Ukraine has held memorial services to mark the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
In the early hours of 26 April 1986, a botched test at the nuclear plant in then-Soviet Ukraine triggered a meltdown that spewed deadly clouds of atomic material into the atmosphere, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes.....30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster
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Rare Rallies in Vietnam Held Over Mysterious Mass Fish Deaths...
ReplyDeleteHundreds of people demonstrated in Vietnam on Sunday against a Taiwanese firm they accuse of causing mass fish deaths along the country's central coast, with some also blaming the government for a sluggish response to a major environmental disaster.
Though an official investigation has found no links between the fish deaths and a $10.6 billion coastal steel plant run by a unit of Taiwan's Formosa Plastics, public anger against the company has not abated.
Hundreds gathered in Hanoi holding banners that said: "Formosa destroying the environment is a crime" and "Who poisoned the central region's waters?"
Others said: "Formosa out of Vietnam!" and took aim at the government for being aloof in what it now describes as one of its worst environmental disasters......http://www.voanews.com/content/vietnam-rallies-mass-fish-deaths/3310356.html
1/5/16
A woman and her four grandchildren died after heavy floods in Texas swept them away from their house overnight, police said...
ReplyDeleteFloodwater in the town of Palestine -- around 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Dallas -- rose quickly after a creek behind a residential area overflowed its banks, local media reported.
The victims were a 64-year-old woman and her grandchildren aged six, seven, eight and nine, police said in a statement.
"The water just came up extremely fast," Palestine police Captain James Muniz told NBC News. "Before they knew it, water was waist-high, then chest-high and then it was roof-line."
Police were informed the victims were missing shortly after midnight on Friday and discovered their bodies around 3:45 am (0745 GMT).
The fast-moving floodwaters displaced six to eight more families from their houses on the same block, police said.
Storms moving through central and southern states on Friday and early Saturday caused the flooding.
Thunderstorms are expected to continue threatening parts of the South with flash-flooding on Saturday.
AFP
1/5/16
What started as a protest by fishermen over the prohibition on fishing due to a red tide of toxic algae on Wednesday transformed itself into a social movement to isolate Chile's Chiloe archipelago from the continent...
ReplyDeleteOn this third day of demonstrations, Chiloe residents blocked the nine main roads on the archipelago's largest island and denied entry to people and cargo via the channel that unites them with the mainland.
EFE
5/5/16
Canadian fires drive oil prices higher...
ReplyDeleteWildfires raging in the oil-rich Canadian province of Alberta overwhelmed supply-side data and U.S. employment figures, pushing oil higher early Thursday.
More than 80,000 people have been evacuated from a municipality in Alberta and operations from some oil installations there are curtailed. The provincial leader in Alberta said the best thing citizens can do to help with the effort is to offer donations to the Red Cross.
Fires in Fort McMurray are near the center of Alberta oil sands operations, which, outside of Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, represent the third largest deposits of oil in the world.
Crude oil prices moved sharply higher in response to the Alberta wildfires. The price for Brent crude oil was up 4.1 percent to $46.45 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark price for crude oil, was up 4.5 percent to $45.76 per barrel....upi.com
5/5/16
Canadian wildfire grows tenfold in size...
DeleteA massive wildfire that has forced all 88,000 residents to flee Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada has exploded tenfold in size.
Evacuees in camps north of the city have been cut off and communities to the south are now in extreme danger.
The out-of-control blaze has burned down whole neighbourhoods of Fort McMurray in Canada's energy heartland......http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0506/786508-canada-wildfire/
6/5/16
Signs of optimism in Canadian wildfire battle...
DeleteFavourable weather conditions have helped firefighters battling one of Canada’s most destructive wildfires in recent memory.
Canadian officials showed some optimism that they were beginning to get on top of the wildfire as winds took the flames southeast, away from Fort McMurray.
There was still no timeline, however, for getting Fort McMurray's 88,000 inhabitants back into what remains of their town, or when energy companies would be able to restart operations at evacuated sites nearby.....http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0509/787086-canada-wildfire/
9/5/16
500 milliards de dollars par an: les coûts liés au changement climatique ...
ReplyDeleteLe coût de l'aide aux pays en développement destinée à leur permettre de s'adapter au changement climatique pourrait atteindre 500 milliards de dollars d'ici 2050, une estimation qui a quintuplé depuis la dernière évaluation, a indiqué l'Organisation des Nations Unies mercredi.
L'étude, menée par le Programme des Nations Unies pour l'environnement (UNEP), stipule que la précédente estimation de 70 à 100 milliards de dollars nécessaires afin de financer le coût de l'adaptation pour les pays en développement était "probablement significativement sous-estimée".
Un rappel puissant
Il est ainsi question d'un montant de 140 à 300 milliards de dollars par an d'ici 2030 et de 280 à 500 milliards de dollars par an d'ici 2050.
L'UNEP exhorte les États à canaliser plus de fonds dans ce but, faisant remarquer que les coûts vont "sensiblement" augmenter, même dans le cas de figure où l'on parvient à limiter la hausse de la température globale à 2 degrés Celsius, déterminée lors du sommet climatique de Paris en décembre dernier.
"Ce rapport est un rappel puissant du fait que le coût le climat continuera à avoir un sérieux coût économique", a commenté Ibrahim Thiaw, directeur exécutif adjoint de l'UNEP.
rtbf.be
12/5/16
A piece of “space debris” that hit the International Space Station chipped the outer layer of a window in the spacecraft's observation module...
ReplyDeleteBritish astronaut Tim Peake posted a picture on Twitter Friday showing the damage, a chip about 7 millimeters in diameter that hit one of the seven windows in the "cupola" observation area.
“Often asked if @Space_Station is hit by space debris. Yes – this chip is in a Cupola window,” he tweeted.
Whatever chipped the window apparently was quite small, but the European Space Agency said a larger object would pose a “serious threat” to the station's safety.......voanews.com
13/5/16
More than 50 people across Bangladesh have died after being struck by lightning in the past two days, police say...
ReplyDeleteMany of the dead were farmers who were killed as they worked in their paddy fields.
Bangladesh is prone to electrical storms but this year they have been particularly severe.
Experts suggest a general rise in temperatures and deforestation may be factors.
Other victims included two students in the capital, Dhaka, who were struck as they played football, and a teenage boy who died when he went to collect mangoes.....BBC
14/5/16
India to 'divert rivers' to tackle drought...
ReplyDeleteIndia is set to divert water from its rivers to deal with a severe drought, a senior minister has told the BBC.
Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati said transferring water, including from major rivers like the Brahmaputra and the Ganges, to drought-prone areas is now her government's top priority.
At least 330 million people are affected by drought in India.
The drought is taking place as a heat wave extends across much of India, with temperatures in excess of 40C.
The Inter Linking of Rivers (ILR) has 30 links planned for water-transfer, 14 of them fed by Himalayan glaciers in the north of the country and 16 in peninsular India.
Environmentalists have opposed the project, arguing it will invite ecological disaster but the Supreme Court has ordered its implementation......http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36299778
16/5/16
Out-of-control wildfire forces new evacuation in Alberta ...
ReplyDeleteA rapidly growing wildfire has sparked another mandatory evacuation order in Alberta, this time in the province's northwest.
A state of local emergency was issued Sunday evening in the Municipal District of Greenview because of a blaze between Fox Creek and the hamlet of Little Smoky, about 260 km northwest of Edmonton.
Provincial officials say the fire is near an energy industry plant and is burning on either side of Highway 43.....ctvnews.ca
Un séisme de magnitude 5.6 sur l'échelle de Richter a frappé l'est du Japon lundi mais n'a donné lieu à aucune alerte au tsunami, indique l'institut météorologique japonais...
ReplyDeleteAucune victime ou dégât d'importance ne sont rapportés jusqu'ici.
Le tremblement de terre a secoué des immeubles à Tokyo et les régions environnantes.
L'épicentre du séisme survenu à 21h23, heure locale, (14h23 heure belge) se situe dans le sud de la préfecture d'Ibaraki, à l'est de la capitale Tokyo, a encore indiqué l'institut météorologique.
rtbf.be
Canada wildfire: Oil workers urged to leave Fort McMurray camps...
ReplyDeleteAround 12,000 people have been urged to leave Canada's oil sands camps near the fire-hit town of Fort McMurray as a resurgent wildfire heads towards them.
A regional official told the BBC that 8,000 people were given precautionary evacuation orders late on Monday evening, in addition to some 4,000 who had already been advised to leave.
More than 80,000 people fled Fort McMurray two weeks ago when a wildfire swept through the town.
Around 2,400 buildings were destroyed.
The vast fire had moved away from the city but in recent days it has started to threaten the area again....BBC
17/5/16
'Extreme fire behaviour' forces thousands from Fort McMurray camps...
ReplyDeleteThe mandatory evacuation order in the Fort McMurray area has been expanded to include work camps and oil facilities north of the city, affecting about 8,000 people.
As of Monday night, the mandatory evacuation order first issued two weeks ago now includes "all camps and production refineries north of Fort McMurray and just south of Fort MacKay including Aostra Road are to evacuate immediately."
The expanded evacuation order includes both the Syncrude Canada and Suncor Canada facilities just north of Fort McMurray.
Alberta Emergency Management’s Scott Long said Monday evening that about 4,000 workers at larger Syncrude Canada and Suncor Canada mines north of those camps had been asked to leave voluntarily.
"The urgency that we’re looking at is in regards to the oil and gas infrastructure," Long said.
"I think we’re fairly confident, fingers crossed, knock on wood, when it comes to Fort McMurray," he said, citing a "buffer" provided by decimated forest that had already burned in recent weeks.
The fire is currently between 15 and 20 kilometres from the larger Syncrude and Suncor facilities, according to Wildfire Information Officer Chad Morrison.....ctvnews.ca
L'Equateur frappé par un séisme de magnitude 6.7 - alerte au tsunami...
ReplyDeleteUn puissant tremblement de terre a frappé mercredi matin la côte de l'Equateur, pays d'Amérique du Sud, indiquent le centre européen EMSC et l'institut géophysique américain USGS. Selon l'EMSC, une alerte au tsunami a été lancée.
Le séisme d'une magnitude de 6.7 sur l'échelle de Richter a eu lieu à 9h57 (heure belge). L'épicentre se trouverait, selon l'USGS, à 156 km au nord-ouest de la capitale Quito. (Belga)
rtl.be
18/5/16
Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake Shakes Ecuador...
DeleteA magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit Ecuador Wednesday morning near where a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit just last month killing hundreds of people. This time the epicenter was 35 kilometers (21 miles) from the town of Muisne.
The quake triggered a national disaster alert which was later deactivated a few hours later after local authorities reported that the situation was calm. There was no report of significant damage and no reports of any deaths. There were a few injuries reported but those were mainly from those who tripped and fell in the dark as people scrambled out of bed....http://earthquakekitguide.com/magnitude-6-7-earthquake-shakes-ecuador
18/5/16
A city in northern India has shattered the national heat record, registering a searing 51C – the highest since records began – amid a nationwide heatwave...
ReplyDeleteThe new record was set in Phalodi, a city in the desert state of Rajasthan, and is the equivalent of 123.8F.
It tops a previous record of 50.6C set in 1956.
“Yesterday (Thursday) was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country ... 51C in Phalodi,” said BP Yadav, a director of India’s meteorological department, on Friday.
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Temperatures in northern India regularly hit the high 40s in May and June – the hottest months of the year – but topping 50C is unusual......theguardian.com
20/5/16
About 100 people have been killed by floods and landslides across Ethiopia that started last month, government officials say...
ReplyDeleteAt least 20,000 families have been made homeless, according to the UN, while local officials say there are a number of people still missing.
Meteorologists have blamed this year's particularly powerful El Nino weather phenomenon for the country's high rainfall.
Aid organisations anticipate continued flooding could displace tens of thousands more....aljazeera.com
20/5/16
Le volcan Turrialba, dans le centre du Costa Rica, est entré ce vendredi dans une forte activité éruptive, projetant des quantités de fumée et de cendres que le vent pousse jusqu'à la capitale San José...
ReplyDeleteOn pouvait sentir une forte odeur de soufre à San José, à 30 kilomètres à l'est du volcan, et dans des localités voisines, où les cendres réduisaient la visibilité et recouvraient les voitures et les meubles.
"L'éruption la plus forte de ces six dernières années"
"Je crois que c'est l'éruption la plus forte de ces six dernières années", a déclaré le volcanologue Gino Gonzalez, alors que la colonne de cendres était haute de 3 kilomètres.
Plusieurs établissements d'enseignement ont été fermés à San José et dans d'autres villes du Costa Rica, en raison des problèmes de santé qui commençaient à affecter de nombreux élèves, selon des informations de presse.
Des centaines de personnes présentant des problèmes respiratoires ou des maladies de peau se pressaient dans les hôpitaux. La Commission nationale des situations d'urgence (CNE) a recommandé à la population d'utiliser des masques et des vêtements fermés pour réduire les contacts avec les cendres.....RTBF et Belga
21/5/16
L'avion solaire Solar Impulse 2 a repris son tour du monde en décollant tôt samedi d'Oklahoma (centre) pour une nouvelle étape de vol sans carburant...
ReplyDeleteL'avion expérimental, qui a décollé à 04H22 (10H22 HB) de l'aéroport international de Tulsa, devrait atterrir à l'aéroport international de Dayton (Ohio) samedi à 23H00 (dimanche à 04H00 HB), selon les organisateurs. (Belga)
A landslide in Myanmar's northern jade mining region has killed at least 12 people and many more are missing, officials said Tuesday, the latest deadly accident to hit the shadowy but lucrative industry...
ReplyDeleteThe bodies were recovered after a wall of unstable earth collapsed Monday night following heavy rain in the town of Hpakant in Kachin state, the center of a multi-billion-dollar trade that feeds a huge demand for the precious stones from neighboring China.
"We retrieved seven dead bodies last night and five more this morning," a police officer in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw told AFP, requesting anonymity.
But the rescue mission has been halted amid renewed rain which threaten to trigger a fresh landslide.
At least 15 people were injured and an estimated 30 others are missing, the officer added.....http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/asia-pacific/114351-160524-12-dead-in-myanmar-jade-mine-landslide-many-feared-missing
24/5/16
France uses strategic oil reserves to counter refinery blockade...
ReplyDeleteFrance has started using its strategic oil reserves to counter union blockades of its refineries, the French oil industry federation said on Wednesday.
"Yes, a small quantity of the stock has been drawn. It was authorized by the government, only the government can authorize it," UFIP spokeswoman Catherine Enck said.
Union Francaise des Industries Petrolieres (UFIP) President Francis Duseux told RMC radio that the industry had been using the strategic reserves for two days.
"Every day we use the equivalent of about one day of consumption. At worst, if the situation remains very tense, we can do this for three months," he said.
REUTERS
Great Barrier Reef: Bleaching 'kills 35% of area's coral'...
ReplyDeleteAt least 35% of corals in the northern and central parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef have been destroyed by bleaching, Australian scientists say.
The experts from James Cook University (JCU) say it is the most extreme case of mass bleaching they have ever measured at the World Heritage Site.
Bleaching occurs when warmer water causes coral to weaken and lose the colourful algae that provide oxygen and nutrients.
It has been linked to climate change.
"We found on average, that 35% of the corals are now dead or dying on 84 reefs that we surveyed along the northern and central sections of the Great Barrier Reef, between Townsville and Papua New Guinea," Professor Terry Hughes, the head of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at JCU, said in a statement.
"This year is the third time in 18 years that the Great Barrier Reef has experienced mass bleaching due to global warming, and the current event is much more extreme than we've measured before.
"We're rapidly running out of time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."....http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-36410767
30/5/16
Downpours and floods in the South of Germany, there are victims...
ReplyDeleteOver the past day at least four people were killed in floods in southern Germany, caused by heavy rains, according to Bild.
In the night of may 30 to deaths has led attempt to rescue a person from the rain flooded the garage in schwäbisch gmünd in the Federal state of Baden-württemberg. According to representatives of the municipality, among the three victims listed at least one employee of the fire service, reports RIA Novosti.
The Ministry of internal Affairs in Stuttgart (capital of Baden-württemberg) has not yet confirmed this information. Specially created a crisis headquarters to present checks this information and can not give a definite answer, since all units are engaged in elimination of consequences of elements. However, there do not exclude that among victims can be and rescuers, reports TASS referring to the German Agency DPA and the newspaper Focus.
Earlier in the underground garage in the municipality of Weißbach was found the body of a man killed in the floods caused by the rains.
As stated by the representative of the interior Ministry in the capital of the province of Stuttgart, police also were reported injured firefighters.
israel-today.ru
30/5/16