Earth ChangesS


Black Cat

Caracal suspected of biting Israeli soldiers caught on Mount Harif

The caracal which was caught
© Nature and Parks AuthorityThe caracal which was caught
A caracal was caught Tuesday night, following reports that it was suspected of having bitten IDF soldiers near Mount Harif in the Negev desert.

An IDF base is situated on the mountain, which is located along the border between Israel and Egypt.

The animal was caught by a Nature and Parks Authority supervisor and brought to a hospital for wild animals, where it will undergo a comprehensive medical examination.

According to the Authority, the possibility that the caracal was used to human proximity due to the fact that it was found near a military base. Such a familiarity would affect the animal's behavior and cause it to come too close to the soldiers.

"The Nature and Parks Authority would like to remind the public that they should not approach or feed wild animals, since this can cause a change in their behavior that is dangerous to both the animals and human beings," a statement read.

Doberman

Woman killed in dog attack in Petrosino, Italy

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Tragic news has shocked the community of Petrosino, a town in the province of Trapani, where a woman named Erina Licari lost her life due to an attack by a dog. The incident occurred on Friday evening, when the victim was in front of her home, located near the municipal stadium. The wounds suffered from the bites of the animal were so serious that the rescuers could do nothing but confirm her death.

Investigations ongoing

Police responded immediately to the scene of the incident and launched an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the attack. Investigators are trying to determine whether the dog was a stray or owned by someone but left free. This is crucial, as it could affect legal liabilities related to the incident. The community is in shock, with many wondering how such a tragic event could have happened in a normally quiet area.

Doberman

Pack of stray dogs kills the owner of a sand yard in Portugal

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A 47-year-old member of the GNR was attacked by a dog during the search for the pack that killed a businessman at a sand yard in Nogueira da Regedoura, Feira, on Thursday afternoon.

The 68-year-old man was attacked by stray dogs and did not survive the severity of his injuries, ending up dying.

It was a customer of the shipyard who found the owner injured and in a serious condition, having raised the alarm at around 6:00 pm yesterday.

The pack had already fled, but the GNR managed to locate and surround it in a pine forest area, near a community in Grijó, Gaia, but a guard ended up being attacked by one of the dogs.

Once all the dogs have been captured, they will be taken to the municipal kennel.

Lightning

Lightning strike kills 40 sheep in Nepal

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Lightning has killed 40 sheep in Makalu Rural Municipality-3, Siddhanekharka.

Police Inspector at the District Police Office, Ram Kumar Lamichhane informed that 40 sheep were killed in a lightning strike at the sheep shed of Tek Bahadur Meghi, a resident of Makalu-3, Simma, on Friday evening.

There were 250 sheep in the shed. Efforts are underway to get further information about the incident through the Area Police Office, Hedangna, police said.

Hardhat

Best of the Web: Severe hailstorms increased by 21% in the 3 years from 2022 to 2024 across the US

Large hailstone from Arrora, Nebraska.
© Associated PressLarge hailstone from Arrora, Nebraska.
The number of severe hailstorms in the United States rose significantly over the last three years, and the damage from increasingly massive hailstones is pushing up insurance rates in the hardest hit states, according to a new study.

Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that severe hail events increased by 21% from 2022 to 2024, the study by Insurify, an insurance shopping company, found.

"Hailstones are formed when raindrops are carried upward by thunderstorm updrafts into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere and freeze," NOAA says on its website. "Hailstones then grow by colliding with liquid water drops that freeze onto the hailstone's surface."

When hail comes crashing down, however, it can cause significant damage to cars and property, not to mention human health.

Snowflake

Heavy spring snowfall affects Turkey's central Anatolia, eastern regions

People walk on a snow-covered road in Malatya, Türkiye, on March 21, 2025. Heavy snowfall has impacted Türkiye
© Mustafa KayaPeople walk on a snow-covered road in Malatya, Türkiye, on March 21, 2025. Heavy snowfall has impacted Türkiye's central Anatolia area and eastern regions, disrupting transportation and daily life, local IHA news agency reported on Friday.
Heavy snowfall has impacted Türkiye's central Anatolia area and eastern regions, disrupting transportation and daily life, local IHA news agency reported on Friday.

The report said 911 people were stranded on the highways connecting Kayseri to Malatya, Gurun, and Goksun in Anatolia, adding they were later rescued by emergency teams.

In Sivas province, east of Anatolia, the Sivas-Gurun highway was closed due to blizzards. Security teams took precautions by blocking the road and preventing vehicle passage. However, rescue teams reportedly responded to four traffic accidents, and one missing person was found.


Seismograph

Earthquake swarm near Adak, Alaska includes magnitude 6.2 tremor

A swarm of earthquakes have been impacting the Aleutian Islands just southeast of Adak
© Alaska's News SourceA swarm of earthquakes have been impacting the Aleutian Islands just southeast of Adak
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck shortly before 7 a.m. Friday morning, just 54 miles southeast of Adak.

It was one in a series of earthquakes that have occurred this week in the region, which is notorious for earthquake swarms. There was another swarm back in December of 2024.

Since Wednesday, more than a dozen earthquakes have occurred in this region, with a magnitude of 4.0 or greater. Eight earthquakes have seen a magnitude of 4.0 to 4.9, with eight others being greater than 5.0. This swarm is still showing signs of new movement in the earth, with additional earthquakes still occurring in the region.


Comment: Further south just 3 minutes earlier but also in the North Pacific: Shallow earthquake of magnitude 6.2 strikes south of Panama


Seismograph

Shallow earthquake of magnitude 6.2 strikes south of Panama

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An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck the Pacific Ocean in south of Panama near the island of Coiba on Friday. The quake caused heavy tremors in parts of Panama and neighboring Costa Rica. However, local authorities did not immediately report any damages.

The quake occurred about 78 km (45 miles) southwest of Coiba—a national park and former penal colony—at a shallow depth of 10 km, according to the United States Geological Survey and local officials.

Watch centers across the region stated that a tsunami was not expected.

A video shared on social media showed suitcases shaking heavily for about a minute in a room in Burica, a town on the southern end of Panama's shared border with Costa Rica, approximately 123 km from the epicenter.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Comment: Just 3 minutes later also in the North Pacific another mag. 6.2 quake struck: Earthquake swarm near Adak, Alaska includes magnitude 6.2 tremor


Snowflake Cold

Snow and frost threaten fruit crops in Korça, Albania

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The recent snowfall in Korça, Albania, accompanied by a temperature drop, has impacted the agricultural sector, particularly affecting certain crops.

Arben Hysolli, a specialist at the Directorate of Agriculture in Korça, outlined the factors influencing the extent of damage. Notably, almonds, peaches, apricots, and cherries, especially early cherry cultivars, are at risk. The situation is under observation with an assessment expected within 72 hours.

Hysolli stated, "Yesterday's snowfall was also accompanied by a drop in temperatures, which reached -5.2/-6 degrees Celsius. The damage caused by the drop in temperatures depends on a number of factors, which are the duration of the minimum temperature, how far this minimum temperature has reached, the species or cultivar of the agricultural crop, as well as the phenological phase in which the agricultural crop is located."


Comment: Also recently: 20 cms of March snow in the mountainous areas of Shkodra, Albania


Snowflake

First spring snowfall over Jordan's highlands in about 27 years

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Jordan was affected by a second-degree (winter) low-pressure system accompanied by an extremely cold air mass across all layers of the atmosphere. As a result of the extreme cold in the atmosphere, especially the low layers, the northern mountain peaks, especially the peaks of Jerash and Ajloun governorates, especially the Ras Munif area, witnessed snowfall. Snow accumulated during the hours of Thursday/Friday night and Friday morning and dawn.

As the extremely cold winds deepened, snow spread to some peaks of the central highlands, including the peaks of Balqa, and some high-altitude neighborhoods west of the capital, including Khalda and Tlaa Al-Ali. Accumulating for a short period, this snowfall is the first of its kind during Ramadan in about 27 years, and it coincides with the first day of the vernal equinox.

These are scenes of the first snowfall during the month of Ramadan in about 27 years.


Comment: At the same time in the region: Snow returns to Lebanon