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Deadly earthquake in Chechnya
An earthquake in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya has killed at least 13 people and injured more than 100 more, officials say.
The magnitude 4.7 quake damaged roads, power supplies and communications across the Caucasus, and was felt as far away as Georgia and Armenia.
It was centred 40km (25 miles) east of the Chechen capital, Grozny, said the US Geological Institute.
A rescue team has been sent from Moscow to co-ordinate the relief effort.
The tremor struck at around noon (0800 GMT) on Saturday and lasted some 40 seconds.
It left hundreds of residents sheltering in tents and more than 50,000 homes without electricity, a day before regional elections.
"Each and every (victim) will receive the necessary help support," Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov was reported as saying Russia's Interfax news agency.
"We must not forget that we have elections tomorrow… They must go ahead as a happy event for all residents of Chechnya." An earthquake in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya has killed at least 13 people and injured more than 100 more, officials say... more -
Deadly earthquake hits Chechnya
An earthquake in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya has killed at least 13 people and injured more than 100 more, officials say.
The magnitude 4.7 quake damaged roads, power supplies and communications across the Caucasus, and was felt as far away as Georgia and Armenia.
It was centred 40km (25 miles) east of the Chechen capital, Grozny, said the US Geological Institute.
A rescue team has been sent from Moscow to co-ordinate the relief effort.
The tremor struck at around noon (0800 GMT) on Saturday and lasted some 40 seconds.
It left hundreds of residents sheltering in tents and more than 50,000 homes without electricity, a day before regional elections. An earthquake in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya has killed at least 13 people and injured more than 100 more, officials say... more -
SIX KILLED IN RUSSIAN EARTHQUAKE
At least six people were killed and dozens of hospitals, schools and other buildings damaged when a strong earthquake rattled Chechnya and other parts of Russia's North Caucasus, emergency officials said. At least six people were killed and dozens of hospitals, schools and other buildings damaged when a strong earthquake rattled Chechnya... more
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Two deadly quakes strike Tibet
"Two earthquakes jolted the capital of Tibet and surrounding areas, killing at least nine people and collapsing hundreds of houses, China's state news agency said Tuesday. Rescuers rushed in to try to save people buried in the rubble.
The U.S. Geological Survey said Monday's first quake measured magnitude 6.6 and struck at 4:30 p.m. ( 8:30 a.m. GMT) 50 miles west of Lhasa, more than 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers) from Beijing.
The second temblor measuring magnitude 5.1 hit about 15 minutes later, some 60 miles west of the Tibetan capital, it said.
Earlier reports from China's official Xinhua News Agency said at least 30 people died, but the agency revised the death toll to nine on Tuesday, saying the previous figure was inaccurate as it came from "unauthoritative sources" and required verification.
Hundreds of houses collapsed in Gedar township near the epicenter in Dangxiong County, and traffic and telecommunications were cut. Nineteen people were injured, Xinhua said, citing Hao Peng, deputy chairman of the Tibetan regional government.
An unknown number of people were trapped, and soldiers and rescue workers were dispatched to the site, Xinhua said.
Deaths also were reported in a neighboring county, Xinhua said, but no figures were available..."
More at link... "Two earthquakes jolted the capital of Tibet and surrounding areas, killing at least nine people and collapsing hundreds of house... more -
58 killed in Kyrgyzstan earthquake
An earthquake in southern Kyrgyzstan has killed 58 people and destroyed dozens of houses in the Central Asian nation, the emergencies ministry said on Monday. An earthquake in southern Kyrgyzstan has killed 58 people and destroyed dozens of houses in the Central Asian nation, the emergencies ... more
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Large earthquake rattles Afghanistan
A magnitude 6 earthquake earthquake has happened in Afghanistan.
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6.0 quake shakes Tibet, no casualties reported as yet
More earthquakes...
"A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck southwestern Tibet on Thursday near the border with Nepal, close to an area hit late last month by a stronger quake that damaged hundreds of homes."
There're no reports yet of casualties or damage, though the remote and thinly populated area is still being checked by local authorities. More earthquakes... ... more -
Wild Pandas Further Threatened in Southern China
Reports have come in of lingering threats to the welfare of wild pandas that were affected by the earthquakes in Sichuan in May. Hou Rong, from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding estimates that almost one-third of plant life in the worst-hit areas has been destroyed, decreasing the already-small area in which pandas can find food. Reports have come in of lingering threats to the welfare of wild pandas that were affected by the earthquakes in Sichuan in May. Hou ... more
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Austria: Quake sets off buried WWII bomb
VIENNA, Austria - Austrian authorities say a small earthquake set off a large World War II-era bomb in the garden of a Vienna home. No one was injured in the explosion.
Investigators think the bomb weighed up to half a ton. It lay buried for decades in the garden, and no one knew it was there.
But when a minor quake shook parts of the Austrian capital, the bomb exploded.
Officials say the homeowner heard a dull bang Friday evening and went outside to see what happened. Experts were still on the scene Saturday to examine the crater left by the blast.
Unexploded ordnance from World War II remains strewn across Austria. VIENNA, Austria - Austrian authorities say a small earthquake set off a large World War II-era bomb in the garden of a Vienna home. No... more -
For Nevadans, the presidential election is life or death in a much more literal wa...
Will the November 4, 2008, election doom the future of Nevada? That sounds ominous, I know, but this election could be a make-or-break moment in history for the Yucca Mountain Project. This is the ill-conceived plan to bury nuclear waste in Nevada's Yucca Mountain. Everyone in this state knows the problems inherent in this project and should be on alert. But also this should serve as a "heads-up" to everyone in the country.
People are in a panic about how to solve the nation's energy deficit problems and it's easy to talk about building nuclear power plants as a solution. In the meantime, the Yucca Mountain Project controversy is never -- never -- mentioned. The fact is the only site ever seriously considered for storage of the inevitable deadly waste generated by nuclear power plants was Yucca Mountain. Study after study has shown it is a hazardous location for storing nuclear waste for the millions of years the waste continues to emit deadly radioactive ions. Of the many drawbacks cited, one of the most frightening is that Yucca Mountain sits in an active earthquake zone.
Nevadans voted for George W. Bush in 2000 because he said he would not approve Yucca Mountain as the nation's nuclear dump unless the "science was sound." Now we know he didn't mean it. Making Yucca Mountain scientifically sound would be like putting lipstick on a pig! Many experts (not being paid by the Government) have said that this is the worst place in the country to store this "stuff" but Nevadans in 2004 voted for George W. Bush again when he was actively trying to fast forward this project. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which is in bed with DOE just accepted what we believe to be a flawed license application from this Administration's energy department. The time is now to say "Enough." We must take this opportunity to rectify those mistakes. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to stopping the Yucca Mountain Project in its tracks. Their opponents, on the other hand, want to build at least 32 more nuclear power plants. Every new power plant would increase the amount of waste that would have to be shipped across the country to Nevada. But, more alarming, is the fact that Yucca Mountain, even if it were perfectly safe for nuclear waste storage, is not large enough to adequately store the waste on record scheduled to be stored there.
Proponents of nuclear power plants like Sarah Palin are careful about how they talk about the subject. For example, at nearly every campaign stop over the past two weeks, Palin has touted John McCain's plan to expand nuclear energy storage and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. "In a McCain-Palin administration we're going to expand nuclear energy, expand our use of alternative fuels, and drill now to make this nation energy independent," she said to cheers last week in Lee's Summit, Missouri.
Now consider her speech very recently in Carson City, Nevada, near the proposed Yucca Mountain Repository, where the radioactive waste would be stored right in Nevadans' backyard. In this speech, Palin's remarks about expanding nuclear energy disappeared. Hmmm, I wonder why! Will the November 4, 2008, election doom the future of Nevada? That sounds ominous, I know, but this election could be a make-or-break... more -
Two Strong Earthquakes Rattle Asia
Two strong earthquakes rattled Asia on Thursday, triggering alerts for a tsunami that harmlessly lapped Japan's northern coast and another in Indonesia that didn't materialize but briefly sent residents fleeing to high ground. Two strong earthquakes rattled Asia on Thursday, triggering alerts for a tsunami that harmlessly lapped Japan's northern coast an... more
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7.2 mag earthquake hits Hokkaido, Japan
A powerful earthquake has struck Hokkaido in northern Japan on Thursday morning. Officials have issued a possible tsunami advisory for seas along the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan.
Japan's Meteorological Agency says 50-centimeter tsunami could hit those areas.
The agency says the quake had a magnitude of 7.0, and was centered off the coast of Hokkaido. Its focus was estimated at a depth of 20 kilometers under the sea.
For Hawai'i residents:
TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER 1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
235 PM HST WED SEP 10 2008
TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII
SUBJECT - TSUNAMI INFORMATION
THIS STATEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO ACTION REQUIRED.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME - 0220 PM HST 10 SEP 2008
COORDINATES - 41.5 NORTH 144.4 EAST
LOCATION - HOKKAIDO JAPAN REGION
MAGNITUDE - 7.0 MOMENT
EVALUATION
BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS
NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII. REPEAT. A
DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO
TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.
THIS WILL BE THE ONLY STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS
ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED. A powerful earthquake has struck Hokkaido in northern Japan on Thursday morning. Officials have issued a possible tsunami advisory for... more -
Only one (or two) quake orphans adopted
Shanghaiist reports that only two orphans who lost their parents in the May earthquakes in China have been adopted, out of more than 500, though some reports even say that only one has been adopted.
Though as many as over 400 are thought to have moved in with relatives, 88 are still, in temporary care, despite the earlier outpouring of grief. It is reckoned that many of the children are unable to find adoptive parents because they are over 10 years of age and handicapped. Shanghaiist reports that only two orphans who lost their parents in the May earthquakes in China have been adopted, out of more than 5... more -
China Quake Toll May be Worse Than Feared
Fears are mounting that a new earthquake measuring 6.1 which hit the Sichuan Province on Sunday may have worse death tolls than initially estimated, after a further 5.1 aftershock.
From China Digital Times:
"The earthquake, which was centered in Sichuan Province and had a magnitude of 6.1, damaged highways, reservoirs, bridges and hundreds of schools, and it forced the evacuation of more than 40,000 people in Sichuan and neighboring Yunnan Province, reported Xinhua, the state news agency. More than 230 people were reported injured." Fears are mounting that a new earthquake measuring 6.1 which hit the Sichuan Province on Sunday may have worse death tolls than initia... more -
6.1 magnitude earthquake leaves 22 dead in China
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck China's southwestern Sichuan province Saturday, killing 22 people and injuring more than 100, state media said.
Rescue teams were headed to the quake-hit area but heavy rains and the region's rugged terrain hampered their efforts, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The quake killed 17 people in Sichuan and five others in the neighboring province of Yunnan, Xinhua said.
The agency said about 100 people in Sichuan and 35 in Yunnan were injured. The quake hit 31 miles southeast of Panzhihua city in the southwestern corner of Sichuan on Saturday afternoon.
Nearly 1,000 houses were destroyed in Panzhihua, and it was not known how many people were buried in the rubble, the report said.
The China Earthquake Administration sent teams and seismic experts while the Yunnan provincial civil affairs bureau and the Yunnan Red Cross Society sent 3,400 tents and 2,000 quilts, Xinhua said.
Also Saturday, an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale struck the northwestern region of Xinjiang, Xinhua said in a separate report.
No casualties were reported from the quake which hit the sparsely inhabited Tianshan mountains, it said.
On May 12, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in northern Sichuan killed nearly 70,000 people and left 5 million homeless. The region has been hit by scores of aftershocks, keeping people there on edge. A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck China's southwestern Sichuan province Saturday, killing 22 people and injuring more than 100, s... more -
6.1 magnitude quake kills 22 in southwest China
BEIJING (AP) -- A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck China's southwestern Sichuan province Saturday, killing 22 people and injuring more than 100, state media said.
Rescue teams were headed to the quake-hit area but heavy rains and the region's rugged terrain hampered their efforts, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The quake killed 17 people in Sichuan and five others in the neighboring province of Yunnan, Xinhua said.
The agency said about 100 people in Sichuan and 35 in Yunnan were injured. The quake hit 31 miles southeast of Panzhihua city in the southwestern corner of Sichuan on Saturday afternoon.
Nearly 1,000 houses were destroyed in Panzhihua, and it was not known how many people were buried in the rubble, the report said.
The China Earthquake Administration sent teams and seismic experts while the Yunnan provincial civil affairs bureau and the Yunnan Red Cross Society sent 3,400 tents and 2,000 quilts, Xinhua said.
Also Saturday, an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale struck the northwestern region of Xinjiang, Xinhua said in a separate report.
No casualties were reported from the quake which hit the sparsely inhabited Tianshan mountains, it said.
On May 12, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in northern Sichuan killed nearly 70,000 people and left 5 million homeless. The region has been hit by scores of aftershocks, keeping people there on edge. BEIJING (AP) -- A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck China's southwestern Sichuan province Saturday, killing 22 people and injuring ... more -
China rocked by another earthquake
According to local state media, an earthquake measuring a possible magnitude of 6.1 has struck China's south west Sichuan province.
The US Geological Survey estimates the scale of the quake at 5.7, with a local news agency saying the quake's epicenter is about 20/30 miles from Panzhihua city, near the border with Yunnan province, and was six miles deep. According to local state media, an earthquake measuring a possible magnitude of 6.1 has struck China's south west Sichuan provinc... more -
6.1 quake strikes off western Canadian coast
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck at sea just west of Vancouver Island, Canada, on Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The temblor's epicenter was about 95 miles (153 kilometers) west-southwest of Port Hardy, British Columbia, and about 293 miles (472 kilometers) west-northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia.
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake is classified as "strong," the USGS Web site says, capable of causing considerable damage.
Thursday's quake was the latest of about two dozen temblors of magnitude 4 or above to strike in the area in the past 48 hours, according to the USGS. A 5.2-magnitude quake was the largest of those, striking the same area Wednesday.
"We're having a series in that area," Julie Martinez, a USGS geophysicist said. She said the number of earthquakes was not unusual.
Seismologists told The Associated Press the quakes pose no tsunami threat and are unlikely to be felt on land.
Vancouver Island sits off Canada's west coast. Its main city of Victoria sits at its southern end. A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck at sea just west of Vancouver Island, Canada, on Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. ... more -
6.1 Earthquake Hits Near Canadian Island
The quake Thursday is the latest in a series of coastal tremors since Monday.
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50 earthquake heroes go to top Chinese universities
50 top 'earthquake heroes' from areas devastated by the Sizchuan earthquake who're finishing highschool this year have been awarded a special honour of being able to go to any university in China without having to attend the notoriously difficult 'Gaokao' university entrance exams.
Danwei comments that:
"Although it is widely accepted that these students deserve praise for their altruistic decision to save lives, when compared to the vast majority of earthquake survivors, whose chances of going to university were dimmed by the disruption of the disaster, a sense of unfairness seems inevitable. In question are not only the student "heroes": a woman police officer who was promoted because of breastfeeding babies caught in the earthquake was also the focus of controversy."
What do you think? Do these kids deserve to be given this opportunity, or is it too unfair for those who didn't get such public attention? Should they be rewarded in a different way? 50 top 'earthquake heroes' from areas devastated by the Sizchuan earthquake who're finishing highschool this year have ... more
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Earthquake
