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M7.1 Earthquake Leaves Hundreds Dead across Five Mexican States
Mexico has declared a state of disaster, and three days of mourning, as the earthquake death toll continues to rise.
A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Atencingo in Puebla state, about 120km SSE of Mexico City on September 19, at 18:14 (UTC).
The earthquake destroyed scores of buildings and damaged thousands more across a wide area, inducing about 2,300 schools alone, according to reports.
The official death toll now stands at 230 across five states, with at least 100 fatalities in the capital, but it’s expected to rise, as search for survivors continues.
Up to several thousand people may have been injured, but the exact number is currently unknown.
Mexico Earthquake Forecast
FIRE-EARTH Science Team has issued “Mexico Earthquake Forecast 092101.”
Full details of the FORECAST and diagnostics available from FIRE-EARTH PULSARS.
EQ death toll exceeds 600, as significant aftershocks continue to rattle Ecuador
More than 600 people have now been killed following Ecuador’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake last Saturday, as significant aftershocks continue to plague the disaster areas.
The devastating earthquake, the worst in almost seven decades, has left about 12,500 people injured with many others missing, the national authorities said.
Latest Significant Event
M5.8 at 0.601°N, 80.270°W about 26km W of Muisne, Ecuador; depth=10.0 km (6.2 mi)
Today’s Seismicity
4.8 40km W of Muisne, Ecuador 2016-04-23 04:06:33 UTC 10.0 km
4.8 53km NW of Bahia de Caraquez, Ec
5.8 26km W of Muisne, Ecuador 2016-04-23 01:24:34 UTC 10.0 km
uador 2016-04-22 15:39:05 UTC 10.0 km
4.8 50km NNW of Manta, Ecuador 2016-04-22 15:36:27 UTC 10.0 km
deadly heat wave, the number of victims since the beginning of the 2016 has reached 220, local media reported Saturday.
Heatwaves claim 220th victim in India
The official death toll from heatwaves that have plagued India has reached 220, so far this year, local media reported.
At least 150 people have died from scorching heat in the last two weeks alone, with as many as 120 of the them in the southern states Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
On Thursday, the maximum daily temperature climbed to 47.5 degrees Celsius (117.5 Fahrenheit) in Titlagarh, Odisha (Orissa), eastern India.
“Sonepur was the second hottest place with mercury rising to 46.3 degrees Celsius. Most of the areas in western Orissa have been reeling under intense heat wave conditions with temperature hovering around 44 degree Celsius,” said a report.
Major U.S. cities plagued by record number of rats
Several major U.S. cities—including Boston, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.— have been plagued by record number of rats in recent months, according to a report.
“In Chicago, which historically notches more rat complaints than any other city, residents’ reports of rodent activity rose by about 70% in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same period last year,” the report said.
The following statement was released by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
Kunduz: Updated death toll – 42 people killed in the US airstrikes on Kunduz hospital
After two months of in-depth investigations following the US airstrikes that destroyed the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) trauma centre in Kunduz, Afghanistan, on 3 October, MSF today announces with great sadness that the death toll has been confirmed to be at least 42 people.
The revised figures include the 14 MSF staff members confirmed to have been killed, as well as 24 patients and four caretakers (relatives that provided additional nursing care for the patients in the hospital). Previously MSF had reported an approximate death toll of at least 30 people, but the organisation confirms today the death toll has risen to 42, after methodical review of MSF records and family claims, as well as patient, staff and family testimonies.
Although determining the death toll has been extremely difficult in the chaos of the facility’s wreckage following the attack, extensive efforts have been undertaken to identify those who have died. Part of the medical archives, patient files, and admission sheets were destroyed, as they were located in the main hospital building that burned down in the attack. As well, additional human remains had been found in the hospital rubble over the course of the past two months. Detailed investigations have been carried out, including interviews with MSF staff, patients and family members, as well as cross-checking with other hospitals in Afghanistan where MSF patients were referred post-attack, bringing the death toll to at least 42 people.
For more information on the Kunduz attack: kunduz.msf.org
Hundreds dead, thousands injured, major destruction reported in Hindu Kush earthquake
Death toll in the M7.5 quake that occurred in the Hindu Kusnh region on Monday has claimed about 300 people and left more than 2,000 others injured so far, according to local reports. The casualty toll is expected to rise as rescue workers reach remote mountainous areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan devastated by the event.
The quake has affected a vast region, and caused major devastation to multiple communities.
In 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing more than 75,000 people.
In April this year, Nepal was struck by its deadliest earthquake on record, killing as many as 10,000 people and destroying or damaging nearly one million homes.
Crane collapse kills at least 110, injures hundreds more in Muslim holy city of Mecca
A massive crane crashed into the Grand Mosque in Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, filled with worshipers, killing at least 110 and injuring more than 240 others.
Saudi authorities have blamed the collapse on strong winds and heavy rains which had plagued the region.
An undisclosed number of worshipers were hurt in the stampede that followed the crash.
The Grand Mosque, locally known as the “Masjid al-Haram,” which surrounds Islam’s holiest structure, the Kaaba, is the largest mosque in the world.
Explosions, Stampedes, Protests, Diastase Epidemics and Failures of Crowd Control
In recent years, thousands of pilgrims have been killed and many more injured in dozens of evitable incidents during the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, when about 3 million people visit the city.
The most recent incidents include
Deadly stampedes in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006.
Explosions and fires in 1975, 1997, and 2007.
Protest and Violence in 1987 1nd 1989.
Spread of epidemics (dates and casualty toll unknown/ undisclosed)
Collapsing Infrastructure and Road Deaths.
The Saudi authorities have proven time and time again that they are too incompetent to prevent otherwise avoidable disasters that have led to so many thousands of deaths and injuries.
¼ Million people stranded in Bangladesh as floods, deadly mudslides bury hundreds of villages
Flash floods and deadly mudslides have drowned hundreds of villages in low-lying areas of Bangladesh, including southeastern districts of Cox’ Bazar, Bandarban and Chittagong, destroying scores of homes and leaving about 250,000 people stranded since June 24.
At least two dozen people have lost their lives and many more are injured, according to reports.
The victims are facing food shortages as well as lack of safe drinking water, and are at the risk of being affected by water-borne diseases, according to the government’s Disaster Management Information Center (DMIC).
Dozens dead or missing in Tbilisi after floods inundate hundreds of homes
Extreme rain events have caused flooding in large portions of the Georgian capital Tbilisi deluging buildings, triggering landslides and leaving dozens of people dead or missing.
The Kura River, which passes through the city, has breached its banks flooding Tbilisi’s zoo, and causing dozens of wild animals to escape.
More than 40 wild animals including bears, lions, jaguars, tigers, wolves… and a hippo are roaming the flood ravaged city.
Authorities have found several dead people and dozens of dead animal in and around the zoo area, according to the social media reports.
Saudi-led airstrikes kill 44, leave many wounded in Sanaa, Yemen
Airstrikes by Saudi Arabia and partners on the Yemeni army headquarters—controlled by Houthi fighters—in the capital, Sanaa, has killed at least 44 people including 20 civilians, and wounded at least 100 others, capital of Sanaa on Sunday, the official Saba news agency reported.
Weeks of conflict have killed at least 2,000 people, with many others wounded and tens of thousands displaced.
5 fatalities from MERS in South Korea, 64 cases reported
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has claimed another life in South Korea, with 14 additional cases reported.
The death toll was five, as of posting, and the total number of reported infections had climbed to 64.
Meantime, the authorities have closed 24 hospitals where MERS cases had spread, and quarantined at least 1,600 people including the medical staff from those hospitals which may have come in contact with the infected patients.
Eastern Star disaster: More bodies recovered from Yangtze River
At least 431 people are now confirmed dead after the Chinese cruise ship Eastern Star capsized on Yangtze River, last week. Fourteen people reportedly survived the disaster, and 11 others are still missing.
Death toll in Nepal’s April 25 earthquake has climbed to 7,365 with at least 14,366 others injured, said the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday.
Meantime, the police and local volunteers found 115 bodies thought to be trekkers and villagers who were buried in snow and ice after the devastating earthquake and strong aftershocks triggered multiple avalanches.
The bodies were recovered from the Langtang village, about 60 kilometers north of the capital, Kathmandu, over the weekend. The entire village, with up to 60 guesthouses, was razed by an avalanche, officials said.
The avalanches have also damaged the routes on Mt Everest making it “almost impossible” to climb the mountain this season.
The deadly quake has affected about 8 million people (Nepal has a population of 28 million), destroying or damaging more than 600,000 houses across the country, according to the latest figures released by the UN/ Nepalese officials.
The quake has destroyed up to 90 per cent of the houses in Gorkha and Sindupalchowk districts, said a UN report.
“Across large parts of Dhading, Dolakha, Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, more than 80 percent of houses have been flattened.”
The worst affected areas are the 13 districts of Bhaktapur, Dolakha, Dhading, Gorkha, Kabhrepalanchowk, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Makawanpur, Nuwakot, Ramechhap, Rasuwa, Sindhuli and Sindhupalchowk; however, damage has also been reported in Kavre, Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu districts.
Death toll from severe weather in Afghanistan rises to at least 308
Some 182 districts in 20 provinces have been affected by heavy snow, avalanches and flooding, which have killed at least 308 people, injured 187 others and completely destroyed 4,776 houses, government sources said.
The number of casualties is expected to rise, with more severe weather forecast for northern and central Afghanistan.
Worsening Food Insecurity and Water Shortages in Ethiopia
Pocket areas that received inadequate seasonal rainfall in 2014 and/or had a poor harvest due to flooding or crop disease will remain vulnerable in early 2015.
Food insecurity is worsening in belg/gu/ganna/sugum rain-receiving areas, as the dry season reaches its peak. Delayed rains and the expected below-average seasonal rainfall will impact belg planting, as well as water and pasture availability in pastoralist areas, said UN OCHA.
Refugee Crisis
Ethiopia hosts the largest refugee population in Africa with 656,199 registered refugees including 251,545 South Sudanese refugees, 196,000 new arrivals in Gambella since mid-December 2013, and 125,000 Eritreans.
33,000 new Eritrean arrivals registered in 2014 (including unaccompanied minors).
At least 52 people have been killed and about 50,000 forced to flee their homes amid severe flooding in Malawi, UNOCHA reported.
Authorities have declared more than a third of the country disaster areas, as torrential rains inundated large swathes of land, destroying crops, homes, roads, railroads and other infrastructure.
Heavy rain is expected to continue for at least another week or so, forecasters said.
“People have fled into schools and churches on higher ground, others are in the open because there is not enough space,” a senior official told the AP.
Mozambique
The National Institute for Disaster Management activated institutional orange alert country wide. A total of 9,652 families have been affected, with Maputo city, Gaza, Nampula and Cabo Delgado provinces being most affected.
A group of 25 schoolchildren were swept away by floodwaters earlier this week, said reports.
Zimbabwe
Heavy rains have been falling throughout Zimbabwe since early December 2014. According to the Department of Civil Protection, 11 deaths were reported and over 1,500 people have been affected by rainfall and flooding country-wide.
EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC DISASTERS EXTREME RAIN EVENTS DEADLY LANDSLIDE LOSS OF HABITAT MASS DISPLACEMENT SCENARIOS 900, 888, 444, 111, 071, 047, 027, 022, 09, 02 .
Landslide kills or injures dozens, leaves scores missing
A major landslide buried a village in central Java, Indonesia, killing or injuring dozens of people, leaving score of of others missing and forcing hundreds to evacuate the area.
At least 17 corpses have so far been recovered. The rescuers found 15 victims alive, 11 of whom have been seriously injured. Scores of others are reportedly missing after Friday’s landslide which occurred after an extreme rain event pounded Banjarnegara district in central Java, said officials.
Dozens of people are dead or missing in southern Morocco after severe flooding, triggered by Extreme Rain Events (EREs), swamped large swaths of the semi-desert country, authorities said.
The floods have destroyed or severely damaged scores of homes across several regions including Agadir, Guelmim, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate and Tiznite, according to reports.
Hundreds of tourists were forced to evacuated the affected areas.
Floods and landslides kill dozens in northeast India
Severe floods and landslides triggered by extreme rain events have killed dozens of people in India’s remote northeast, said reports.
At least 21 people have lost their lives and another 24 are missing and presumed dead in flood affected areas of Garo Hills region in Meghalaya, said state government officials, reported Times of India.
In Meghalaya, dozens of villages were inundated by flash floods, as forecasters warned of more rains through Thursday.
Floods have killed at least 14 others in Assam, where multiple districts inducing Gauhati, the state capital, were inundated.
At least 300,000 people have been affected by the latest round of disasters, including about 30,000 displaced.
Floods killed hundreds of people and left tens of thousands homeless in Indian-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan earlier this month.
EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC HAZARDS NATIONAL DISASTER DECLARATION STATE OF EMERGENCY MAJOR CATASTROPHES EXTREME RAIN EVENTS DEADLY FLOODING MASS EVACUATIONS SCENARIOS 900, 444, 111, 078, 070, 066, 023, 02 .
Hundreds of thousands marooned by floods in India-held Kashmir
Srinagar, the capital of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, is almost completely submerged by floodwaters.
Famous for its gardens, the city of 1.3 million is situated in the Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the mighty Indus.
Floodwaters have also submerged more than 2,500 villages, killing about 500 people, as well as scores of livestock, on both sides of the Kashmiri political divide.
“The situation in Kashmir Valley is still very grim, it is quite critical,” said the police Inspector General of the Jammu region in Jammu and Kashmir state.
“I don’t know how many exactly, but there are many stuck in neck-deep water and need help as soon as possible,” he said.
“The damage is shocking,” said another senior official. “People have been stranded on the rooftops of their homes for the last three days in some parts of Kashmir.”
Meantime, Punjab has declared states of emergency in 21 districts that are directly affected by the floodwaters from river Jhelum, said a report.
EMERGING & RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES SCENARIO 011 DEADLY ENCEPHALITIS SPREADING IN INDIA .
Encephalitis spreads across east India states of Bihar, West Bengal
At least fifteen children have died in the Indian state of Bihar from suspected encephalitis since Sunday as the disease spreads to new districts, taking the death toll to 92, health officials said.
Thirteen of th victims died from suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) Sunday, and two children died Monday.
Meantime, in the neighboring state of West Bengal, “at least 19 children have died of encephalitis from June 3 to 16. ” said a senor health official.
“The AES is now spreading its tentacles to new areas,” said the health department.
Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES)
Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) is a clinical condition caused by infection with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) or other infectious and noninfectious causes.
Transmission of Japanese Encephalitis Virus
Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus, a flavivirus, is closely related to West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis viruses. JE virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Culex species mosquitoes, particularly Culex tritaeniorhynchus.
The virus is maintained in a cycle between mosquitoes and vertebrate hosts, primarily pigs and wading birds. Humans are incidental or dead-end hosts, because they usually do not develop high enough concentrations of JE virus in their bloodstreams to infect feeding mosquitoes.
JE virus transmission occurs primarily in rural agricultural areas, often associated with rice production and flooding irrigation. In some areas of Asia, these conditions can occur near urban centers.
In temperate areas of Asia, JE virus transmission is seasonal. Human disease usually peaks in the summer and fall. In the subtropics and tropics, transmission can occur year-round, often with a peak during the rainy season. —CDC
Floods, earthquakes, droughts, hail, storms, landslides, forest fires … destroyed or damaged 400,000 homes across China in May
At least 21.8 million people were affected by human-enhanced natural disasters across China last month, said the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction, Xinhua reported.
The official toll is as follows:
No. of people affected by the disasters: 21.8 million
Killed or missing: 126 dead, six missing
Displaced: 777,000 people
Homes destroyed or damaged: 377,000
Cropland destroyed: 2.4 million hectares
Direct economic losses: 25.64 billion yuan (4.17 billion U.S. dollars)
Floods and earthquakes were the worst disasters to hit the country in May, however, droughts, hailstorms, icy conditions, snowstorms, landslides and forest fires also caused substantial damage, said the report.
EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS EXTREME RAIN EVENTS
MEGA LANDSLIDE MAJOR DISASTER .
UPDATE 23:55UTC –
At least 2,500 people are feared dead after the two landslides in NE Afghanistan.
UPDATE 14:00UTC –
Some 2,185 people are confirmed dead and more than 4,000 others displaced.
The landslide site has been designated as a ‘mass grave’ by the provincial governor of Badakhshan province.
More than 1,000 houses have been destroyed or affected by the massive landslide
Mega landslide kills 2,185 people, buries scores of homes in NE Afghanistan
Hundreds of homes were buried in mud, rocks and derbies and hundreds more affected by a mega landslide after extreme rain events caused a section of a mountain to collapse in the remote, mountainous Badakhshan province, NE Afghanistan.
The landslide has buried entire villages and left thousands of people homeless according to the UN mission in Afghanistan.
The disaster is the latest in a series of calamities caused by extreme rain events and flooding in which hundreds of people in north and east Afghanistan have perished.
“There were more than 1,000 families living in that village. A total of 2,100 people – men, women and children – are trapped,” a spokesman for the provincial governor told Reuters.
“As the part of the mountain which collapsed is so big, we don’t believe anyone would survive. The government and locals from surrounding villagers are helping with the rescue, and so far they have recovered more then a hundred bodies.”
“Stolen Futures: The hidden toll of child casualties in Syria”
Some 11,420 children aged 17 and under were killed in the Syrian conflict: 7 out of 10 by explosive weapons, 1 in 4 by bullets—Oxford Research Group.
Between March 2011, when the “conflict” began, and end August 2013, at least 11,420 were recorded killed in Syria. Some 764 children were summarily executed, 389 were killed by sniper fire and more than 100—including infants—were tortured, according to the report.
“128 children were recorded killed by chemical weapons in Ghouta on 21 August, 2013.”
Overall, a total of 113,735 civilians and combatants were killed during the report period.
10 year-old Issa carries a mortar shell in a weapons factory for the “Free Syrian Army” in Aleppo, September 7, 2013. Image Credit: REUTERS/Hamid Khatib
Extreme Rain Events trigger new round of flooding in east India
Five days of extreme monsoon rains have unleashed severe flooding in eastern India’s states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, washing away more than 2,000 villages in the cyclone-ravaged Odisha alone.
Flood situation in Odisha continues to remain critical with more than 2,000 villages washed away in that state alone. Source: Times of India.
Floodwaters have inundated about two million hectares ( 5 million acres) of crops across the region, affecting more than a million people, with at least 250,000 displaced.The death toll has climbed to 42 in Andhra Pradesh, and 28 in Odisha, with about a dozen people reported missing.
About 85,000 people in the district of Ganjam alone have been rescued so far, with 200,000 others still cut off.
The floods have caused significant damage to public infrastructure across 30 districts, destroying or damaging thousands of kilometers of roads and railroad tracks, disrupting public transport and causing massive damage to agriculture fields in several parts of the two states.
Flood situation continues to remain critical across the the region.
Dozens killed amid flash flooding in eastern India
Severe flooding in eastern India has killed at least 64 people in the states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Extreme northeast monsoon rains combined with a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal and pounded the two states for five consecutive days, said officials.
Floods have affected more than 10 million people in eastern India, forcing authorities to evacuate about 200,000 people in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
Hundreds of villages and thousands of tons of crops have also been destroyed or damaged by floodwaters. Thousands of people have lost their homes, and Hundreds of thousands of others are currently cut off by floodwaters.
“The situation is serious. We are asking people to stay on rooftops. We will rescue them,” said a senior official.
Meantime, rain is forecast to continue on Saturday, said local Meteorologists.
Floods in China’s Yunnan province affect 1.6 million, killing dozens
Severe floods in southwest China’s Yunnan Province have affected 1.6 million people, killing at least 45, and displacing more than 26,500 others, said a report.
Original caption: Vehicles are stranded on a landslides-hit road in Yiliang County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Aug. 25, 2013. Rainstorms-triggered mountain floods, landslides and mud-rock flows hit the county in this weekend. (Xinhua/Peng Hong)
The latest round of flood crests on the Songhua River is expected to reach Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province [population: ~ 10 million] , on Tuesday, flood control experts said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, nearly 600 oil wells in Daqing, one of China’s major oilfields, which is about 150 kilometers from Harbin, have halted operation.
Persistent downpours since Aug 14 have caused the worst flooding since 1998 in the northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang [85 lives lost, 105 people missing,] which are the heartland of China’s grain production.
Heavy rain is likely to hit the provinces of Yunnan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Hubei and Shanghai, with the precipitation in southwestern Yunnan expected to reach 100 to 150 mm from Sunday to Monday, the National Meteorological Center forecast on Sunday.[Xinhua]
Worst Flooding in a Century
Original caption: Photo taken on Aug. 26, 2013 shows residential houses inundated in floods in Shengdeku Village of Fuyuan County, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. Heilongjiang has seen its worst flooding in a century with continuous rising water levels. About 300 households from the flooded Shengdeku Village and Heiyupao Village of Fuyuan County were evacuated before the floods swept their hometowns, inundating nearly 400,000 mu (about 26,667 hectares) of farmlands. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei). More images…
Typhoon Trami kills 2, affects 200,000 in China
Downpours brought by Typhoon Trami and monsoon have left two people dead and nearly 200,000 affected in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Monday.
Rainstorms also toppled 668 rooms of 348 households and seriously damaged another 855 rooms of 451 households in Guangxi.
Typhoon Trami was the 12th typhoon to hit China this year. Rainstorms brought by the typhoon have also swept Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, affecting 1.4 million people and forcing the relocation of 351,000, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Friday. [Xinhua]
Original caption: A villager checks his house damaged by flood at Zhoujia Village of Fuchuan Yao Autonomous County, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 22, 2013. Trami, which was downgraded to tropical storm status, would likely bring persistent rain and cause floods in Guangxi. The region had been drenched by Typhoon Utor last week. (Xinhua/Lu Bo’an)
Hospital hit by landslide in SW China
Original caption: Geologists check the landslide site in Yiliang County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Aug. 26, 2013. A rain-triggered landslide occurred on Monday morning at a hill behind the People’s Hospital in Yilang, which damaged part of the hospital. Patients and residents in the surrounding area were evacuated and no casualties were reported. (Xinhua/Peng Hong). More images …
Fifth of UK households borrowed money or used savings to cover food costs
One in five UK households, or the equivalent of five million households, borrowed money or used savings to cover food costs in April, according to a survey.
The figures defy official statistics released last week that showed personal bankruptcies had dropped to a 5-year low.
The households who used savings, or borrowed money to pay for food, were mostly low income families. Among this group:
82% worried about food prices
55% said they were likely to cut back on food spending in the next few months
57% said they found it difficult to cope on their current income
32% borrowed money from friends and family in April, said the report.
The executive director of “Which?”, the organization that carried out the survey, said: “Our tracker shows that many households are stretched to their financial breaking point, with rising food prices one of the top worries for squeezed consumers.
“It’s simply shocking that so many people need to use savings or credit to pay for essentials like food.”
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Image of the Week
Crates of pesticides and fertilizer at a strawberry farm are destroyed as a raging brush fire pushes towards the coast, in Camarillo (Ventura County, SoCal) May 2, 2013. The so-called Springs Fire was just under 60 percent contained, as of posting. Credit: Reuters/Gene Blevins
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Israel strikes Syria again
Israeli jets bombed Syria on Sunday, rocking Damascus for several hours and sending columns of flame into the night sky.
Syrian state television reported that the bombing that occurred around a military research facility at Jamraya had caused ‘many civilian casualties and widespread damage’ and quoted a letter from the foreign minister to the United Nations saying: ‘The blatant Israeli aggression has the aim to provide direct military support to the terrorist groups after they failed to control territory.'”
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Death toll from Bangladesh factory collapse reaches 610
The death toll from Dhaka factory collapse climbed to 610 on Sunday after the authorities pulled dozens of bodies from the wreckage of Rana Plaza, the eight-story building that housed five garment factories.
The toll is expected to rise further, an official told reporters.
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Chinese no longer trust the Red Cross!
Many people in China no longer trust the Red Cross Society and refused to donate through the organization because the charity’s image has been seriously damaged by a series of scandals, said a report.
In contrast to making generous donations through the Red Cross after the earthquake in Wenchuan 5 years ago, many people choose to donate to other charities, or contributed nothing, after the recent Lushan quake.
[Search blog content for the role of Red Cross in disappearance of donations after 911 and Haiti quake.]
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DISASTER CALENDAR – May 5, 2013— SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,042 Days Left
Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,042 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human History
Fire Earth 