Tokyo - Japan's Mount Shinmoe, active for a week, erupted twice Wednesday ejecting lava, smoke and ash that threatened a nearby town, meteorologists said.

The eruptions from the volcano on Kyushu in southwest Japan occurred in the morning, CNN reported. The activity began Jan. 26, the first such in decades, experts said.

In the town of Takaharu, with a population of 1,159, residents were advised to evacuate as volcanic ash covered their homes, streets and vehicles and caused flight cancellations. Hundreds of people had already fled.

At least six buildings have been damaged by the blizzard - including historic Wrigley Field, where a portion of the roof blew off.

A panel of the Wrigley Field roof above the press box was damaged by extreme winds during the blizzard, Cubs spokesman Peter Chase said.

Part of the panel, made of fiberboard, broke away and the Cubs are working with the city to monitor the situation and to ensure there aren't any public safety issues, Chase said.

North Clark and West Addison streets near the ballpark were closed as a precaution. A security guard will remain on site to monitor the situation, officials said.

A group of desperate people in their 60s called for emergency assistance last night as a storm surge whipped up by Cyclone Yasi closed in on their north Queensland unit.

But they were told to bunker down for a terrifying night.

State disaster coordinator Ian Stewart says the six people, holed up in a Port Hinchinbrook unit complex, did not evacuate and it was too late for emergency services to rescue them.

He says it is disappointing the group had chosen not to heed warnings to evacuate an area known to be at risk of a dangerous storm surge.

"They have been advised to go onto the second storey of the apartment block they're in," he said.

"It is really unfortunate perhaps that they had not taken advice that had earlier been given to them.

"They are now bunkered in place to sit this storm out. We know that this is a storm surge area and that the water will come up to at least the floor of the second storey."

Chicago - Residents across the country began digging out of snow and ice Wednesday after a record-setting storm crippled cities and forecasters warned there was more bad weather on the way.

Snow continued to fall in Chicago on Wednesday after the city recorded 20.2 inches making it the third-largest snowfall on record. The area struggled to recover from a crippling blizzard that shut down roads and train service and left hundreds of motorists stranded.


At an early morning briefing, city officials urged residents to stay home as plows try to clear roads of giant drifts from winds that gusted overnight to 70 mph. The city shut down Lake Shore Drive for the first time in years as an untold number of motorists were stranded overnight after multiple car accidents on the iconic roadway.

The National Weather Service said snow will fall before the storm moves away and winds of 20 to 30 mph will continue through much of the day. A storm brewing in the south at the end of the week will move up the East Coast bring rain and snow across the Northeast.

Taal Volcano in Batangas showed heightened activity anew after at least 10 volcanic quakes around it were recorded in the last 24 hours.

In its 8 a.m. Wednesday bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the alert level at Taal remains at "1."

"Taal Volcano's status at Alert Level 1 means that a hazardous eruption is not imminent. However, the public is reminded that the Main Crater should be strictly off-limits due to sudden occurrence of steam explosions and accumulation of toxic gases," it said.

Phivolcs said the northern rim of the Volcano's main crater - in the vicinity of Daang Kastila trail - may also be dangerous when increased steam emission is reactivated along existing fissures.

Phivolcs reminded the public that the entire Volcano Island is a Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ), and permanent settlement in the island is strictly not recommended.

The world is facing an escalating global epidemic. Today, it claims 350,000 deaths per year and in 2030 the annual death toll will be approaching one million -- the majority of them will be children. In addition, the epidemic will lead to dramatic changes in the living conditions for whole continents and several hundred millions -- or possibly billions -- of people will be affected. 15 countries are already acutely affected by the epidemic, while 50 additional countries are at high risk. In two decades, the risk will cover 130 countries.

The worst afflicted areas are the poorest countries, simply because they have the fewest resources to curb with the epidemic. Over the next 20 years Africa is at risk of becoming economically and socially crippled, just as the Middle East and Asia are expected to be negatively affected. The epidemic "infects" not only the people but also the national economies. It will affect the economy in both the industrialized and developing countries, leading to dramatic costs and economic loss. The extent is difficult to calculate. But it is estimated that the epidemic in the years to come will trigger a loss of around $150 billion annually, increasing up to $300 billion over the next 20 years.

The epidemic is out of control, and countermeasures are few and inefficient -- we are running out of ideas, ways and methods for preventing the epidemic from spreading. It can therefore evolve much faster than the first estimates suggest. And in the longer term -- toward the latter part of this century -- it may threaten the entire civilization. There are no methods and models that can calculate both speed and anticipated consequences. But one thing seems certain: The world is confronted with the greatest challenge ever experienced. A challenge that we are certainly not prepared to handle.

Urban planning has never been part of Brazil's political agenda, so when heavy rains come cities are not able to cope

As I write, more than two weeks after the floods began in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state, many communities remain isolated due to landslides on the main access roads.

More than 800 people died and thousands of people have been displaced in the state, according to official figures. One of the worst affected towns is Santa Rita. Dozens of families still depend on helicopters to deliver food, water, and emergency healthcare. In the town of Teresópolis, people are starting to clear debris in the streets by hand, with shovels and brushes. And in Nova Friburgo, families watch, and cry, as their homes are demolished.

In the neighbouring state of São Paulo, the richest in the country, 25 people died because of the heavy rains. In Santa Catarina state, in the south, five people lost their lives and 17,000 had to flee their homes.

The January rains in Brazil are becoming more severe and floods are becoming a routine. But while specialists say it's too early to confirm the heavy rains are caused by climate change, the fact is that Brazilian cities have never been ready for them.

Manila, Philippines - Floods due to non-stop rains still affect parts of the Caraga region in Mindanao, as another low pressure area threatens other areas of Mindanao with flash floods and landslides.

Science and Technology Undersecretary Graciano Yumul, OIC of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), said that rain bands are still affecting parts of northeast Mindanao, Bohol, northern Cebu, and the southern parts of Leyte and Samar.

The rain bands are still expected to bring moderate to heavy rains in the area, with the weather station in Hinatuan, Surigao del Norte, recording more than 180 mm of rain in 24 hours, Yumul said.

Meanwhile, Yumul said the low pressure area east of General Santos City is predicted to proceed to the Palawan area, instead of going towards Southern Luzon or the National Capital Region.

He said numerical models indicated the LPA will be in the northern part of the island by Thursday, and will go out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by Friday.

Buildings began collapsing and the number of power outages went up as ice from freezing rain and sleet accumulated Wednesday morning, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the impact from the storm could have been much worse.


"We seemed to have dodged the large ice accumulation, which was our biggest fear," Malloy said during a midday press conference at the Emergency Operations Center this afternoon.

There were about 10,000 power outages reported altogether by Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating, but that number could have been 800,000 if more than half an inch of ice had accumulated, Malloy said.

The weight of snow on roofs continues to be a concern, and Malloy urged residents and business owners to clear their roofs. However, most collapses have occurred on commercial properties.

A massive storm billed as the worst in decades has left vast areas of the United States paralyzed by snow and ice.

Hundreds of motorists were stranded and airports and schools were forced to close.

Chicago received up to 17in of snow, with more still possible, and up to 18in fell on Missouri.

More than a foot dropped on northern Indiana and south-east Kansas, while Oklahoma saw similar snowfall. In the north east, parts of northern New York had a foot of snow, while New York City was covered in ice.

In Chicago, the city shut down Lake Shore Drive for the first time in years, and hundreds of motorists were stranded for 12 hours after multiple car accidents on the road.

Raymond Orozco, chief of staff to Chicago mayor Richard Daley, said efforts to rescue motorists were "severely hampered" by snow drifts, high winds and white-out conditions.