tsunami some 10 meters (30 feet) high that completely flooded the towns of Gizo and Noro. The official death toll has already reached 32, and scores of villagers are reported missing.
Arnold Moveni, the head of the local emergency relief committee, said rescuers have conducted flights over the hardest-hit areas, and that the death toll is likely to keep rising as reports come in from other affected areas.
Earth Changes
A group of scientists is fighting a rearguard action to challenge mainstream evidence that humans are to blame for climate change.
They point to natural shifts in the sun's heat, a cooling of the planet in the mid-20th century and an apparent slowdown of temperature rises in the past decade.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in February that it was "very likely" - more than 90 per cent - that human activities, namely fossil fuel burning, explained most of an "unequivocal" warming in the past 50 years.
The panel said temperatures will likely rise by between 1.8 and 4.0 Celsius this century.
The IPCC, made up of about 2,500 scientists, is endorsed by governments.
They point to natural shifts in the sun's heat, a cooling of the planet in the mid-20th century and an apparent slowdown of temperature rises in the past decade.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in February that it was "very likely" - more than 90 per cent - that human activities, namely fossil fuel burning, explained most of an "unequivocal" warming in the past 50 years.
The panel said temperatures will likely rise by between 1.8 and 4.0 Celsius this century.
The IPCC, made up of about 2,500 scientists, is endorsed by governments.
We are used to hearing about the effects of climate change in terms of unusual animal behaviour, such as altering patterns of fish and bird migration. However, scientists at the University of Birmingham are trying out an alternative bio-indicator - the king penguin - to investigate whether they can be used to monitor the effects of climate change. "If penguins are travelling further or diving deeper for food, that tells us something about the availability of particular fish in regions of the Antarctic. We may be able to assess the pressure exerted by king penguins on this ecosystem, and look at the effects of both climate change and overfishing in this region of the world", says Dr Lewis Halsey who will present his results on Wednesday 4th April at the Society for Experimental Biology's Annual Meeting in Glasgow.
Experts are again predicting a busy Atlantic hurricane season, with up to 17 named tropical storms forming - nine of which could become hurricanes.
At least one major storm is expected to make landfall in the US during the 1 June-30 November season, Colorado State University forecasters said.
At least one major storm is expected to make landfall in the US during the 1 June-30 November season, Colorado State University forecasters said.
Schools in Fergus Falls and Browns Valley are closed and more than a dozen western Minnesota school districts are starting classes two hours late this morning as winter returns to the state.
Winter storm warnings are out for the central third of Minnesota, and snow advisories are out for areas north and south of that band.
Winter storm warnings are out for the central third of Minnesota, and snow advisories are out for areas north and south of that band.
HONIARA, Solomon Islands - Survivors scavenged for food and drinking water in towns hammered by a tsunami on the Solomon Islands' west coast, while officials said the death toll was 28 and would rise as they struggled to reach remote communities.
Northeastern Afghanistan, already suffering from recent floods and avalanches, has been struck by a strong earthquake.
RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan correspondent was in the capital of Badakhshan Province today when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the area.
Dayan Ahmadi says he felt the ground shaking for about two minutes.
RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan correspondent was in the capital of Badakhshan Province today when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the area.
Dayan Ahmadi says he felt the ground shaking for about two minutes.
In the wake of yesterday's tsunami in the Solomon Islands, National Geographic News looks at how the killer waves are caused, what the warning signs are, and how to respond when a tsunami threatens.
- A tsunami is a series of great sea waves caused by an underwater earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption. More rarely, a tsunami can be generated by a giant meteor impact with the ocean.
Scientists have found traces of an asteroid-collision event that they say would have created a giant tsunami that swept around the Earth several times, inundating everything except the tallest mountains 3.5 billion years ago. The coastline of the continents was changed drastically and almost all life on land was exterminated.
- A tsunami is a series of great sea waves caused by an underwater earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption. More rarely, a tsunami can be generated by a giant meteor impact with the ocean.
Scientists have found traces of an asteroid-collision event that they say would have created a giant tsunami that swept around the Earth several times, inundating everything except the tallest mountains 3.5 billion years ago. The coastline of the continents was changed drastically and almost all life on land was exterminated.
Aid is desperately needed for people scared to return to homes
Emergency aid supplies are being stepped up to thousands of people stranded after a devastating tsunami struck parts of the Solomon Islands.
Emergency aid supplies are being stepped up to thousands of people stranded after a devastating tsunami struck parts of the Solomon Islands.
450,000 people already affected. Natural disasters continue hitting Madagascar, affecting hundreds of thousands of people with another cyclone, Jaya, on the way.
Since December 2006, approximately 450,000 people have become the victims of natural disasters across Madagascar. These families urgently require shelter, food, potable water, medication and school supplies.
Since December 2006, approximately 450,000 people have become the victims of natural disasters across Madagascar. These families urgently require shelter, food, potable water, medication and school supplies.
