Anchorage (AFP) Sept 18, 2022 Residents in towns and villages on Alaska’s western coast were beginning Sunday to assess the damage from one of the most powerful storms to hit the region in decades. The vast remains of Typhoon Merbok battered coastal towns as it rumbled northward, and by Sunday morning it had largely moved into the Chukchi Sea, north of the Bering Strait. But … Continue reading Alaskans assess damage as powerful storm rumbles north

San Juan (AFP) Sept 19, 2022 Hurricane Fiona smashed into Puerto Rico, knocking out the US island territory’s power while dumping torrential rain and wreaking catastrophic damage before making landfall in the Dominican Republic on Monday. Landslides, blocked roads, fallen trees and power lines, as well as a collapsed bridge in the town of Utuado in the central mountainous region, were part of the destruction … Continue reading Power out in Puerto Rico, ‘catastrophic’ damage in several areas from Fiona

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 16, 2022 What is biodiversity? How do flowers affect us and the environment? And how are they related to spaceflight? For primary school children to be able to investigate these exciting questions, the German Space Agency at DLR sent two kilograms of wildflower seeds to the International Space Station ISS aboard a Falcon 9 rocket (SpaceX CRS-23) from the Kennedy Space … Continue reading Space seeds thrive at the United Nations Campus

Taipei (AFP) Sept 19, 2022 Aftershocks struck southeastern Taiwan on Monday, including a 5.5-magnitude earthquake that was felt in the capital Taipei, a day after a more powerful tremor killed one person and injured around 150 others. The latest quake hit around 10 am (0200 GMT), 66 kilometres (41 miles) south-southwest of the coastal city of Hualien at a depth of 13 kilometres, the United … Continue reading Rattled Taiwan hit by more aftershocks

Rome (AFP) Sept 17, 2022 The toll from storms that drenched Italy and sparked major flooding in the centre of the country has risen to 11, with two people still missing, authorities said on Saturday. The storms hit on Thursday evening, with more than 400 millimetres (16 inches) of rain falling in some places in just a few hours. “Searches are ongoing for the two … Continue reading Toll from Italy storms rises to 11

Pontianak, Indonesia (AFP) Sept 17, 2022 Indonesian rescuers have recovered seven bodies after a landslide at an illegal gold mine buried an estimated 20 people, officials said on Saturday. The victims were mining gold on a bare hillside when the landslide triggered by heavy rains struck the area on the west of Borneo island, in West Kalimantan province. Unlicensed mines are common across the mineral-rich … Continue reading Seven dead in Indonesia mine landslide: district chief

Hong Kong (AFP) Sept 17, 2022 The world’s top dragon boat competition will ditch Hong Kong in favour of Thailand next year due to the city’s stringent coronavirus rules, organisers announced on Saturday. Hong Kong is trying to reboot its pandemic-hit sports scene even as it continues to follow a loose version of China’s zero-Covid strategy, which quashes outbreaks with travel curbs and quarantine. The … Continue reading Dragon boat contest ditches Hong Kong over Covid restrictions

Kathmandu (AFP) Sept 18, 2022 Heavy monsoon rains and landslides have killed almost 50 people in Nepal and India in recent days, authorities said on Sunday. In western Nepal at least 22 people died after landslides buried more than 100 houses on Friday, police official Narayan Dangi told AFP. Eleven people were injured, including three airlifted to hospital by army helicopter. “Rescue teams are still … Continue reading Rain and landslides kill 48 in Nepal and India

Kano, Nigeria (AFP) Sept 16, 2022 Hundreds of Boko Haram jihadists have fled a forest enclave in northeast Nigeria, escaping air strikes by the military and floods from torrential rains to seek shelter on Niger’s side of Lake Chad, sources told AFP. Northeast Nigeria is facing a 13-year armed insurgency by jihadist groups which has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million … Continue reading Air strikes, floods displace Nigeria jihadists

Potonico, El Salvador (AFP) Sept 16, 2022 A blanket of multi-colored plastic waste flowing in from tributaries covers Lake Suchitlan in El Salvador. It is a sorry scene that has also become an all too common sight on the Caribbean beaches of Honduras, where thousands of tons of rubbish arrive from neighboring Guatemala. Fizzy drink bottles, medication packets, tattered flipflops: all sorts of plastic rubbish … Continue reading Plastic garbage covers Central American rivers, lakes and beaches