Moderate quake strikes Sumatra, Indonesia

JAkARTA, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 jolted Sumatra island of Indonesia on Wednesday,

Cold snap sends Europe into deep freeze

An ongoing cold wave with heavy snow and record low temperatures has delayed air flights and snarled road travel across much of Europe.


Meanwhile, a rare snowstorm with strong winds hit Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, on Sunday. The storm blanketed Copenhagen with more than 10 cm of snow and temporarily closed the city's airport the next morning for the first time in 25 years.

5.2-magnitude earthquake jolts Tibet

An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted Damxung County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region at 4:39 p.m. Beijing Time Tuesday.


Xinhua reporters in downtown Lhasa felt the tremor and said it shook office windows

Climate deaths more than double in 2010

WASHINGTON - Climate-related disasters killed 21,000 people in the first nine months of this year, more than double the number in 2009, the humanitarian organization Oxfam reported on Monday.

A resident waits for a bus on a flooded street in Shenyang, Liaoning province, August 5, 2010. [Photo/Agencies

Singapore to study threat of rising sea levels

SINGAPORE, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- A study will be conducted to map out those parts of Singapore's coastline being threatened by rising sea levels

Strong quake hits Japan's Kanto region

TOKYO, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 hit Japan's Kanto region Tuesday


There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to properties, and no tsunami warning was issued.

The big freeze in Britain

Britain's big chill is set to intensify and spread this week with stronger winds, severe frosts and more heavy snow, forecasters said yesterday

Over 100 dead due to rains in S. India

More than 100 people have died over the last two weeks due to incessant rains in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, said police on Monday

A woman walks at the snow-covered Schoenbrunn Palace garden in Vienna, Austria, Nov. 29, 2010. (Xinhua/Xu Liang)

Citizens walk in smog in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 29, 2010. Continuous dry weather led to a smog here on Monday morning. (Xinhua/Huan Wei)

One person killed, several houses destroyed as flash flood hit S. Philippine city

DAVAO CITY, Philippines, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and several homes were destroyed in a flash flood in a village in this southern Philippine city on Monday, police and disaster officials said on Tuesday.

Heavy snow closes NE China airport again

SHENYANG, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- A major airport in northeast China's Liaoning Province was closed Monday for the second time in two days as runways were covered by a thick layer of snow, authorities said.

People try to get a vehicle out of snow in Horqin Right Wing Front Banner (county) of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on Nov. 28, 2010. A continuing snowstorm has disrupted the lives of more than 52,800 people in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region over the past week. Snow storms has hit four towns in Xing'an Prefecture, a pasture region about 1,500 km northeast of the regional capital, Hohhot, since last Saturday. Snow has accumulated up to 30 cm deep in most parts of the region and a meter in some areas. The snow was 40 days earlier than its usual arrival time and was the heaviest in 30 years. About 2 million heads of livestock have been affected by the storm. (Xinhua/Ren Junchuan)

Case for man-made warming increased in 2010,

London, England (CNN) -- Evidence of man-made warming has increased in the past year, according to one of the world's leading climate research centers.

Lightning strike kills 7 at nursery school party in South Africa

"It happened so suddenly. ... They were inside enjoying their Christmas party, and the lightning came through the window into the room that they were in," Cele said.

Mine flood traps three in S China's Guangxi

NANNING - Three workers were trapped by flood while prospecting for an iron mine in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region Saturday night,

Early snowfall wreaks havoc in Great Britain

"This snow we're seeing and expecting to see is the heaviest widespread snow since 1993," said Met Office forecaster John Hammond. "Winds are continuing to blow in from a northeasterly direction over the course of the rest of this week and into next week. Even where we haven't had any snow, temperatures are going down to -5C or -6C in several places."

Snowfall hits most parts of NE China

A citizen walk in snow in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, Nov. 27, 2010. Snowfall hit most parts of the province on Saturday with temperature drop of up to 9 degrees centigrade. (Xinhua/Lin Hong)

Heavy snow hits Estonian capital

Cars run in the snow in Tallin, capital of Estonia, Nov. 27, 2010. A heavy snow hit the city on Saturday. (Xinhua/Wang Yaxiong)

6.0 magnitude quake hits eastern Indonesia

A shallow undersea moderate quake with magnitude of 6.0 struck off eastern parts of Indonesia earlier Sunday, but it was not potential for tsunami and there was no immediate report of damage or casualty,

5.7 magnitude-aftershock hits central Indonesia

A 5.7 Richter scale aftershock stroke central Indonesia's North Sulawesi province on 04:48 local time on Sunday (2048 GMT on Saturday)

1,000 herdsmen in Inner Mongolia snowed in

HOHHOT - Strong winds driving snow over roads in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have hampered efforts to reach about 1,000 herdsmen, who have been cut off since a major snow storm a week ago.

Snow hits northeast China, Beijing experiences coldest day since winter

BEIJING, November 27 (Xinhua) -- An overnight snow is continuing in most part of northeast China region on Saturday, bringing down temperatures and forcing airports and highways to close.

Series quake rocks Indonesia

JAKARTA, November 27 (Xinhua) -- Two moderate quakes with magnitudes of 5.5 and 5.2 respectively struck off eastern parts of Indonesia on Saturday

Magnitude-5.4 quake jolts city in southern Iran

TEHRAN - Iran's seismological center is reporting that a magnitude 5.4-earthquake has jolted a city in the country's south. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Indonesia has issued a "red alert" for an eruption at Mount Bromo volcano in eastern Java, less than a month after Mount Merapi volcano killed more than 300 people. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

6.1-magnitude quake hits Papua New Guinea

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale jolted New Britain region, Papua New Guinea at 0901 GMT on Tuesday

People are planting  trees and grass to prevents the desert from expanding. [Xinhua File photo]

Vehicles form a long queue due to traffic jams caused by heavy snow in Urumqi in Xinjiang autonomous region on Nov. 22. (Source: China News/Sun Tingwen

N. Korea fires on S. Korea

People are crushed in a stampede on a bridge in Phnom Penh November 23, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

Haiti

Haiti was struck by a devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck on January 12, killing up to 230,000 people, and affecting millions.

Chile

Chile was ravaged by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake on February 27, ranking it the fifth strongest earthquake since 1900. It caused more than 800 deaths in the region. A tsunami alert was waived over all countries of the Pacific Rim

The magnitude 7.1 quake hits Yushu county in north-west China’s Qinghai Province on April 14, which killed at least 2,200 people and left more than 100,000 homeless

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake shoot eastern Turkey’s Elazığ city, and the final death toll was reported at 58, leaving more than 100 injured

Papua, Indonesia

A 7.0 earthquake struck the coast near Papua, Indonesia on June 16, killing 17 and damaging hundreds of home

Mexico

A 7.2 magnitude quake rocks Mexico's Baja California on April 4, killing two people and causing tremors as far away as Nevada

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strike Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s southern city on March 4, resulting in more than 90 injuries and minor damage

Japan

Japan's southern Ryukyu Islands, Okinawa, experienced a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Feb. 27 at local time. A Pacific wide tsunami warming went into effect immediately after the earthquake news hit

5.6-magnitude earthquake hits Taiwan

TAIPEI - An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter Scale hit Taiwan's Hualien.


Taiwan's weather bureau said earlier it was a 6.1-magnitude quake and its epicenter is about 40.7 kilometers deep

Two moderate quakes hit western Indonesia

Two moderate quakes measuring 5.2 and 5.1 on the Richter scale respectively hit west Indonesia's Java Island and Sumatra Island on Sunday, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics said .

Tremor hits Shenzhen City

An earthquake measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale hit Shenzhen City in south China's Guangdong Province and neighboring Hong Kong Friday afternoon.

Moderate 5.6-magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia's Sumatra

JAKARTA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale struck northern Sumatra of Indonesia Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

Sunrise is seen in heavy fog in Tailai, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 18, 2010. Some places in north China witnessed heavy fog on Thursday. (Xinhua/Hao Jinfei)

Fresh floods, landslides in Vietnam

Disaster officials say new flooding and landslides in central Vietnam have killed 11 people, bringing the death toll over the past six weeks to 178.

BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- A thick sandstorm has swept across northern parts of China. Experts say such weather, earlier than usual during winter season, is related to dry conditions this fall season. The region has also been hampered by snow and cold temperatures.

Photo taken on Nov. 14, 2010 shows riverbed of Nanjing section of the Yangtze River in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. Water level of Nanjing section of the Yangtze River has dropped to 4.08 meters till 5:00 p.m. Sunday, due to dwindling water supply from the upper reaches recently. [Xinhua] 

Another large aftershock rattles New Zealand's Christchurch

New Zealand's South Island city of Christchurch was shaken by an aftershock measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale on Sunday evening.

5,800 lightning strikes seen over Chongqing

A rare winter thunderstorm hit Chongqing in the early morning of Nov. 11.  The thunderstorm lasted for nearly 10 hours and thunder was heard 310 times in total over the nine major urban districts. The thunderstorm was also accompanied by lightning that came out from the sky 5,758 times.

Magnitude 5.6 earthquake strikes Dominican Republic

(CNN) -- A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck the Dominican Republic early Saturday, 

People ride during a snowfall in Mudanjiang, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Nov. 13, 2010. The National Meteorological Center issued the blue alert for snowstorms on a second consecutive day as heavy snowfalls hit southern and eastern Heilongjiang and neighboring Jilin Province in the east on Saturday. China has a four-color snow warning system: red, orange, yellow and blue. Blue is the least serious level. (Xinhua/Zhang Chunxiang)

Indonesia's Mt. Merapi poses threat with cold lava floods

JAKARTA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Recent eruptions of Indonesia's Mount Merapi have released more than 140 million cubic meters of volcanic materials. But "cold lava" floods are emerging as a serious threat as heavy rains inundate the region,

6.1-magnitude quake rocks Maluku island of Indonesia

JAKARTA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 struck off Maluku island in eastern parts of Indonesia on Friday, but it has no potential for tsunami and there was no initial report of damage or fatalities

Quake hits sea off Taiwan's Hualien county

BEIJING - An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter Scale hit the sea off Taiwan's Hualien county.


This is the second tremor hit the island this week. A magnitude-4.9 earthquake hit the border area of Taiwan's Tainan county and Chiayi county on Monday.

Heavy rains cause flash floods in Sri Lankan capital

People sit in a naval boat after being rescued from their homes in flood-hit Colombo November 11 , 2010. Thousands of families were displaced after the heaviest rains in the Sri Lankan capital since 1992. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Sand storm hits E China

Photo taken on Nov 11, 2010 shows a general view of the sand storm-hit Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Sand storm hits E China

Heavy snow closes highways in Jilin

CHANGCHUN - Three major highways in Northeast China's Jilin province were closed Monday following an overnight snowstorm.

Moderate earthquake jolts southern Taiwan

BEIJING/TAIPEI, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter Scale hit the border area of Taiwan's Tainan County and Chiayi County at 9:01 p.m. Beijing Time Monday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.

Floods and landslides kill 13 in the Philippines

At least 13 people have been killed in floods and landslides unleashed by a week of pounding rain in north-eastern Philippines, which is still struggling to recover from devastation caused by Typhoon Megi last month

5.0 magnitude quake hits Xinjiang

An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter Scale hit northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at 10:12 a.m. Beijing Time Saturday

Mudslide kills four in Costa Rica

SAN JOSE, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- A mudslide has killed four people and left at least 30 others missing on Thursday after rain poured in the Costa Rican capital

5.6-magnitude earthquake hits N Philippines

MANILA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Residents were jolted early Saturday morning when a 5.6 magnitude quake hit part of Northern Philippines.

Hurricane adds to Haiti's woes

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Hurricane Tomas soaked Haiti's crowded earthquake survivors' camps and swamped coastal towns on Friday, triggering flooding and mudslides that killed at least seven people

Floods hit more areas in Kedah

ALOR SETAR - Several new areas in Kedah have been hit by floods, including Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak's home at Jalan Sultanah here.

Amazon suffers severe drought

Deforestation and climate change are blamed for the crippling drought affecting the Amazon. [enn.com]

Haiti battered by Tomas

Tomas strengthened into a hurricane over the Caribbean and is battering cholera and earthquake- stricken Haiti, the US National Hurricane Centre said on Friday.

Southern India on alert for another storm

The authorities in southern India yesterday put military forces on alert as a tropical storm approached Andhra Pradesh, a coastal region already pummelled by heavy rains that have left 22 people dead and displaced 30,000.

Moderate quake shakes Serbia

A moderate earthquake shook central Serbia early yesterday, killing two people when the roof of their home collapsed, and injuring at least 50.

21 Indon volcanoes join rumble

MOUNT MERAPI - Indonesia reported yesterday that rumblings were heard at 21 other active volcanos following the eruptions on Mount Merapi - twice the number usually on the government's watch list.

Floods disrupt rail services in Thailand and Malaysia

BANGKOK - A tropical depression that dumped two days of incessant rain on southern Thailand and northern Malaysia has disrupted rail services in both countries and forced thousands of residents to flee.

Mount Merapi volcano spews smoke as seen from Sidorejo village in Klaten, near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, November 1, 2010.  (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)

SLEMAN, Indonesia, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Mount Merapi in Indonesia' s Central Java province early Tuesday spewed cloud of hot ash again, but there is no reports of casualties and material losses.

5.4-magnitude quake jolts Vanuatu

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale jolted Vanuatu at 2308 GMT on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

5.8-magnitude quake hits New Britain region, Papua New Guinea

JAKARTA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale jolted New Britain region, Papua New Guinea at 06:39:55 GMT on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

AT LEAST 12 KILLED IN SAINT LUCIA HURRICANE: MEDIA

5.0-magnitude quake hits S Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale jolted Chiapas, southern Mexico on Monday