33 miners trapped in south China after blast rocks pit

Almost 35 miners are trapped underground after an explosion at a coal mine in southwest China on Monday morning.

3 killed as floods hit central Indonesia

Floods striking Gorontalo province of central Indonesia has left three people dead, disaster agency official said on Monday.

Buildings destroyed after 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Italy (Local time: 07:40, Depth 10 km)

A strong earthquake measuring 6.5 magnitude struck central Italy this morning, causing the collapse of more buildings in small cities and towns already shaken by tremors in the past two months, although there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Egypt's flood death toll rises to 26: Health Ministry

The death toll from torrential rain and flooding in Egypt has risen to 26 people, state news agency MENA reported on Saturday, citing the health and population ministry.

Egypt’s PM in Red Sea after floods kill 18

Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail visited the Red Sea governorate on Saturday to check damages caused by deadly rain floods that killed at least 18 people and 47 injured.

UN agency concerned about food security in North Korea

The World Food Programme (WFP) said that it is concerned about the food security of families affected by floods in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), especially with winter approaching, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Fifteen dead after heavy rain hits Egypt

Fifteen people have been killed and 47 others injured as a result of torrential rain and flooding in Egypt since Thursday, health officials have said.

Sécheresse en Afrique australe: le pire est à venir, selon l'ONU

Les effets de la pire sécheresse de ces 35 dernières années en Afrique australe devraient s'aggraver dans les mois à venir, a alerté vendredi l'envoyé spécial des Nations unies pour El Niño et le climat, à l'issue d'un déplacement au Mozambique.

New Zealand hails unanimous agreement on Antarctic marine reserve

The New Zealand government Friday hailed a breakthrough agreement to create the world's biggest marine protected area (MPA) in the Ross Sea region of the Antarctic.

Colombia landslide barrels onto highway; 6 dead, over dozen missing

At least six people died on a highway leading to Colombia's city of Medellin after a landslide barreled onto the road due to heavy rain, officials said.

Authorities seek accommodation for evacuees of earthquake-hit central Italy

Authorities were on Thursday looking into accommodation options for residents of earthquake-hit towns in central Italy after thousands of people were forced out of their homes overnight.

Report: Wildlife Populations Down Nearly 60 Percent Since 1970

Wildlife populations across the globe have dropped nearly 60 percent since 1970 and human activity is to blame, according to a report released by conservation groups.

Climate change may contribute to extreme cold winters

Warming in the Arctic appears to be exerting an influence on extreme cold winter weather in some parts of the world, according to a new study published online Wednesday in the journal Nature Climate Change.

A second powerful earthquake 6.1 magnitude struck central Italy near Perugia (local time: 21:18 Depth 20 km)

Two earthquakes have struck central Italy - the second registering at a magnitude of 6.1 - in the same region struck in August by a devastating quake that killed nearly 300 people.

Earthquake 5.5 magnitude rattles Central Italy, Rome (Local time: 19:10, Depth 9 km)

A strong earthquake 5.5 magnitudeis rattling Rome, just two months after a powerful temblor toppled villages in central Italy.

Bulgaria and Russia sign agreement to settle debt on Belene NPP project — minister

Bulgaria and Russia have signed two agreements to settle the debt on the Belene nuclear power plant project in compliance with the decision of the international arbitration court in Geneva, Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said after talks with First Deputy Head of Russian Nuclear agency Rosatom Kirill Komarov.

Reduce Europe's natural gas dependency, urges European Parliament

The European Parliament, assembled for a plenary session here, adopted a resolution on Tuesday calling for the European Commission to reduce the Europe's dependency on liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the long term by using resources more efficiently and gradually phasing out fuel subsidies.

Russia awaits Europe's greenlight for TurkStream's gas

Russia is ready to expand the TurkStream natural gas pipeline project to Europe if the EU is willing to agree on taking its gas, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

European Commission ready to moderate in Russia-Ukraine gas talks

The European Commission (EC) is ready to act as a moderator in gas talks between Russia and Ukraine at any time, EC spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said on Tuesday.

Alaska Volcano Observatory Raises Cleveland Volcano Alert After Explosion

The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) issued a report raising the alert level for the Cleveland volcano to orange, its second-highest rating, after detecting an explosion at the remote volcano.

Greenhouse Gas Levels Breaking All Records

The World Meteorological Organization reports the level of carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere has reached a record high this year, driven in part by the powerful El Nino event, which started in 2015 and continued well into 2016.

Egypt limits area for rice cultivation in 2017 to preserve water

Egypt will decrease land area used for rice production in the 2017 season with a decrease of 34.6 percent, according to a decree issued by the Ministry of Irrigation and published in the Official Gazette on Sunday.

Tropical Storm Seymour getting stronger in the Pacific, expected to become a hurricane

Tropical Storm Seymour is getting stronger in the Pacific off Mexico's coast and is expected to become a hurricane.

Cygnus cargo spacecraft docks to ISS

The Cygnus cargo spaceship has safely docked to the International Space Station (ISS), the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said on Sunday.

Jordan signs agreement with UAE company on solar power plant

Jordan signed an agreement Saturday with a United Arab Emirates (UAE) company to build a 200-megawatt photovoltaic plant, the largest solar plant in Jordan, said a statement from Jordan's Ministry of Energy.

Honduras: les intempéries font au moins huit morts

Au moins huit personnes ont péri au Honduras dans des inondations et l'effondrement de bâtiments provoqués par les très fortes pluies qui se sont abattues ces derniers jours sur ce pays d'Amérique centrale, a-t-on appris auprès des pompiers vendredi.

Death toll in Philippines from typhoon Haima climbs to 16

Death toll in the Philippines from super typhoon Haima, locally named as Lawin, rose to 16, a senior government official said Saturday.

Melting Away: Greenland's Ice Melt Seven Percent Faster Than Predicted

A new study has revealed that ice in Greenland is melting seven-percent faster than was earlier predicted by scientists, due to the long-lasting effect of a hotspot in the Earth’s mantle under the landmass.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter finds Schiaparelli crash site

New images captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter appear to show where ESA's Schiaparelli lander crashed onto the Red Planet's surface.

Typhoon Haima leaves at least 12 dead in Philippines, churns toward China

Typhoon Haima, believed to be the strongest storm to hit Philippines in years, have left a trail of destruction killing at least 12 persons and inundating vast tracts of rice and corn fields, before it proceeded towards China today.

6.2 earthquake rattles western Japan (local time: 14:07, Depth:15 km)

A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook western Japan on Friday, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no risk of a tsunami. The quake, at a shallow depth of 15 kilometres.

Typhoon Haima disrupts life in southern China

Offices, businesses and schools in the southern city of Shenzhen will close as Typhoon Haima is expected to hit Friday afternoon, the local flood control authorities said.

Myanmar boat accident death toll climbs to over 70

Burmese authorities have raised the death toll in the passenger boat accident in a river in western Myanmar to over 70, even as dozens remain missing, media reports said Thursday.

Exploration project ExoMars arrives at Mars

European Space Agency (ESA) announced at its mission control center in German city of Darmstadt on Wednesday evening that its Mars exploration project ExoMars had arrived at the Red Planet after receiving signals from the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO).

However, the ESA could not get the signals from the Schiaparelli lander as it was supposed to land at 4:48 p.m. local time in Germany (1448 GMT), because radio contact was lost before landing.

• At this moment, it is unclear how Schiaparelli landed or whether it is harmed.

"The ground control team at ESA's space operations center are going to work all night to analyze the data on the ExoMars Schiaparelli lander. More at the press conference tomorrow," the ESA said on its Facebook account.

ExoMars, a joint endeavor between the ESA and Russia's Roscosmos space agencies, comprises the TGO and the Schiaparelli lander.

TGO is on a multi-year mission to understand the methane and other gases in Mars' atmosphere at low levels, and could be evidence for possible biological or geological activity, while Schiaparelli lander will test key technologies in preparation for ESA's ExoMars 2020 rover mission.
 [china.org.cn]
20/10/16

Millions in Philippines on Alert for Super Typhoon Haima

Millions of people in the Philippines were on high alert Wednesday for one of the strongest typhoons to ever hit the disaster-battered country, with authorities warning of giant storm surges and destructive winds.

No basis to Greenpeace claims, Norway says

In response to a lawsuit brought by environmental groups, the Norwegian government said there were no grounds to support an about face on Arctic oil.

Brazil launches campaign to combat food waste

Brazil has launched an educational campaign to halve food waste by 2030, local news agency Agencia Brasil (EBC) reported on Tuesday.

Antarctic Ice Hides 'Alien' Life on Bottom of Subglacial Lake

In early October, Russian scientists reported finding a unique bacterium in the subglacial Lake Vostok in Antarctica. The discovered microorganism could provide a clue as to what life forms we can expect to encounter when we venture further out into space.

10,000 Endangered Frogs Die In Peru at Lake Titicaca

Peru is investigating what killed some 10,000 Titicaca water frogs, a critically endangered species affectionately known as the "scrotum frog," in a river that is feared to be polluted, authorities said Monday.

Smog to hit Beijing again after short break

Beijing is expected to be shrouded in smog after it experienced a long-awaited sunny day on Monday, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Climate change could push 122 mn into extreme poverty, UN report says

Climate change could sink up to 122 million more people into extreme poverty by 2030, mostly in South Asia and Africa, where small farmers will see their output plummet, the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) warned Monday.

New Zealand plankton blooms proof of global warming's oceanic effects

  During coccolithophore blooms, the algae's calcium-derived exoskeletons turn the ocean water a milky white. The microorganism's proliferation can often be seen from space.

ExoMars landing module separates from orbiter while approaching Red Planet

The Russian-European interplanetary station ExoMars has separated into the Schiaparelli landing demonstrator module and the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) as it approached the Red Planet, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Sunday.

China declares successful launch of Shenzhou-11

China on Monday successfully launched the manned spacecraft Shenzhou-11 that will dock with the space lab Tiangong-2.

Philippines hit by Typhoon Sarika, braces for second typhoon in coming days

Typhoon Sarika killed two people and displaced more than 15,000 in the northern Philippines on Sunday as the nation braced for a super typhoon later in the week.

China to launch Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft on Oct 17

The Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft will be launched at 7:30 a.m. Monday Beijing Time, China's manned space program spokesperson said Sunday.

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases: Almost 200 nations agree 'monumental' deal to cut greenhouse gases

In a major international step towards battling climate change, 197 nations hammered out a legally binding deal to cut back on the greenhouse gases used in refrigerators and air conditioners.

Filipinos brace for approach of Typhoon Sarika

Filipinos were awaiting on Saturday the latest weather news and making preparations as Typhoon Sarika approaches the east coast of the main island of Luzon.

Terracotta Warriors, an inspiration from ancient Greeks?

Archaeologists believe that the appearance of the Terracotta Warriors in the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China was inspired by ancient Greeks, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

Obama announces new loosening of Cuba sanctions

President Barack Obama on Friday moved to ease more economic sanctions on Cuba.