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Popular Berlin polar bear found dead in mysterious circumstances

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© John MacDougall, AFP/Getty Images
Knut lived in Berlin's zoo. He was 4 and raised by zookeepers since a cub after his mother rejected him

Now reports say the attention-loving polar bear was found dead in a pool in his cage at the Zoologischer Garten Berlin Saturday, with no immediate cause of death announced.

This is awful," said Berlin's mayor Klaus Wowereit said, according to the Sydney (Australia) Herald. "We had all taken him to our hearts. He was the star of the Berlin Zoo."

Most reports say Knut was alone when he died, as visitors watched him suddenly fall into the water. The celebrity news site TMZ.com carried news of his death and says People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' German branch had previously complained that his mother and other bears were tormenting Knut. And a PETA rep told TMZ that polar bears don't belong in captivity.

Bizarro Earth

Lava, clouds of hot ash spews from the mouth of volcano in central Indonesia

Manado, Indonesia - Residents in central Indonesia have been evacuated from the slopes of a volcano that has been spewing hot lava and clouds of searing gas high into the air for days.

State volcanologist Surono says Mount Karangetang has been spilling lava and shooting clouds of gas and debris up to 1,900 feet (600 meters) in the air as ash poured down its slopes.

He said Saturday that some 582 people living along its slopes have been evacuated away from the mountain on Siau, part of the Sulawesi island chain. There were no reports of injuries, but several houses and a church were damaged.

Cloud Lightning

Brazil: Heavy rain may delay sugar-cane harvest

Sugar-cane harvesting in the main growing region in Brazil, the world's biggest sugar producer, may be delayed after above-average rainfall in the first weeks of March, according to ICAP Brasil.

"Rains in the first half of March were almost double the average of the last 10 years," Marcos Mine, head of the sugar and ethanol desk at ICAP Brasil, said by phone from Sao Paulo today. "This has already delayed the start in some mills."

The bulk of Brazil's cane crop is usually harvested between March and December in Center South, which accounts for about 90 percent of the country's output. Rainfall may also hamper sugar production at the beginning of the harvest, leading processors to make ethanol instead, according to Mine.

Cloud Lightning

India: Rains lash Kashmir Valley, avalanche warning issued

Heavy rains lashed Kashmir and the authorities issued an warning that avalanche might strike many areas of the Vallery close to the mountain ranges.

"Medium danger avalanche alert has been sounded for higher reaches of Gurez, Baruab, Chakwali, Kanzalwan, Niru, Razdan Pass, Gugladara, Keran, Machil, Chowkibal, Tangdar and higher reaches of Gulmarg and Khilanmarg following the rainfall," Aamir Ali, Coordinator of the Disaster Management Cell, said.

He said low danger avalance warning exists for peaks of Drass and Kargil areas in Ladakh region.

"People living in the higher reaches of these areas have been advised to curtail their outdoor movement and not to venture into avalanche prone areas," Ali added.

Pahalgam in south Kashmir Anantnag district received the highest rainfall at 27.6 mm till 5.30 pm, an official of the MET department said.

Cloud Lightning

India: J&K highway closed for traffic due to landslide

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which is the only surface link between Kashmir and rest of the country, was closed for vehicular traffic today due to a landslide triggered by heavy rains in Ramban district of Jammu & Kashmir today.

The 300-km-long highway was closed after landslides were triggered by heavy rains at Panthal in Ramban district this afternoon, senior superintendent of police, National Highway, Kifayat Haider said.

As a result of the landslides, about 100-150 vehicles are stranded on different stretches of the highway, he said.

Men and machines of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are working to clear the landslide, he said.

Cloud Lightning

Philippines: Brace for continuous heavy rains, residents told

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) asked residents in one region and four provinces to brace for continuous heavy rains, which may trigger flash floods and landslides in these areas.

According to PAGASA, the wind convergence will continue to affect Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao today, bringing cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms.

It said rains will become widespread over Bicol Region, and the provinces of Dinagat Island, Samar, Leyte, and Surigao, which may cause flash floods and landslides.

Bizarro Earth

Oil Spill Reported Near Deepwater Drilling Site in Gulf

oil spill
© Jerry Moran / Stuart Smith oilspillaction.comPhoto of Macondo Well area March 19, 2011
The Coast Guard is investigating reports of a potentially large oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico not far from the Deepwater Horizon site. According to a knowledgeable source, the slick was sighted by a helicopter pilot on Friday and is about 100 miles long. A fishing boat captain said he went through the slick yesterday and it was strong enough to make his eyes burn.

According to the Times Picayune, the Coast Guard has confirmed they are investigating a potentially large 100 mile slick about 30 miles offshore. They are going to a site near the Matterhorn well site about 20 miles north of the BP Deepwater Horizon site, according to the paper. The Matterhorn field includes includes a deepwater drilling platform owned by W&T Technology. It was acquired last year from TotalFinaElf E&P.

Independent pilots are attempting to reach the slick today. Bonnie Schumaker with Wings of Care reported she saw a slick two days ago and is attempting to reach the site.

Cloud Lightning

Storm spawns snow, tornado in Northern California

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© Kent Porter / The Press Democrat
A powerful winter storm raked Northern California on Friday, unleashing a small tornado that tore the roof off a business and bringing heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada that was blamed for a fatal chain-reaction crash on Interstate 80.

The afternoon crash in the mountains 70 miles east of Sacramento involved at least six big rigs and 15 vehicles, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Curtis Fouyer said.

A man who appeared to be in his 60s was found dead, but Fouyer did not know if he was in one of the vehicles crushed by a big rig. Other motorists called police to report they were trapped but uninjured.

"They're still pulling things apart to figure out what's where and get the cars moved," Fouyer said three hours after the crash near Yuba Gap, a popular weekend sledding destination.

Bizarro Earth

Small quake hits Southern Finland

Finland Tremor
© YLE UutisgrafiikkaMap showing area affected by minor tremor.

Finland's Institute of Seismology at the University of Helsinki confirmed that a 2.6 magnitude quake had struck the area. Institute Director Pekka Heikkinen said that quakes of tremors of this magnitude are unusual in southern Finland. He noted they only usually occur a few times annually. Around 30 small earth tremors in Finland are usually detected in northern parts of the country.

Bizarro Earth

California, US: Landslide Forces Evacuation of Ranch



A landslide near the small town of Somis in Ventura County forced the evacuation of a residence and several horses.

According to the Ventura County Star, a piece of land about 200 yards long and 100 yards deep moved downhill about 100 feet on a ranch located in the 7600 block of Bradley Road. A residence and 63 horses were being moved.

The landslide started around 6:30 a.m. A local property manager reported seeing trees falling and sliding on a hillside and contacted the Fire Department.

The cause of the landslide was not immediately known. A local geologist was called to investigate, the Star reported.

No injuries were reported.